Cinderfella 2: A New Life - 22. Chapter 22

Now came the fun of trying to work with two small children. Ella did it as queen, so did Terry. I determined not to be outdone. But my office sure changed. Now there was a bassinet in my office and toys. I was always having to watch my step to keep from stepping on a ball or spinning top. I had gotten a few books for Toby and some puzzles which he played with while I worked on the books. I was fascinated that he hardly ever made a sound. He would look at me, that face stated he wanted something and he communicated he wanted or needed something by tugging on me. A few times he would fall, that’s what children do as they learned to walk and it was a never ended process. Whether he was hurt or just startled, he did make a sound that was more animal in sound than a normal human cry. Except for the stairs, he fell once and howled. Again, he wasn’t really hurt, he was startled. Of course, I would come running and check. Then I realized he knew if he did make that sound, I’d come immediately. A few times more and I figured it out. He found out I'd come running check him, hug him and kissing him and comforting him, I told him if he wanted to go upstairs he needed let me. He was very smart. I was amazed at how fast he figured out the puzzles I bought him, so I got some cards made up with the letters of the alphabet. I signed to him and said what it was. The thing was, he was making signs I didn’t know! They had meaning and he knew it. He was teaching us. Seth and I studied the papers with the signs on it. It wasn’t complete for there couldn’t be a sheet with all the words in our language. Others we made up but made sure Seth and I both did it. Dennis was growing fast. With Doris and Hannah feeding him, plus the cow we had they were both growing. I never milked a cow in my life! Seth proved better than I did, but what I saw…well, it was kind of disgusting. There were things in it! Blood and other solids floating in the milk. I love milk, but I never saw that. I asked if this was the other “nutritious stuff” the boys needed. Seth chuckled and showed me how to filter it out with a mesh cloth. I was never a farmer. We had a metal basket we dropped in the well in the kitchen where we dropped eggs, cheese and now pitchers of milk to keep them cold. It never went bad as it was consumed by everyone. But I’m getting ahead of myself. Seth spent as much time as he could with the boys, but he was in the vineyard, I was at the house mostly. When I went to the winery, I took Toby with me one time. He was fascinated with it as saw the vast amount of wine in vats ready to be barreled. He kept signing for juice. I shook my head.

“Not juice,” I said and signed. I held the sign up for drink and juice, but three of my fingers on my right hand as I signed for juice went up to form a W. “This is wine.”

His face scrunched seeing a sign he didn’t know. A word he’d never seen. He signed again it was juice, but his face told me he didn’t understand.

I grinned. “Okay, let’s go to the vineyard.” I picked him up and carried him to the vineyard. He walked just fine, but this was a quick trip. Seth and some men were working, but they all knew about Toby and everyone loved Toby. Seth beamed as he saw us.

“How are two of my three favorite people?” Seth asked and signed greeting me with a kiss, then Toby with the kiss on his forehead. The other men waved at Toby smiling their hello.

“Our very smart son thinks wine is juice,” I told Seth.

Seth nodded. “Oh…yeah…well it is….sort of.” He smiled but wasn’t signing. But Toby read Seth perfectly and looked at me to explain.

Toby frowned and signed that it was juice! He knew it!

I swatted Seth lightly which he acted as if he was dodging. Seth laughed. “Sorry.” He told me, then turned to a vine and plucked a grape. He showed Toby the grape. “This is where the juice comes from.” Seth signed and said.

Now Toby was very confused.

Seth chuckled and squeezed the grape, the juice coming out on Toby’s hand. “See? Juice comes from grapes.” He signed until he got to grapes. “I don’t know the sign for grapes.”

I smiled and took my right hand and jiggled my fingers across my left hand. “Like a bundle of grapes.” I laughed. “Dara must have realized we worked with them and included the word on the list.”

Toby looked at the juice in his hand giving me a what do I do now look.

Seth grabbed a cloth he had and wiped his son’s hand off. “We take these grapes…” he signed for grapes. “…we squeeze out the juice. That we give to you and others. But some juice we keep in big barrels as you saw in there, where we make wine out of the juice.” The men working with Seth were chuckling as Seth spoke with Toby. They all knew Toby was deaf and knew we used sign language to talk to him, but Seth always managed to be so animated." Like with squeeze when he dramatically squeezed his hands together and squeeze "squeeeeeeed" almost grunting with effort and with big with his hands wide apart. Making the men worked with them laugh. He did make those grand gestures to make Toby smile at Seth. But Toby was only about to turn two! But he got it!! I swear his face lit up with comprehension so obvious. Seth grinned at by smileToby’s understanding. “And one day, you’ll be out here, too.”

“Maybe.” I smiled. “The boy’s brilliant, he may be helping me in the office,” I said and signed.

I chuckled as Seth got an exaggerated look of horror making the other men laugh harder which Toby knew was his Daddy being silly and laughed. “You will do what you like. If it’s here, fine, but you’re smart.” I signed and said. “You can choose.”

Seth grinned grabbing Toby up. “Absolutely.” Then proceeded to plant a noisy kiss on the boy’s neck, which gave Toby more of the tickling sensation since he couldn’t hear it, but he cackled. Then Seth smiled at Toby. “I love you, Sweet Pea.” He said and signed with one hand, with we had to work out. Usually, you used both, but Toby knew it and signed back. Silly, Daddy. I love you. Then Toby frowned and signed more. I not Sweet Pea. I Toby. Seth laughed. Then he signed for everyone to see. “You’re Toby to everyone else. To me, you’re my Sweet Pea.”

