out of the blue

Syd was very happy with this. Staying home with Ella. Everything was quite splendid. Of course, there was the usual. Up at night. Sleeping all day when she could. But it was beautiful, and she couldn't help but enjoy this time home with the infant.

Breast feeding had been a pain, but not so much now. They were both on a schedule now and she'd decided a few more weeks was just what she needed to be home. She could handle Evan too, who pretty much slept through Ella's spells of teething. He was quite congenial and seemed to already know he had a sister. And it was working out. Her staying home with the kids. Maybe they were saving money this way. They were using cloth diapers too. Syd was certain she could perhaps save more, being at home. Well, she was happy about the prospects now. It was all figured out.

And then one afternoon Kip called. He was calling from India.

"I'm helping with an orphanage here." He told her. She was in shock as she sat there waiting for cookies to cool from the oven. He then explained he'd gotten her phone number from her mother.

She sat there happy for him. She just couldn't get over that he'd leave the country and do work in an orphanage. But he sounded happy. Really excited.

"And Liz? Liz OK with this?" She wanted to know.

That was the downside. Suddenly, he was indifferent and cold. He had nothing to say about her. It was as if she were the last person he wanted to speak of. Soon their call was over. Syd sat there staring at her phone. She picked up and called Liz.

"Hi, I-I didn't know Kip had-"

"Had left me?" Her words were dull.

"He just called me." She told her.

"Oh really." But the sound in her voice didn't sound curious.

"He sounded happy." Syd told her.

"Good for him." She was indifferent as always.

"So what have you been up too?" Syd wanted to know. At least Liz was still working, but she didn't live in the studio apartment anymore. Syd knew this. Her mother had told her. They still owned the place. Actually, Dora had moved in there. They never heard from Eric's sister, but Syd guessed his sister wanted to keep it that way. Syd smiled then wondering if Dora and Liz would get along. They seemed a lot alike.

"You should come by sometime. We could have dinner." Syd supposed. It would be a challenge, but it would be fun. A real dinner party. Except with people she really didn't have much in common with, but she'd try and hope Eric wouldn't mind.