Chapter 7 Foodie Buddy
MIA’S POV
PRESENT HOURS
God, who would.....who would dump a baby in a place like this?
In a trash can?!
The baby made sounds as he moved his legs and hands.
I looked up at him and looked around for anyone.
Probably the person who dumped him here.
I couldn't find anyone around. It feels like I am the only one here on this huge street.
Why would anyone dump an innocent child here?
I rested my eyes on the poor child.
He is not even wearing proper clothes. Just a short-sleeved ribbed onesie. His tiny hands and legs are out in the windy atmosphere.
He will catch a cold.
Oh God.
It almost felt like he was left here to die.
I leaned into the can and reached for his hand. I grabbed him and held him properly.
I groaned slightly, feeling his weight as he wiggled opening and closing his tiny mouth as the typical meaningless talks from babies filled my ears.
I find it weird that he is not crying.....
He began crying.
Oh. Spoke too soon.
"Sorry, buddy," I cooed, holding him closer and caressing his back.
He was still crying but not loudly.
I looked around me again for anyone.
Why is everywhere empty?
It is not that late, is it?
I dipped my hand into my bag and took out my phone.
Oh geez.
Past eleven?
Almost midnight.
Where did time go?
I quickly put my phone in my bag and held the still crying baby tighter as I looked around again.
The street is very quiet.
There is no one to tell that I just found this baby.
I began walking towards my house which is just a block away.
I managed to stop the baby from crying but he was making more sounds.
Those cute baby talks.
I felt him fiddling with my hair, reminding me of Vicky back then she was like him.
Seriously, Mia. You are with a baby.
A baby, Mia!
What are you going to do with him?
I looked back to see if I could still find anyone.
I found no one.
I continued walking as I thought of what to do.
Okay, it is very late now. I can't take him anywhere but my place.
Tomorrow, I will take him to the police station.
They are in the perfect position to help him find his family.
I have no clue how to do so.
I will just let him spend the night with me.
I could use a company though. Especially after all the awful things that happened to me today.
I turned my eyes to him.
He is quite busy with my hair.
Which is great.
It is keeping him from crying.
I continue walking, praying internally against my last request.
I don't want to be taken by the dangers of the night anymore.
Neither do I want my organs to be harvested.
At least not now.
I have an innocent baby with me. His getting hurt is the last thing
Maybe after the police have taken over his safety and my pathetic life will go back to being pathetic. Then they can come for me.
For now, I think the universe wants to keep me company for a night.
I unlocked my door and walked into my small place.
I took out my footwear as I stared at my well-arranged place.
It is just a self-contained room and I have a small balcony where I sit most time to enjoy the city's view.
I closed the door and locked up before walking towards my single bed.
The bed can barely fit two people but this little buddy is just a baby.
It can contain both of us.
I attempted to place him on the bed but he was gripping my hair tightly.
"Ow...." I chuckled, looking at his tiny hand, fisting a lock of my hair.
I placed him on the bed in a sitting position regardless as I knelt close to the bed.
I reached for his hand still gripping my hair and unwrapped his tight fist.
"There. You could get me bald if you keep gripping my hair like that, buddy."
He moved his hands, hitting his tiny legs as he continued his talk.
I smiled at his cuteness.
"Let me get you a sweater," I got on my feet and moved towards my mini closet. I took out my red worn-out cardigan and walked back to him.
I grabbed the collar of the cardigan open and put it on him. I made cranky noises as I fixed his tiny hands into the sleeves and let the cardigan down, covering his entire body.
I chuckled as I stared at how funny he looked.
The cardigan is too big for him. You can only see his head. All parts of his body are lost in the cardigan.
Well, it is better than being exposed in the onesie.
People don't think right.
How can you leave a baby, first in a trash can and exposed to the elements?
I knelt close to the bed and rested my hand on the bed, staring at him.
He is moving his hands and saying whatever he is saying.
I don't think he cries much.
Babies cry when they don't see their mom.
He is different.
Okay is not like a newborn or two months old. He looks.......
I studied him a bit.
If I can guess, I think six or seven months.
Maybe eight.
I can't tell. But I think he is around seven or eight.
He is really cute and he has flesh.
He is a bit chubby. I think he feeds well.
But why would they dump him?
Why would they leave him in the cold to die?
I leaned closer on the bed, resting my chin on my hand as I took in his features.
His dark hair is very curly. It looks fluffy.
I reached for it and I was right.
Very fluffy.
He has big beautiful blue eyes, chubby cheeks, and tiny lips.
I reached for his tempting cheek and pinched it gently, making him move his face away.
"Oops, you don't like that? Sorry," I chuckled as I continued admiring him.
He is from mixed parents. His skin color confirmed that.