I took Toby back from Seth. “I know all parents believe their children are smart, but I’m telling you. He is!” I said but didn’t sign. This was for Seth. “He’s learning the alphabet! He knows their sign and almost knows them in order!”

Seth smiled at Toby. “You know the alphabet?” Seth signed and asked.

Toby thought a minute. Not all of it, he signed. I know A, B, C, D…I forget after that. E?

“But he’s got the letters,” I said and signed. “He’s so smart.” Then spoke to Seth alone again. “Dara only started teaching him to sign three months ago. I guarantee he’ll be reading next year.”

Seth nodded. “We’ll make sure he has plenty to read.” Then he smiled. “He really is communicating very well for his age.” He shrugged. “He might be gifted.”

I nodded. “Not to sound like an overly proud papa, but I think they both are. Dennis follows everything. He’s only two weeks old!”

Seth frowned. “But you see this as odd?”

I shrugged. “Well, it’s damned peculiar. He knows signs I have never seen. You know that.”

Seth shook his head. “Well, Dara did sign to him a lot, perhaps she showed him signs he picked up.”

I nodded. “Maybe.” But then looked at Seth directly. “But he’s just about to turn two. Don’t you think it’s strange?”

Seth shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe he is very smart, is that bad?”

I frowned. “No, just curious.”

There were times when it was just Seth and me to care for the boys. That was just the way it was. People can’t expect others to take on their responsibilities. Toby and Dennis were ours. As I said, we were in a unique position to afford help, which we needed. But Doris and Hannah had lives. When Hannah’s child got sick, she had to stay at home to care for her child or risk spreading this sickness to the boys. That was life. Doris helped, but she could only do so much and I didn’t expect her to sacrifice her children for ours. Thank god for those bottles Dara had given us. And a very patient cow. I fed Dennis his bottle of milk, diluted as I knew to do. I changed him, then Toby got clingy, so I rocked him to keep him calm. I was so tired. I was a Dad, of course, I was. It was only when I felt a kiss on my lips did I wake up.

“Hi, baby.” Seth grinned to me. Only he was clean and in fresh pajamas.

I looked outside and the sun had set. “I missed dinner!”

Seth chuckled. “I have something for you to eat if you’re hungry. But it’s almost time for bed.” He picked Toby up off my lap and stomach. Toby didn’t even wake up as Seth put him in his bed. Seth smiled looking at me. “I already took my bath, if you need to the water’s still hot. If not, we can just turn in.”

The romantic time between us had become the few moments we could find and make happen. “I’m sorry, Seth. I’m neglecting you.”

Seth’s eyebrows rose. “You’re joking.” Seth pulled me to standing. “I am not neglected.” He stated firmly. “Most of the time, I’m jealous. You not only keep the books and inventory but deal with two small boys. That takes a lot of work.” He smiled. “I know you love me. You know I love you. We’re good.” Kissing me gently. “Now, are you hungry?”

I smiled. “For you.”

Seth smiled broadly. “Well, you’ve got me.” Kissing me harder. Then we returned to our bedroom and did enjoy some passion between us.

It was the next morning when I was totally unprepared for Toby. We’d gotten up, got breakfast for all of us. Then Toby tapped my arm.

Are we going to the winery today? Toby signed. Actually, he signed, are we going to the place of wine, but it was a new sign!

I looked at Seth who was also looking quite surprised. Then he looked at me. “I take it, you didn’t teach him that.”

I shook my head. “No.” Then I picked Toby up. “Where’d you learn that? Did you make it up?” I asked and signed.

Toby frowned. Was that wrong? It just made sense. He signed.

“Dara!!” I shouted to the air. “Don’t give me the fairy godparent thing. Where are you?”

She came in from the hall. “I’m here.” She smiled, waving at Toby. “No need to shout.” Then she looked at me. “I didn’t want to scare them, so I came in this way.”

“How is it he knows signs I don’t?” I asked. “Neither Seth or I taught him. Dennis only a month old, he’s smiling! No baby is supposed to smile at his age according to what I was told.”

Dara chuckled sitting at the table with us. “He’s developing fast, I guess.” She shrugged, signing at Toby.

What was interesting, Toby recognized her. Not as the old lady she had presented to Sarah and him, but he knew her!

“No.” I shook my head. “I mean, yes, he is, but they’re both extremely intelligent,” I said a little irritated. “He’s using signs he shouldn’t be capable of, putting sentences together on his own!”

Dara nodded. “Well, sure. Every baby will do that. We talk to them all the time when they’re babies, so they learn sentence structure. Toby’s just picked it up more.” She shrugged. “I did sign to him a lot during those three months.”

Seth picked up Dennis from his bassinet. “But he follows you with his eyes! He’s showing things he shouldn’t at his age.”

I nodded. “Why is that? What’s the explanation? Is there something about these children? He knows you! How does he know you?”

Dara bowed her head with a smile. “Yes, he knows me.” She ran a hand gently over Toby’s face making Toby smile more. “Because he could always see me, despite the magical disguise.”

“How? Why?” I asked.

Demetrius came in the same way Dara had. “He is the beginning of a new age for men everywhere.”

Seth frowned. “Enough with this cryptic crap. What are you saying?”

Demetrius sighed as he sat by his wife. “Our time is almost gone.” He took Dara’s hand. “Mine, Dara’s and all others like us.”

I sat quickly. “Oh, my god! When, how?”

Demetrius smiled. “Oh, nothing that drastic, believe me. But our kind has not had a new birth in two centuries.” He shook his head sadly. “After the last of us has died, we’ll be gone.”