Chapter 49: ARE YOU MY MOMMY?

"Melody is my lifeline, my savior when you were not there," an emotional Dmitri said as he held Audrey's hand in his hand while driving and kissed as he always did.
"Did you feel elated or nervous when you first set eyes on Melody, when you saw her at the birthday party ?" Dmitri asked anxiously.
"It was a moment of pure bliss, nothing wins over that feeling of seeing your daughter for the first time ! I kept looking at her time and again just to make sure she was mine !!" Audrey said with tear drops in her eyes.
"Come out, Mommy ! Time to meet your daughter," Dmitri remarked as they reached the daycare.
"Hi Eliza," Dmitri greeted as he saw Melody coming.
"Hello handsome daddy !" Eliza said as she took notice of a beautiful lady standing beside him resembling Melody.
"Meet Audrey, Melody's mom," Dmitri introduced Audrey to Eliza.
"Oh ! You're gorgeous ! Melody looks so much like you," Eliza remarked.
"Thank you for the compliment and also for taking care of our daughter !" Audrey said appreciatively.
"It's our pleasure ! She's an angel ! She's lucky to have such a doting dad," Eliza smiled.
"Daddy !" Melody screamed as she came running into Dmitri's arms.
"Hello, my love ! How have you been ?" Dmitri asked as they all waved bye to Eliza.
"Daddy, I'm good !" Melody said as she noticed Audrey beside her dad.
"Look ! Who is there to meet you ?" Dmitri said as he pointed towards Audrey.
Melody"s eyebrows knitted in confusion, making Audrey softly chuckle at her adorable expression.
"Who ?" Melody asked.
"She's your Mommy ! You have been asking for her all the time. Now she's here with you !" Dmitri gently said as he broke the bombshell news.
"Are you my mother ?" Melody asked innocently.
"Yes, my baby ! I'm your mother !" Audrey replied.
"Mommy ! My mommy !" Melody exclaimed as she jumped into Audrey"s arms from Dmitri's arms.
Listening, mommy for the first time from Melody's mouth, melted Audrey"s heart in an instant. She celebrated this moment by showering plenty of smooches and kisses on her baby girl.
"You'll live with us like Sarah's mommy ? You'll not leave me ?" Melody asked innocently.
"Yes, we'll all live together. I'll never ever leave you, baby," an emotional Audrey replied as love and joy overflowed from her heart.
Every motherhood story is unique. The backstory to Audrey"s journey into motherhood went through hell but with Melody in her arms, she truly felt that it was the best feeling in the world !
"Audrey, we forgot to take your luggage from the hotel," Dmitri reminded.
"Oh yeah ! Let's go and get it," Audrey said as she gave Dmitri the address.
While Dmitri drove them to the hotel from the daycare, Audrey sat in the back seat and held her newfound daughter's hand in her car seat the whole way.
"I don't want to wear shoes," Melody said as she took her shoes off her feet while sitting on the car seat.
"Is there such a thing as a car ride where shoes stay on ?" Dmitri asked.
"As if we weren"t running late already, now you get to wrestle the little cat in your backseat and try to put her shoes back on, for the nth time of the day," Dmitri said as he helped Melody out of the car to walk into the hotel.
Melody had so many stories to share with her parents about the activities that happened during the day in the daycare.
"Melody has been on fire recently, and I wish I could freeze her at this age ! Children don"t have any filters at this innocent stage, " Dmitri said.
"But the society teaches people to filter and to deny !" Audrey said as they reached home.
There were joys all around and every moment felt like a festival at their home now.
"Melody, I'm preparing the meal. In the meantime have your bath," Dmitri said.
"Come here, baby ! Mommy will give you a bath today," Audrey said.
"No ! I want to play with mommy," Melody said.
"She used to love bath time. But now she has no interest in it unless she"s already in the bath, and then she doesn"t want to get out," Dmitri said as they both coaxed Melody to get into the bathtub .
As Audrey and Melody enjoyed the bath, Dmitri went to the kitchen to prepare the meal.
Suddenly, a gruesome wail echoed through the house. He dashed to Melody"s room to find her star-fished on the floor in her underwear, clothes strewn everywhere.
"What"s happening ?" Dmitri asked. "Are you hurt ?"
"My pajamas feel weird !" she shrieked, as Audrey looked all perplexed.
"I can"t help but groan. This is day three that her pajamas don"t "feel right," Dmitri explained.
Audrey calmly suggested different pairs, but none would do—too tight, too loose, have pockets, or otherwise somehow offensive. After kicking off a fourth pair, she threw herself back to the floor.
At this juncture, Dmitri hurled all the pants and pajamas on her bed, told that she"s going to sleep in her goddamn underwear, and stormed out as he gave Melody in Audrey"s lap who assured him through nonverbal gestures that she'll manage everything.
