Stay Lady Stay

. "Thank you, Jude. I'll see what I can do." The elevator arrived at the Data Processing floor and Jude got off. Nina continued up to Avery Curry's office on the top floor.

"You're late, not that I'd expect anything else from a gimp like you, where the hell is my breakfast, you fucking retard." he yelled from the inner office. "I've been up all night talking to the Japanese to close this deal! It's worth more than you'd make in a thousand lifetimes. I'm starving. I want my goddam breakfast."

He was either high or drunk, or both...again. She had a hard time distinguishing which when Avery got like this. Still, Nina rushed in and delivered his egg white and kale scrabble. She needed this job.

Avery looked down at it in disgust. "Where are the tomatoes?" he questioned angrily. His temper was rising. He was a busy and important man! He was on the verge of closing a big deal with the Japanese. Yes, he had taken a few "supplements" during the night but that's what he got paid the big bucks for. He was expected to "buy low and sell high". The company needed profits, profits, profits. Greater gains each fiscal quarter. Avery had to deliver.

This new secretary didn't help. Sure, she was competent but what good was a competent secretary? A man like him should have a beautiful...and easy secretary. One who was willing to do whatever it took to get ahead (wink, wink) . Nina didn't feel she was beautiful, plus she had a kid. What good was a retarded secretary with a kid? One who refused to do "whatever it took". Avery shook his head. He'd have to speak to HR about replacing her. Men like him needed broads that would impress. It would help the company get ahead in business deals. 'Dishy' dames mattered when it came to business!

"In the past, you said you didn't want tomatoes, that in fact you hated them, Mr. Curry." responded Nina nervously. She couldn't lose this job. He had pointed this out to her several times. She knew because she had to put in a special request to make the egg scramble tomato-free.

"Well, I want tomatoes with my scramble today! I WANT MY BREAKFAST NOW!!!" yelled Avery as he swept the coffee and egg scramble to the floor like a petulant toddler.

"Yes Mr. Curry, of course, Mr. Curry, I'm sorry Mr. Curry. I'll get you that egg white and kale scramble with tomatoes right away Mr. Curry." murmured Nina. She made to leave. The coffee soaked into the thick plush carpet.

"Before you leave clean up your mess, you ugly bitch. I have calls to make," yelled Avery behind her.

Nina sighed. She cleaned up the mess and went to fetch her boss's order. She needed this job but her boss's latest onslaught of abuse made her want to have help from Jude. Nina decided she would help bring Avery to his knees. He was a titan of industry but he had a responsibility to help his fellow man in their mortal coil. (A highly educated woman she was quoting Shakespeare.) Nina and all of Avery Curry employee's suffered calamities and needed to be treated humanely.

Avery deserved to experience some harsh reality of his own. Nina reluctantly got Avery his kale, tomato, and egg white scramble. Between the cold weather and bending down to clean up the mess, Nina's leg started bothering her. After returning, Nina set up the recording device on her desk. Avery Curry would be brought to his knees. She would enjoy doing it, too.

Meanwhile, Jude had insisted that Sarah and her boys move into his apartment. She was pregnant and well into her final trimester. No woman deserved to walk up three floors to an apartment. He didn't care how many poor Irish mothers had suffered that way when Boston was being built. He wouldn't allow HIS Sarah to endure it. Jude loved her...no Sarah and the boys ...too much so Sarah and her boys lived at Jude's and he supplied their food and needed clothes. Daily life went in that good pattern. Jude went to work, Sarah spent it at home, cooking and cleaning and the boys went to school.

In the few weeks that Jude had been taking care of Sarah, she'd gotten well and had gained enough weight to no longer look emaciated. She felt really healthy. Her cheeks were tinged with red coursing blood instead of being hollow, pale, and emaciated.

One afternoon Jude came home early. Sarah ran out of the kitchen, hands covered in flour. "Jude, I'm so glad you're home. I'm making chicken parmesan for tonight." Sarah said joyfully as she hugged him, getting flour on his outfit. Jude wasn't worried about it about that. It was nice to have someone get flour on him. Instead of anger, as it had been in her past, she felt so loved!

"Is something wrong with the baby?" questioned Jude. Sarah looked alright but he felt so ignorant about the needs of a pregnant woman and what went on inside the womb.

