Search Party

Sally arrived with baby Ava right on time. Immediately, Diago and Char were both smitten with the infant.

Char held her first and she smiled so much she was almost in tears. She had no idea a baby could do that to her. She'd never felt this warm sensation of happiness. She hurried to give her to Diago, but she told him to sit down. The baby was much heavier than she looked as she was asleep.

"Help yourself to something to eat." She told Sally. They'd met briefly before at the department store. Even then, Diago mentioned he'd make his famous sandwiches. He'd only worked a summer at the sandwich shop, but it taught him how to make a meal of a sandwich.

Sally bit into a chip and then took a wedge of the French bread sandwich stuffed with turkey slices, shredded lettuce and tomato. Char poured them some soda and she went ahead and ate too.

"Have you even talked to Micah?" Sally looked at the time. She said he should be here by now.

"Well, he said he would be here," Diago didn't mean to speak so loud, but the baby flinched slightly.

"Oh." She nodded and took another bite of the sandwich.

"So, you know him-" Char started.

"I thought I did." Her voice almost cracked. She pressed her lips tight and looked at Char. "We, we were tight. We could stay out all night. It was so great. I-I thought he was fun, back then, when he was in the band." She was quiet and took a sip of her drink. "I-I guess I'm not fun anymore."

Sally sat down as if this was all really exhausting. The baby liked to stay up at night. She didn't know if she was ever feeding her enough. "I can't help but want to breastfeed her, and it really must disgust Micah."

"At least, you have your parents." Char tried to smile as if it were a comfort.

"I don't know how long I can stay there. They, they have a way of making me feel I'm wasting my life and maybe..maybe Ava would be better off with someone else." Sally sucked back tears. She licked her dry lip. She talked about how her mother didn't want to have to take care of the baby. "I really haven't asked her to-" She couldn't even finish her sentence.

Char looked at the time, it was going on half past the hour. She looked up to her surprise. Sally's T-shirt was wet.

"Why don't we go to our room?" Char went to get the baby from Diago.

"Huh?" Diago looked at her as if she messing the baby's sleep.

It was true, neither she nor Diago knew anything about babies, and she knew the only one the baby really needed was Sally.