“I’ll write down the instructions for you.” She paused a few moments. “Having a baby is a trauma to a woman’s whole body. Besides the actual physicality of it, there are all the hormone changes. You might have heard stories about women working in the fields, having a baby, and going back to working in the fields. But I think those legends are highly exaggerated,” she said with a smile.
Foster smiled back. “I don’t expect her to go back to work, not unless she wants to, not unless she feels ready. But I thought she’d be . . . happier.”
Just then Sammy started fussing. Rose made a shushing sound and rocked him in her arms. He soon stopped. She said, “Vi has to learn the tricks of motherhood.”
“Tricks?” Foster asked.
“Once a woman has a baby,” Daisy explained, “there’s no separation between her and her child. I know you and Vi decided to have the crib in your bedroom. But what that means is, every time Sammy burps, sighs, cries, or maybe even turns over, Vi’s going to be awake. She’ll have a sixth sense that connects her to him. That’s just the way motherhood is.”
Rose studied Daisy for a few more moments, and Daisy couldn’t understand the expression on her mom’s face. Finally, Rose spoke. “Those tricks I mentioned have to do with learning her child’s habits and sounds and communication efforts. Some mothers tune in right away, but with others it takes time. Once Vi does, she won’t be so anxious. She’ll have more confidence. She won’t be afraid so much of the time.”
“Afraid of what?” Foster asked, not understanding at all.
“Afraid she’s not doing everything right,” Daisy explained. “Moms beat themselves up constantly because they feel they can be doing better. Make sure you give Vi plenty of sincere compliments, not fake ones. Don’t tell her that her hair looks good when it’s a mess. But if you see her do something particularly sweet with Sammy, say so.”
“This is a lot to take in,” Foster murmured, staring at his son. Then he reached out a hand and touched the little boy’s cheek with one long finger. “Thank you for the casseroles, Mrs. Gallagher. They should hold us over for a week.”
Rose studied him for a few seconds, then suggested, “Why don’t you call me Gram like Vi does. After all, you’re now my grandson-in-law.”
“I’d be happy to,” Foster said.
“Don’t hesitate to call me if you and Vi need some relief. You’re going to continue with your classes, yes?” Rose asked.
“I’ll be finished with this semester in December. Actually, I was thinking about taking off the next semester. I could work more and give Vi more help.”
Daisy didn’t jump into the void of that announcement, but her mother did. “Foster, you need a degree to get anywhere. You take those classes. If anything, cut back on your work schedule.”
“But I can’t, not if we really want to make a life on our own.”
“Being on your own could cause you more problems,” Rose advised. “Take this help while it’s offered.”
Daisy jumped in with different advice. “I think you should make your decisions when the time comes to make them. Don’t try to plan out the next year. It could be that by January or February, Vi might want to get back into the workforce. With a baby, there’s no knowing what will come up. For now, just do the best you can with your classes, and fill your holiday break with lots of family time as well as work.”
Foster’s voice was thick with emotion when he said, “You’re all being so great about this. Even my dad has seemed to come around! And when he stopped in this morning, I actually thought he was going to cry. My father.”
“He might pretend to have a suit of armor,” Daisy said, “but I think he’s got some marshmallow in his heart.”
“I will not tell my dad you said that. He would be mortified.”
They all laughed.
“If you two don’t mind staying with Vi and the baby, I’d like to drive to the convenience store and pick up strawberry ice cream. It’s Vi’s favorite. We need a couple of odds and ends too. Would that be okay?”
“I can stay as long as Vi and the baby need me,” Rose said. She turned to Daisy. “Especially if you want to get home to Jazzi.”
“We’d really like to handle the baby on our own tonight,” Foster said.
Daisy agreed that was probably best. “I’ll stop over in the morning to see how everything went.”
Foster took his jacket from a hook on the wall and grabbed his keys from a dish on the counter. With a wave, he went down the stairs.
After Foster left, Rose turned to Daisy. “I know these young folks want to do everything on their own, but if I can’t convince them to take help, you have to.”
In her mother’s voice was a vehemence Daisy didn’t often hear.
“Right now,” Rose went on, “Foster’s still in wonder that he’s a dad. Vi is tired from pregnancy and the birth. If Sammy is at all demanding, they both could have rough times.”
Daisy had never heard her mom talk this way before, and she wasn’t sure what was behind it. “Up until now they’ve accepted help. I think they’ll realize they can’t do it all on their own.”
Rose let the subject drop after that. As Daisy held Sammy for a while, her mother cleaned up the dishes. Daisy couldn’t help but think about what her mom had said. She’d blocked off time from work over the next two weeks to help Vi and Foster if they needed it with babysitting, cooking, and running errands. But after that, they’d all just have to see what came next.
* * *
Around nine p.m. that night, Jonas texted Daisy. Would