"Oh...we're fine. I'm just happy to see you!" said Sarah as she kissed him on the cheek. Jude returned the kiss. That night the budding family ate chicken parmesan, watched Netflix and played Go Fish which had become their go-to game.

Moving into Jude's apartment had been difficult for Matt. He now lived in a totally different neighborhood than he'd grown up in. All his friends lived far away and for five weeks he'd only had his sometimes-annoying little brother, Paddy as a company.

That night Matt, Sarah's older boy, lay awake for hours, staring at the digital clock. Through a little gap in the curtains, he watched snow start to fall and he heard his little brother Paddy snore in the bottom bunk. Matt wondered how they'd wound up here.

Matt knew his Mom worked hard. Someday he wanted to buy her a mansion in Martha's Vineyard with a large flower garden right on the beach. She deserved it after all she did for them.

He also knew his Mom was pregnant and his 'Influencer father' wasn't the baby's father nor was the man they were staying with.

Something very bad had happened to his Mom. Something so bad she couldn't tell him. Matt felt guilt build up inside him. He was the oldest. He was "the man of the house". He had a job to protect his Mom and he'd failed in that job. Matt felt so guilty.

Matt remembered how often he'd failed to protect his Mom from the onslaught of physical and verbal abuse perpetrated by his father. Matt knew if he had just stepped up, if he'd been older, if he'd been stronger, then he could have saved his Mom all that pain. She wouldn't at times have black eyes or yellowing bruises. Matt was dubious about Jude. He wanted to see his Mom treated like the princess he knew she was.

Matt had always been small and underweight for his age. For that reason, he was usually picked last for sports. It didn't bother him or his mother at the time, but it was extremely upsetting to his 'influencer' father. He believed that Matt should be out there making an impression on the world. Things like popularity and "likes" mattered to his father.

With his recent growth spurt it seemed almost overnight he was 4.7" (144 cm) and weighed 75 pounds (36 kilograms). Now, with more size and strength, he still was awkward and clumsy trying to adjust to the physical changes. In some ways, it was almost like a puppy trying to 'find its legs.

Matt wanted his Mom to be happy again but what could he do? Matt only had questions. The burden of responsibility and being "the man of the family" weighed heavily on him. He knew he was still young, but at 10, going on 11, he was almost as tall as his Mom and felt stronger and loving her so very much he was already feeling very protective toward her.

But he knew he was also lucky; he knew he should trust this Jude! His Mom would never let them face danger. 'It's been a very weird few weeks,' Matt thought to himself as he rolled over and fell asleep on the top bunk.

Due to the hard conditions during her pregnancy, Sarah's baby arrived one week early. Jude was woken by moans of pain and to be perfectly honest a wet bed. It was disgusting and gross but he knew a woman couldn't give birth without the breaking of her water. He jumped out of bed, turned on the light and saw Sarah's face white with pain.

"Baby's here. We have to go to the hospital." groaned Sarah through a strained voice. Jude nodded. He grabbed Sarah's 'baby go bag' and helped her to the car. Sarah was grateful she no longer lived in a triple-decker. Matt and Paddy would be fine. They were old enough to spend a day or two by themselves.

"It'll be okay. We'll just get you into my car and to the hospital."

Jude wondered if he sounded reassuring to Sarah. Did he look calm and in control? Did he look capable; competent? Or did he look like a deer in the headlights of an oncoming semi? Jude didn't know what the hell he was doing. 'Most first-time parents must feel confused and lost when the baby comes,' he thought.

A few minutes later, but not soon enough for Sarah, Sarah and Jude entered Massachusetts General Hospital. They were having a baby! The baby came as babies always do. Sarah screamed, walked, and pushed for what seemed like an eternity. Jude was on pins and needles the entire time.

"It's a girl!" said the OB. "Would the father like to cut the cord?" she questioned as she passed the wailing baby to Jude.

"Oh, I'm not the..." stared Jude.

"Just cut the fucking cord!" Sarah yelled at him. She just wanted the pregnancy over with and to hold the baby in her arms. There was no time to be polite or dilly-dally.

Jude cut the cord and the OB passed the red screaming baby to him in a warm little blanket. He held the unnamed baby in his arms. Jude kissed its forehead and its weak wobbling arm brushed his cheek.