Audrey had witnessed all this with Alex also in these past few days, so she knew how to get her toddler dressed.
"Melody, which of these would you like to wear ? The green pajamas, matching with Mommy's dress or the purple one with cartoon characters ? Audrey asked as she offered two acceptable options to choose from.
"Green one ! Mommy Melody matching matching colour," Melody exclaimed in excitement and both of them left for the meal happily.
Audrey went to the kitchen to help Dmitri who was amazed to see them both.
"Oh ! My princess looks stunning like her mommy," Dmitri said as he came out of the kitchen to kiss her.

"Daddy ! It's cartoon time," Melody said.
"You allow her to watch TV ?" Audrey asked.
"I listened to her pediatrician and kept our little angel away from electronics until she was two years old. But now that she throws the most insane tantrums while I have to take care of errands at home, so it's like 'Hey, want to watch a show ?'" Dmitri explained his catch nine situation. "Cartoon marathon is the best way to get through emails. No judgment. Just understanding that sometimes a few minutes of peace are worth any cartoon in the world," he added.
"Dinner is ready ! Let's have yumm yumm food !" Audrey called Melody as she laid the table.
"No ! I'm watching a cartoon" came a little squeak from Melody.
"No ! Enough of cartoons, now it's dinner time," Dmitri sternly called out. "When you don"t know who says "no" more, you or your toddler.
If it"s not me saying "no" to her, it's her saying it to me," Dmitri sighed when Melody refused to obey.
"Ahh ! I can see and hear that," Audrey exclaimed.
"No, you can"t have a snack for breakfast." "No, you can"t run on the couch." "No, don"t give the dogs your food." And if I"m telling her to eat something healthy, get ready for bed, take a bath, pick up her toys, or anything, her reply is, "NOOOOOOOOOO!" Dmitri told an amused Audrey.
Dmitri"s attention was brought back to Melody when the latter giggled at something on the television.
"Fine, Melody ! I'm counting to three," Dmitri warned.
"This is when the word "no" happens a lot more, chasing happens, and counting to three begins," Dmitri informed Audrey. "When you count to three all day long, but you hope you never reach "1 . . 2 . . . 2 and a half . . . . don"t make me put you in time out !" It"s hoping that the counting scares them straight, so you don"t have to deal with time out," he confessed.
Melody reached near the dining table.
"What a relief ! The countdown worked !" Audrey excitedly told Dmitri, who nodded with a smile.
"Melody will eat herself," said the little lady insisting on feeding herself, sending peas and carrots everywhere.
"Let me help you, baby !" Audrey offered her help.
"No ! "I'll eat !" Melody exclaimed. As a three year old, she could feed herself with a spoon and fork, and drink from a regular cup.
"She's right on track ! Quite independent like her mommy," Dmitri chuckled.
Audrey brought green tea for Dmitri after the dinner as he was playing with Melody in the dollhouse.
"Have your tea before it cools down," Audrey said.
"You have to reheat your tea or coffee at least five times throughout the day because heaven forbid, if you get to finish a cup in one sitting," Dmitri said as Melody wanted him to dress up her doll.
"Doctor daddy, do they make caffeine IVs yet ?" Audrey joked as they both relished their tea.
"Melody, come it's sleeping time now !" Dmitri said as it was getting past her bedtime.
"No ! I want to play in the dollhouse with mommy now," Melody wailed.
"Sweetie ! That we can do tomorrow, when daddy will go to the hospital," Audrey cooed.
"Mommy, I'll take you to the park. You can meet all my friends. Daddy, I want everyone to see that I have a mommy too," Melody said in all innocence but this made both her parents teary-eyed, thinking how she must have longed for a mom but couldn't express much.
"Sure, baby ! Melody and mommy will play in the park tomorrow," Audrey agreed as she carried her in her arms to the bedroom.
Witnessing the bond established between mom and daughter in a couple of hours was utterly heartwarming for Dmitri.
For the first time he experienced what a family was !
"Mama, you"re so beautiful !" exclaimed Melody as she grabbed her cheeks with her hands.
Audrey just wanted time to get still in that moment.
"I'll sleep between mommy and daddy," Melody declared.
"Yes ! Let's sleep ! Mommy is also really tired after a long day of riding a high emotional roller coaster" Audrey replied as she laid Melody on the bed.
"Speaking of sleep. The toddler who originally falls asleep so sweet and angelic magically seems to turn into an octopus-like creature with eight arms in the middle of the night. All of which end up on you or smacking you. So be careful !" Dmitri warned.
Dmitri noticed that both mom and daughter were sleeping and softly snoring by now.
After prying his eyes away from his sleeping daughter and his loving Audrey, he also retired to bed for the day, feeling complete for the first time in years.