choices

Amanda couldn't get enough of the hummus and chips there in the kitchen. Of course, the chips were stale, but she didn't mind. She was hungry as a horse. She had just taught her last lesson in student teaching. She should be out celebrating, but that was on hold. Everything was on hold.

They were all going to sit down and talk about...the baby. Elliot. Amanda. And Asa.

"Mommy." Rosie's ominous little voice rang through the house.

Amanda slightly groaned. She was a bit miffed with her. She heard Rosie call her name again. She went to see what was going on. Rosie wasn't in the livingroom. Amanda found her in her room drawing a flower. It was black.

"You were a blabber mouth, again." Amanda couldn't help but say. Now Asa knew about the baby. It was just..he didn't know who's it was. He was all over her with happiness and well, she was actually happy Rosie had told him for reasons she would not delve in now. "You have to stop talking so much."

"OK." She wouldn't look at Amanda but Rosie pouted her bottom fat lip. Why had Asa let her watch all those Shirley Temple movies? She'd really taken the little actress' cue even if the movies were in black and white.

"Sweetie, what is it?" Amanda got situated on the bed so Rosie could crawl up in her lap.

"I want a baby." She told her.

"No, you don't." Amanda sighed as she rolled her eyes.

"But I do." Her lips were duck like as she put her little hands on Amanda's stomach. "I want you to have a black baby. That's what they call them, but they're actually brown."

"What?" Amanda looked at her. "I can't. Not this time." Amanda tried to smile.

"I want a black baby, just like Jai."

"Jai?" Amanda winced. "Who? Who is that?"

"My boyfriend." Rosie was pleased to tell her. "He's the best boyfriend in the whole world."

"Is he at the daycare?" It was just down the street.

"Uh-huh." She reached up to take Amanda's hair down that was in a ponytail. Rosie was a little too hyper. Amanda helped her before Rosie hurt her head.

"Well, we'll have to invite him over, some day. But I'm sorry to tell you, the baby will not be black." Amanda played with Rosie's bright auburn curls that fell around her face. Amanda wished all her problems could be this simple. Really, she did have to simplify her life. But how?