"It's a girl!" he said to Sarah as he passed her the newly born girl. "What should we call her?" he questioned. Jude hoped that Sarah would let him continue to be a part of their lives. He wanted to forever be a part of Sarah and her children's lives. He wanted to be a father. He wanted to look after people and be loved in return. No more plastic fantastic' OnlyFans* "love" or Tinder "love" but pure genuine love which could not be bought or quantified.

*This is a website.

"Joy!" stated Sarah without even thinking about it. "We both need more joy in our lives so her name is Joy," she kissed Joy and fell back against her bed exhausted from the birth.

Jude, feeling disappointed not to be Joy's natural father, watched both Sarah and Joy as mother and daughter sleep.

The state of Massachusetts, while not perfect, still has some of the best "free" healthcare coverage in the USA. Now that Sarah had her baby, all sorts of healthcare opportunities opened to her and the baby. She had access to lactation consultants, infant healthcare, and homes for displaced mothers. Sarah had been forced to rely on Jude for the last month and a half, but now Sarah no longer had a desperate need for Jude. She could do as she bid with all the social programs that had opened up.

Sarah clutched Joy tighter to her breast, nursing. Joy had only been born a few hours before. Mother and daughter were still recovering. She'd have to spend tonight with Joy at Massachusetts General Hospital. Joy had been a week early and needed jaundice treatment.

Sarah finished nursing Joy and then she was burped. Sarah put her to bed. It was time to call Jude. He had gone home to look after her boys. There was really nothing he could do at the hospital. Sarah picked up her phone and dialed.

"Hi, Mom! We're with Jude. We had pizza for dinner. Send some pics of our sister." stated Matt and Paddy. "We got to go Jude's letting us watch Toy Story on Disney+. He says we can stay up all the way till eleven. We don't have to go to school tomorrow because of the baby. We love you Mom and the baby, too!" With that Matt and Paddy hung up the phone.

Sarah smiled as she looked at Joy over in her bassinet. Her boys were alright. Jude loved them and her. He was such a gentleman. But, Sarah wondered if she truly loved Jude? Yes...no... she didn't know. She knew that Jude loved her more than she loved him. If Jude asked, she'd definitely say yes. She'd marry him and live with him forever. So, while she didn't have Nancy Meyers movie love for him, she was very fond of him and they got along well together. Sarah knew she could grow in love for him.

As Sarah mulled over the situation, she started to consider on a deeper level what it meant to be in love. She had been so sure she was in love with her husband when she agreed to marry him, but she was no longer sure that had been true.

As she analyzed further, she had begun to understand that love is not a feeling of desire for and wanting to possess another; it was not feelings of desire and lust.

She now understood that she had always chosen her men the wrong way and the results were a disaster. Now she knew that first and foremost a good man was what a woman needed as a husband. Someone she could trust, appreciate and give herself to totally in order to fulfill his life. She knew a successful marriage meant her man had to totally love her in the same way and given himself totally to her. Wasn't that what Jude had already done for her?

Sarah spent the night with Joy in the hospital and Jude stayed with the boys. The next day Sarah and Joy returned to Jude's. To her astonishment, Jude's entire apartment was crowded with all the things a newborn baby needs. There were new clothes, blankets, bottles, and diapers, the list of supplies a newborn needed was endless. To top it all off there was a birthday cake for Joy and a dozen red roses for her!

Sarah was deeply touched. No one had ever cared for her like this, not even her ex-husband with the birth of their boys. She was being treated like a princess. Sure, she didn't have beautiful dresses, carriages, and whatever impractical things a princess received but Jude had been a realistic fairy godmother. He'd bought stuff for the baby...and her boys now shared a bunk bed. They were making their way in the world. The tentative family was coming together due to Jude's tenacious love.

Sarah knew it was time to start over. She needed to forget the past; the distant past the near past; the past in any form at least for now. It was today and the future. She needed to be totally focused on Jude and her children. Perhaps, one day Sarah could look back and appreciate it but now she needed to be firm and focused. She needed to be a strong mother for her children.

After about two weeks at home, Joy seemed to become agitated. One night, after her feeding she started to cry and then screamed for hours. Jude felt so helpless since nothing he could do seemed to help. Jude almost couldn't take it. How could a little thing be so angry? How could it function without sleep? How could it scream soooo loudly?

