Bunnies Over Babies

   

Wife chewed her lower lip softly as she stared at his sleeping form. The way his chest heaved when he breathed looked violent and forceful. Like he was angry, even in his sleep.

She walked away from him and went to peek at the baby, safe and equally asleep in his tiny crib. Her heart lurched with the affection that had been absent in the stare she had fixed on the baby's sleeping father. She touched his sweet little face and almost couldn't wait to play with him when she got back home in the evening.

She then tiptoed back to her husband's side and nudged him with her handbag. He used to be a light sleeper but these days, it took more than a nudge to get him up. Husband blinked his bleary eyes to focus them then said "oh you're ready for work. Wait, let me wear my clothes and open the gate so i can escort you to the bus stop"

Wife glared at him with obvious distaste and bit out "I'm fine. I don't need your help or anything from you. Just feed the baby and keep him happy. Even if you can't do that for me, do it for your son"

He tried to protest weakly but she had turned on her heel and was halfway out the door before he could speak. He sighed and trudged after her to lock up the main doors, then stood on the balcony to watch her walk to the junction and await a bike. Their neighborhood was relatively safe at 6am and his wife was a strange, bitter, bitch these days, but he still loved her.

Wife got a bike and turned toward the house before boarding it. She could see him watching her, and for a second, she hesitated as something changed in her eyes, but the bike whisked her away before she could act on her emotions.

9am

The baby's screams jumped into his ears and disturbed his shapeless dreams. On God, the infant was a bladdy alarm clock. 9am on the dot? Argh! He struggled out of the bed he had gone back to after Wife left, and crept cautiously to Baby's crib.

He smiled at the adorable infant who was his mini-me and scooped him out of the crib. He rocked Baby in the crook of his arm and sang the several meaningless lullabies that the child loved. And he knew more than a few. Since he left his job 3 months ago, he had become quite the nanny and the baby had taken to him instantly. Not like that earned him any cool points with his wife. She had detested him since he left his job for reasons he still hadn't shared with her, and this had grown into near-hatred when she found out that she was now the unofficial rice-winner in their household since his savings had gone the way of his job.

He understood Wife. Perhaps she would have been more supportive if he had confided in her, but the time still wasn't right for that. Besides, a woman should always support her husband, he reasoned.

12 noon.

Baby had been bathed, dressed, fed and burped while Husband tried to watch TV, but the infant was bored and kept fussing as he stretched out his pudgy baby hands towards the ceiling fan whirring overhead at top speed.

Husband sighed irritably and petted Baby but nothing worked. Suddenly, he had a flash of inspiration. He stood and threw baby up in the air. The child giggled his enjoyment and Daddy/Husband was encouraged. Up again Baby went. More laughter. Father and son were enjoying this!

The throwing and catching went on a few more times, then Daddy threw Baby a little higher but never caught him. The ceiling fan was precise in the way it severed the infant's head from the body. The little head made nary a sound as it was flung forcibly into a corner of the living room where it rolled out of sight behind the sofa while the soft little body fell onto the tiled floor and gradually began to soak in a pool of its own blood.

Daddy/Husband wiped the droplets of blood from his upturned face and sighed. His only thought was that his wife would be very pissed about this.