Penelope
Telemachus came several years into our marriage. Everyone, by everyone I mean my family, supposed that we couldn't have any children. I was upset about that for a while. But Eulises didn't care, or he never let me know if he did. He was content to talk to me any hour of the day, unhindered by a child. And as time passed I wondered if he'd even have the patience for a small child, considering he didn't have the patience for most people.
Of course I was wrong about that. And everyone else was wrong about my supposed infertility (I don't know why they blamed me and not him, but they did). We'd be married for years by the time I fell pregnant. I wasn't even expecting it by then. Nor was Eulises. He was decently a man and was completely confused as to why I was throwing up every morning. While vomiting I had to convince him not to send for multiple doctors considering I was pretty sure I knew what was wrong. Of course I was right.
Telemachus came on a cold winter night, and was of course not at all silent about it. He'd have none of sleeping in the nice wood cradle his father made him. No, he had to be held by someone at all times. Spoiled little prince. Otherwise he'd scream. Eventually we'd get him to sleep in his cradle, with one of our hands lying on him.
"He only doesn't want to be alone," Eulises said, quietly, watching his son sleep on his chest with complete rapture. He held the child with practiced ease having cared for puppies, goats, and most anything else on the estate, yet he viewed his son and heir with a certain reverence he had previously held only for me.
Some women would be jealous, I suppose. I was glad. I had feared he wouldn't know what to do with a screaming crying creature not capable of reasoning or being charmed by his words. I was wrong. The baby loved his father talking. In retrospect that's probably because he know his daddy's voice well from my womb.
"Do you? You think we're going to leave you or something while you nap? Don't be silly, you'll be sneaking out on us while we try to sleep, in a few years, just you wait," Eulises said, kissing his son's head. Telemachus for his part snuffled as babies do and nestled his face further against his father's soft white shirt.
"More like a decade," I scoffed, getting in my side of the bed. It usually took about an hour or so of his father talking to him to convince Telemachus to go to sleep and that we weren't going anywhere, then we'd ease him into his cradle while still talking to him. Thankfully, his father could talk for several hours with no prompting or reinforcement what so ever so it worked out fine.
"Ah---maybe five or six years? My mother is fond of the words 'holy terror' when referring to my childhood--- you'll do just fine if you mind the latches on the cellar door, cellar's the best way out, far fewer diabolical traps planted by your grandma to prevent exploring and adventures," he said, with great affection.
"Oh you're telling me NOW the child has probably inherited the tendency to be a nocturnal monster?" I laughed.
"What, didn't you sneak out when you were little?" Eulises laughed, lightly though because Telemachus was just settling in to nap.
"No, I read a book, or went to sleep," I said, curling on his shoulder to watch our baby sleep. Dark curls already on his soft little head. Tiny face scrunched up in baby -concern though when the eyes opened they would be rich and dark like his father's.
"Oh boring---what all your childhood?"
"Yes, actually?"
"So it was NOT entirely normal to climb down out from your window to go on midnight adventures then?" He asked.
"No, believe it or not that was something that started with you."
"Why did you marry me again?" he asked, grinning.
"Dunno," I said, pressing my face against his.
"Because I'm very charming, and you like the sound of my voice."
"No, I think it's something else," I laughed.
"Because I'm cleverer than everyone."
"Again no, probably not."
"Probably not cleverer than anyone?"
"Yeah."
"You're lucky I'm holding a baby, I really am. Nearly a year of not being able to chase you places and slaughter you, and now this, hmm?" he asked, leaning his head on mine.
"Oh that's it, I like watching you lie," he never ever slaughtered me or even treated me roughly, which was odd since he was rough with everything else in the world but me. And now our child.
"You do not, you can't; you don't know when I'm lying. I could be lying right now you wouldn't know," he said.
"Yeah, I would, and I do know," I said.
"You're the most perfect woman in the world, the truth," he said.
"You thinking something doesn't make it true."
"It actually does, whatever I say is true, because I've said it. Your beauty is unparalleled. You are good, you are true, you are kind, you are more than anyone could ever hope for and yet you are mine. And I worship you. And will till the end of my days," he said, kissing my cheek gently.
"I do love you, you know, crazy man," I said, nestling against him, "Since you can do anything, keep us like this forever."
"I'm fairly certain our spawn is going to want a snack or something in eighty nine minutes based off of an average of his previous schedules."
"You did not average all that out," I laughed.
"I did. I find it relaxing to time things it's actually a very useful pass time not just in baby-minding."