"Is your daddy black or your mommy black?" I asked with a fake baby tone.
He obviously can't respond. He moved his hand up and down and said things.
I smiled at him, still admiring his features.
He is adorable.
He doesn't even cry much.
He put his thumb and index finger in his mouth and began sucking them as the typical baby saliva poured down his hand.
"Aw. Are you hungry? You are in luck because I have milk and cereals. Which one do you want?"
He kept staring at me and sucking his fingers.
I nodded. "Milk it is."
I got on my feet and picked him up.
"You are heavy, buddy." I walked towards my tiny kitchen.
It is so tiny. You could also call it a rat hole.
Sometimes I cook in my room because the space is unpleasant.
Well, I have no choice. This is what I can afford.
Now I have no job, and I might lose this place soon. Once I pay this month's rent with my savings, I will not be able to pay for next month if I don't find a job before then.
You see why I call my life pathetic?
I shook my head, waving my thoughts off.
I have a baby to take care of.
From tomorrow I can start thinking about my life. For now, I need to focus on this adorable baby.
I picked up my favorite red bowl and a spoon as I felt him grab my hair again.
Babies are relentless when it comes to hair pulling.
Especially when the hair is long and curly like mine.
"I will make cereals for you, buddy. I think you are old enough to take it. Just milk will make you hungrier."
I began making cereals. It is not that much but I still have an untouched one in my cabinet.
I love cereals so much. I usually buy two of them anytime I get my salary.
Now one is about to finish and I have the other one left.
It will last till I get some miracle money.
Hopefully, Mr James will send my pay for the days I worked this month.
We are already halfway into the month.
Half my pay will go a long way for me.
I don't know how it works after you get fired. This is my first time getting fired.
They should pay me.
I worked diligently in the past days of the month.
I deserve half the pay.
Perhaps I will call Mary tomorrow and ask her.
Done with the cereals, I walked into the room and got on my bed. I sat down and placed the plate next to me.
I placed him properly on my lap before picking up a tiny portion of the cereal. The spoon is quite big.
"Hmm. Smells nice, right?"
His eyes are on the spoon and I moved it to his mouth.
"Ah," I urged.
He didn't hesitate but opened his mouth and took in the portion.
"Delicious, right?"
He chewed the portion.
I don't think he has teeth yet. And you don't chew cereals.
Silly me.
I picked another portion and fed him. He ate adorably.
I fed him two more times and he ate with hesitation.
I picked up a big portion for myself.
"Mind sharing?" I asked, taking the portion into my mouth.
He let out a protest cry, catching me off guard.
"Oh. Sorry. No sharing. Got it." I let out a chuckle as I swallowed the portion.
The taste is always divine.
That is why he loves it.
Cereals are the best. I doubt if anyone hates it.
I continued feeding him.
I fed him all through without sparing myself another portion.
Not long later, he had finished a whole bowl of cereal.
Geez.
"Aren't you a foodie?"
He stared at me with dull eyes as he moved his cereals-stained mouth.
"Someone is sleepy too." I reached for him, picked him up, and then the plate before getting out of bed and moving to the kitchen.
I placed the plate in my sink and grabbed a cup. I filled it up with water and moved it to his lips.
He drank for some seconds before I put the cup down.
I moved towards my bathroom which is as small as my kitchen. I grabbed a tissue and wiped his lips.
"There, let's get you to bed," I said, dumping the tissue in my toilet and flushing it.
The sound from the system made him stare at the toilet as I took up back into the room.
I sat on my bed, sat him on my lap, and began caressing his back.
I usually do it to Vicky when she was just like him.
Mom would always tell me that babies need to burp after eating. It is very important.
Sometimes Vicky would take a long while before she burped. It is usually tiring.
I would sing as I do it so I don't get tired easily.
Perhaps I should sing while waiting for this buddy to....
He let out a loud burp instantly.
I scoffed. "That was fast,"
He was staring at me.
I chuckled. "Alright. Time to sleep."
I laid him on his belly on the bed before kneeling and began patting his back gently.
His face was facing the wall but he turned his face to me as I patted him. His innocent eyes rested on me.
I smiled but he kept staring at me blankly.
"You are such an adorable little angel. Why would anyone want to dump you?"
He kept staring at me.
"Well.....I was dumped too. My mom dumped me. She kicked me out."
His eyes are still on me. Like he could understand me.
"But I was eighteen. You? You are not even a year old yet." I chuckled a bit.
"Tomorrow, the police officers will help you out, okay?"
His eyes began to drop.
"Go to sleep, sleepy head," I whispered.
His eyes closed fully.
I patted him for a while before withdrawing my hand.
I stood on my feet and stared at him.
The cardigan looks pretty funny on him.
I smiled, holding down a chuckle.
A beep from my phone caught my attention.