Does this picture inspire a short story for you??
"Tyler? Baby? What are you doing out here?" I ask, exhausted from work and half out of my mind.
ย ย I was expecting to lay eyes on him the second I came home โ to see him sitting on the couch like a big ol' overripe watermelon, watching TV and nodding off... like usual.
I was expecting messy-haired Tyler. Un-showered Tyler. Sleepy Tyler. Beautifully disheveled, and a little bit smelly Tyler โ but, instead, I unlocked the door and stepped into an empty apartment.
He was missing from the couchโฆ and he didn't answer me when I called his name.
It wasnโt until I looked out at our balcony and saw a bloated silhouette leaning against the railing that I realized where he wasโฆ and, when I stepped outside, I found myself even more surprised.
โWhat are you wearing?โ I say, flabbergasted by the sight of him in the brown lingerie set that I bought for him several months ago, before he got pregnant โ a set that heโs only now wearing for the first time.
โThe baby and I had a good day.โ He answers, beaming. Somehow his crooked smile outshines the sun. โI wanted to look good for you when you came home.โ
โWellโฆ you look stunning.โ I tell him.
I usually head straight to the bedroom after workโฆ take off my clothes, get showered, and wash the muck off my hands. Now, though, my grimy hands reach directly for his beautiful belly, smearing them with black residue.
โIs this gonna be a daily thing now?โ I ask cheekily.
โI donโt know.โ Tyler answers. โYou may wanna ask your son. If he keeps behaving in there, like he did today, maybe Iโll keep this up.โ
โWellโฆ if heโs anywhere as energetic as you are, Iโd better enjoy this time while it lasts.โ
We laugh like a pair of hyenas out on the patio, looking down at the city together as I hold him in my arms โ dirty hands planted on either side of his belly, where they belong, marking him with affection. I guess I really better enjoy thisโฆ because, the second we go back inside, the lingerie set that heโs wearing is hitting the floor, and weโre getting a head start on baby number two.