"I know you time things. I just didn't think you'd averaged it and kept it up considering we get two hours of sleep a night," I said, getting comfortable on his shoulder.
"We get three hours and fourteen minutes of sleep a night, or we did last night, which is honestly higher than what we'll get when he reaches the hunter/gatherer phase of his youth ages seven to thirteen," he said, shifting to ease Telemachus into his cradle.
"Oh, that's your responsibility."
"Mine? Me? Responsible? I would neverâ,"
"Yeah, it is ,because if he does that it is absolutely because of you," I informed him.
"Oh, that's possible true, but I'll not concede it," he said, gently lying his son down in the cradle. It was a fine cradle, shame Telemachus preferred not sleeping at all.
"Sleep a bit precious one," I said, kissing my fingers then putting them to his soft little baby cheek.
"Please, we're actually begging you, there, got you all to myself," Eulises said, enfolding me in his arms. I'd given birth a few weeks ago and still felt weird and sore. Bearing the child was different, it was sort of gradual and while I was swollen it felt right somehow. Now afterward I felt loose and different and my body was stretched in strange ways with lines wrinkles I didn't have before.
Eulises was perfectly happy with that. My pregnancy and swollen belly in general had interfered with him using me as a human pillow as was his previous custom. But a round stomach and kicking baby in it and painful breasts made it harder for him to curl up basically on top of me. Also I was hot and apparently I 'elbowed him' 'a lot' 'in the face'. I said his face was near my elbows. Anyway. The baby being born was just fine for him and he was reassuringly happy with my body, wrinkles, baby fat, or no, because it was apparently perfectly comfortable for him.
"You are ridiculous," I said, as he tugged a blanket over us, himself completely, eyes closed, and nestled his face in my stomach, to go to sleep.
"Eighty six minutes," muffled, face in flabby stomach, arms around me like I was his personal stuffed toy.
"Completely ridiculous," I said, sinking back down into the pillows, "I don't get a kiss goodnight?"
"Eighty five minutes now," he kissed his hand then moved it up to cup my face, eyes still closed. I kept his hand, kissing it very very gently.
"Seriously? Eight five minutes means nothing to you?"
"Bet you can't kiss me for ten and sleep for seventy five."
He oozed up to kiss my mouth, cradling my head in his hands.
"Or?" He mumbled, mouth locked on mine.
"Or you have to kiss me for another seventeen minutes?"
"Are you making fun of me timing things? When I'm this sleep deprived? And in need of sleep? And charming? And beautiful?"
"Hmmm, little bit," I said, kissing him back, moving to roll on top of him, twisting my legs in his sinewy ones, enjoying the rise and fall of his chest underneath my hands.
Telemachus started crying.
"You just threw off my average completely, boy."
"Aw, are you hungry already? Good, then will you sleep however long your daddy says you could possibly?" I asked, moving to go and get my infant. He quit crying suspiciously quickly with our attention back on him. Happy thing,
I undid my nightdress to let him nurse, which he was more than happy to do. I was glad as well. He was tiny when he was born, and thin not fat like my sister's babies or the ones I'd seen. He ate well so that consoled me. Eulises' mother made a comment about people being too busy being awful to retain body fat so I took that to mean that Eulises was small as well.
"Shh, there you go, that better? Going to let us sleep for a while?" I asked, as Telemachus sorted at my chest busily, before starting whimpering again.
"Here, you just want attention don't you? Oh, go on to sleepâI'll hold him a bit," Eulises said, sitting up against the headboard of the great bed before taking our son who had started crying in earnest.
"Are you sure?" I asked, already about to go to sleep.
"Yeah, we're fine aren't we lad? You just want to know we're about, he'll sleep soon," Eulises said.
"Tell us a story," I said, curling up on my pillow, one with goose down, the sort people who don't sleep on other people sleep on.
"Good idea. I'll tell you a story from my youth."
"Is this going to be a true story?"
"I meanâprobably not?" shrugging like he has no control over it, "I exist and therefore am true ergo there is truth to it? Did the events actually happen? Who's to say? Well, me, because it is night and you have no other potential witnesses so you shall have to take my word for it but it is better that way I guarantee it."
"Okay, I'll take your word for it," I said, already falling asleep.
"Excellent you're honestly going to have to. When I was a boy not muchâwell a bit older than you, lad--,"
I fell asleep. I didn't hear his stupid not at all true story about things that definitely didn't happen to him.