Complex emotions bubbled up inside Jude. A big part of him was pissed off and wanted to kick Sarah's family out. Since Sarah's family had arrived everything was so different. His "bachelor routine", sitting around in his boxers, drinking beer and playing video games was "no longer allowed". He had to "be an adult" man up and do what society required. Jude finally stilled himself enough to think rationally and thought twice about kicking Sarah's family out. That would be ungallant. It wasn't the newborn Joy's fault that she was suffering "growing pains" or whatever bothered newborn babies so much. Sure, Sarah wasn't legally his wife but what was in a piece of paper? It was just there so the government could quantify and tax you. What mattered was his deep love for her, and the commitment to her that he now understood had been with him for two years.

He'd always wanted to be married and have a family. He was forty-three now and it had seemed his dream had come true. Sarah was thirty-four, so they were eight years apart. What was the big deal? She was a genuine woman, not a' plastic-fantastic OnlyFans girl, Sarah was the kind of woman he'd always wanted to marry. Jude knew that even if he was to get a family with children related by "blood" instead of love, a screaming baby could come from that too. So, Jude determined that he would have to live with Joy and her persistent screams for the time being. He got up to walk the baby around the apartment in a vain attempt to get her asleep.

The next morning Jude wearily made his way into the office. Sometime around 2 am, Joy crashed. Then she'd slept like an angel. The boys ate their Froot Loops and Jude dropped them off at school. Sarah had put him on the pick-up/drop-off list, so teachers knew he wasn't attempting to kidnap Matt and Paddy. Now they were like other normal families.

Jude in 25 years as an adult hadn't been around kids. He was astonished that Froot Loops were no longer Fruit Loops. Apparently, some idiot believed that the sugary breakfast cereal was made from actual fruit, so it was spelt 'Froot Loops' now. Jude was also astonished that Matt and Paddy didn't fight over the prize inside the cereal box. He'd always fought with his little sister for that coveted prize. A kid had to win the decoder ring, the tattoo or the other cheap plastic knickknack inside. "Be the first in your neighborhood to collect all five!"

The fun cereal prizes had been discontinued in a cost-cutting effort by cereal makers who 'cheaped' out. Also, idiots sued cereal companies believing the prizes to be edible. Live and learn. Jude learned day by day about the lifestyles of 21st-century kids. Both Matt and Paddy, unaccustomed to a father figure, held him in high regard. Jude was idolized by both boys. They knew he looked after them and their mother. He cherished her, so they cherished him.

Matt, the eldest by four years, couldn't remember his biological father treating his mother this well. The boys' biological father, a self-proclaimed "Instagram lifestyle guru" constantly preached the need for self-care and adventure. A person should get out in the world and lead the best life. Matt and Paddy knew this from what they read on his blog. The world had to be explored. Someone had to see Machu Picchu and Everest Base Camp and experience Carnival in Rio. Trevor, their father, was out there doing it. He wasn't bogged down by kids and a wife in a crappy Roxbury apartment. His Instagram Fans needed to see him living an adventurous life.

Even though he was only ten, Matt understood that it was his mother who held the family together. She endured. She was a Valkyrie. She was a Parvati, a mother goddess. His father was an asshole. Sarah deserved the world and more. He hoped she would see how much Jude loved her. Matt wanted to be a part of a real family with a real father like the families of some of his friends at school. He knew that his little brother Paddy felt that same way and needed stability. Matt was also sure that if the newborn Joy had a vote, she'd vote to stay with Jude.

Now that Sarah and her family were staying with Jude, he was finally feeling fulfilled, no longer feeling he was a mere husk of a human being. When he came home from work, Jude would watch as Sarah breastfed Joy; it was such a beautiful loving thing. But even after getting her little tummy filled with warm soothing mother's milk, it seemed that newborn Joy was always angry. Her face was often red and angry. She was colicky, seeming full of pain and rage, and then suddenly ½ a second later she could fall asleep like an angel. Were all newborns like her?

[Medical note: Colic is a word used to describe healthy babies who cry a lot and are hard to comfort. It is a condition in approximately one baby in four. It usually begins at approximately 2 weeks of age and goes away by 4 months of age. It is most common during the first 6 weeks of life. In most cases, during the day, crying is concentrated in the late afternoon and evening hours.]

Technically colic is defined as when a baby's crying: 1) Lasts for more than 3 hours a day. 2) Happens more than 3 days a week. Many doctors believe it is a form of digestive tract distress caused by unrelieved gas pressure for sometimes it can be relieved when a baby burps or defecates.]