All I Ever Wanted by Jane Lo

Author:Jane Lo
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: FICTION
Publisher: Earnshaw Books Ltd
Published: 2023-12-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 11

Norah was sitting on the floor of Dr. Chan’s clinic with Joey, making foam block towers for him to knock over. He could sit up without help now, the soles of his little feet touching each other in a quasi-cross-legged position. He was a sturdy, smiley baby, and especially since some of his hair had grown back, albeit coarser and spikier than before, Norah believed her Joey could be a baby model.

The clinic was quiet today; there were only two other families waiting with them. Behind Norah and Joey were Ben and his mother, chatting in low tones about a relative in China who had recently been diagnosed with a rare intestinal cancer. It was Ben’s first visit to Dr. Chan’s clinic. He took the day off so he could come with them to Joey’s appointment, but then Nai Nai insisted on joining them as well. “Am I not welcome?” she had asked, sniffing.

She would not take no for an answer, and recently she had been so crotchety that neither Ben nor Norah said anything when Nai Nai put on her shoes and followed them out the door. Their original plan had been to take Joey paddle boating at Inspiration Lake after the doctor’s appointment to celebrate his eighth month, but Norah was quite sure they would not be going after all, now that Nai Nai was with them.

Her mother-in-law had become even more difficult in the past few weeks since their disagreement over Joey’s hair. Norah tried desperately to process her own emotions, to rise above the toxic environment that their home had become, but it was difficult. Nai Nai was aggressively putting forward the view that Norah had overreacted, and that in overreacting, had shown how little she cared for their marriage, or worse, how little she really loved Ben. Ben pretended not to care, but Norah knew he was heavily affected by what his mother said.

Norah continued surrounding Joey with flimsy structures that could be knocked over with a lazy swat. Joey was doing so well. He was the only good thing in her life these days: his skin was smooth and soft, and he was gaining weight at a steady clip. He was meeting all his milestones, was even a bit advanced for his age. According to mybaby.com, unassisted sitting was typically a milestone in the eighth month. Norah had felt inordinately proud when she read that.

“Tam Chun Yin, Joey,” the familiar female voice announced. Norah hastily scooped the foam blocks back into the plastic tub they came from as Ben picked Joey up from the floor. They squeezed into Dr. Chan’s office, and after the usual greetings, the doctor held out the yellowing rattles. Norah grinned as she saw Joey’s eyes light up. Dr. Chan reached out for Joey, who willingly went to him.

“Boy, you’re heavy now, little one,” he said, smiling down at the baby. He checked Joey’s skin with great care, even the little folds around his wrists and ankles. The

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