I pull into the cafe parking lot at 6:59 am.
But my mood is completely sour.
Partners with Ben Watson…HA!
It’s utterly ridiculous. He and I are like oil and water.
We’re opposites in every way.
What could Donaldson have been thinking?
All Ben likes to do is pull pranks and make fun of people.
He’s never taken anything seriously.
A car door slams beside me, interrupting my thoughts.
I look over and there’s Ben…
Leaning against his car with a big smirk on his face.
The baby is tucked haphazardly under his arm.
I angrily get out of the car and lunge for him.
Melanie
That’s no way to hold a baby!
He holds up a hand to stop me, still smiling.
Ben
Whoa, whoa. Lemon Head doesn’t even know you.
Ben
You should wait for an introduction.
I lunge for the baby again, and this time he doesn’t stop me.
I glare at him, before cutting my eyes down to her.
Tasha was right, these babies are kind of cute.
I can’t help the small smile that takes over my face.
Ben
I was right about the lemon head thing.
But pigs will fly before I ever tell him that.
Melanie
We’re giving her a proper name.
Melanie
But let’s go inside. I need to be sitting down for this.
I turn from him and head toward the cafe door.
I find a booth in the back away from other customers.
This probably won’t be a smooth conversation.
It never is between Ben and me.
He’s still smiling when he slides in across from me.
Ben
So what do you want to name her?
Ben
I know you’ve thought about it.
But it pisses me off that he knows it.
Melanie
How do you know if I’ve thought about it or not?
Ben
Because I’ve gone to school with you for 13 years.
Ben
You’re never unprepared.
Ben
Once, you turned a project in a month ahead of time.
Melanie
Okay, fine! I’ve thought about it.
Melanie
I think Elizabeth is a perfectly acceptable name.
Ben
Yeah, for the Queen of England.
Melanie
It’s sophisticated!
Ben
How about South East?
Ben
You know, like Kim and Kanye’s baby.
Ben
I thought directional names were in these days.
I curl my lip at him in disgust.
Melanie
But I’ll compromise with you.
Melanie
We can call her Lizzy.
He pretends to think it over.
Ben
We call her Lizzy Lemon.
Ben
And you’ve got a deal.
I pinch the bridge of my nose…
Then look down at the baby.
Her lips are turned up at the corners, as if she’s amused by all this.
Melanie
But don’t call her that in front of Donaldson.
Melanie
Great. Now that that’s settled…
I reach into my bag and pull out a plain, white onesie.
I lay Lizzy on the table and start taking off the Taco costume.
Ben
Hey! She likes that outfit!
Melanie
She’ll like this one better. It’s practical.
Ben
It’s lame. It doesn’t have any fun colors or shapes on it.
I can feel my patience thinning.
He needs to get his priorities straight.
Melanie
Who cares about colors and shapes?!
Melanie
Now, what do we need to do for the project?
Melanie
Let’s plan our schedule.
I take a moment to gather my hair into a ponytail.
When I smooth it down, I notice Ben’s watching.
He reaches into his bag and grabs a piece of paper.
Ben
So during the school day, one of us must have the baby at all times.
Ben
If we’re seen without her, we get docked points.
Ben
And the baby always has to be in view.
Ben
We can’t put it in a backpack or locker, or we lose points.
Ben
If anything happens to the baby…
Melanie
Probably shouldn’t throw it around like a football then, huh?
Any decent person would probably express some sort of guilt at this comment.
But Ben just smirks and continues reading.
Ben
Lastly, we need to fill out a personalization packet.
Ben
With pictures and descriptions of activities we do together. Stuff like that.
Ben
Then when that’s all done, Donaldson interviews us.
Ben
That’s when we have to give each other an assessment.
I snatch the outline from his hand and reread all the information.
Melanie
I’ll take care of the activities part.
Melanie
I’ll take some shots of she and I together at the park and stuff.
He gives me a strange look.
Ben
Uhh, I’m pretty sure we’re supposed to do all this stuff together.
Melanie
Um no. I’m not spending any more time with you than I have to.
I see a flash of hurt in his eyes…
But I must have imagined it…
Because his telltale smirk takes over seconds later.
He yawns and snatches Lizzy from my arms.
Ben
I’ll take her the first half of the day and give her to you at lunch.
Ben
We switch off nights.
I don’t want him telling me what to do.
But that arrangement works best for me, since I have lab in the mornings.
Melanie
Just don’t screw this up for me, Watson.
