Let Me Love You Again
Chapter 40

Nate

I turned the key in the lock and opened the door to Maya’s apartment.

It was almost nine in the evening and the apartment was completely dark. I sighed and pushed the stroller inside the apartment, making as little noise as possible to avoid waking the little devil.

After a week in the office with the harpy, I deserved a weekend in complete tranquility, but it seemed just a dream.

Maya was working overtime that night, so I offered to pick up Axel from Maya’s parent and go back to her apartment, before I stopped by my apartment to refuel.

Gently I disassembled the stroller of the little plague and I took the seat in the room.

Axel had been quite cheerful all the way, until he decided to throw up. I didn’t think it possible that such a small child could create all that devastation. It was like the exorcist scene, the one where the little girl sprays vomit like a fountain.

It seemed like the kids didn’t like high speed in the car. No one had ever told me, so Axel started spraying vomit out of his mouth like the f*****g Trevi’s fountain.

The worst thing was that I, as a genius as I am, had decided to put the car seat in the middle of the back seats so that I could look at him. Look at him! Why I should have looked at him?! It seemed like a good idea at the time, but when he started throwing up like a f*****g fountain, it wasn’t like one anymore.

The vomit hit in the middle of the f*****g console and when I had slowed down and braked to turn to check it, he had vomited in my face! In the face! My car had been stinked with vomit and I had vomited too, in the passenger seat while Axel laughed cheerfully after throwing up in my face. I was tempted to throw the car in a river to wash it, but then another brilliant idea came to mind.

I went to the auto wash, I rolled down all the windows and started the machine.

But even that idea didn’t turn out to be very brilliant. The end result was the scented car but it was completely water soup.

At that moment I had my a*s completely wet, my clothes dirty with vomit and in the garage a car to be cleaned shiny. If I’d paid someone, would they have cleaned it?

I went into the nursery and started to figure out what to do. Could I leave him alone to sleep while I took a shower or was there a risk of creating an even more serious accident?

I was about to untie Axel when he opened his eyes and looked at me. I stood still, terrified of his next move. Axel looked at me, it seemed as if he was studying me too, trying to decide what other spite he could do to me.

Don’t you dare do that.

I told him with my eyes but he laughed cheerfully and began to clap his hands cheerfully and noticed that they were partially soiled with vomit, as well as his clothes.

I sighed and I untied him from the car seat. As soon as he was free, Axel extended his arms towards me and I took him, keeping him at a safe distance while I took him to the bathroom.

I undressed him and threw my clothes in the washing machine, then, struggling, I also undressed and threw my clothes in the washing machine.

“How does this work?” I asked Axel while we were both naked in front of the washing machine.

We both looked at the machine. I was doubtful. I had never done the washing machine, I had always brought my clothes to the dry cleaners, but I was sure that if I brought the clothes dirty with vomit to the dry cleaners, they would throw them at me.

I sighed and went back to the salon. I took my jacket and pulled out my phone, starting a video call with my mother.

If in doubt, always call your mother.

As I held my cell phone in front of me, I went back to the bathroom, Axel in my arms and grabbed my neck while he was also looking at the cell phone screen. His blue eyes were bright and cheerful, too bright to be five months old. I didn’t dare imagine when he would start walking.

On the fifth ring, my mother’s face appeared on the screen.

At first she looked at me doubtfully, then smiled when Axel stood in front of the camera.

“Hey, baby boy,” my mother said softly.

“Hey, Mom,” I answered as I stopped in front of the washing machine.

“I wasn’t talking to you, Nate,” she said.

I moved the phone from in front of Axel, trying to get hold of the camera while he tried to grab it with a hand.

“I desperately need help, Mom,” I said in a desperate voice.

My mother was definitely in the living room, given the background behind her.

“Where is Maya?” he asked quietly.

I heard someone move and then slam the door. That was my harpy sister? I rolled your eyes.

“At work,” I said

“And she left you alone with her son?” she asked in surprise.

“I’m not a stupid mom, I can look after a child,” I said and at that moment Axel reached over to my phone and dropped it on the floor and I cursed unable to control myself.

“I see it,” my mother ironically said, “What do you need?”

“I don’t know how to turn on the washing machine,” I admitted.

“Why would you turn on the washing machine?” my mother asked.

“Axel threw up in my car, then he threw up on me, then he threw up on himself, and then I threw up too,” I said in one breath as Axel grabbed my hair and pulled it.

My mother laughed jokingly, she threw her head back as her laughter drew Axel’s attention and he immediately began to make cheerful verses.

“Please, there’s nothing to laugh about, I think it was the most traumatizing experience of my life,” I said downcast.

“Oh please! You’re so sensitive that that child could subdue you in the blink of an eye.”

“Can you tell me how this works?”

“Okay, let me see this washing machine monstrosity,” she said as she wiped away the tears created by laughter.

I turned on the camera and pointed it at the washing machine.

My mother began to give me instructions that I followed to the letter, carefully and accurately, holding Axel with one hand and placing the phone, while with my free hand I filled with detergent and set the programs.

After almost twenty minutes of trying and cursing, I managed to start the washing machine. I sighed relieved as Axel began to clap cheerfully and satisfied.

I closed the call with my mother and began to fill the tub with water, slowly and laboriously, as I returned to Axel’s room and placed it on the changing table to take off his diaper and clean it.

I almost vomited when the rancid smell of the contents of the diaper caught up with me. I immediately rolled him up and threw him in that kind of basket that Maya used.

Axel was kicking into the air completely naked and I looked at him doubtful. Okay. I had to clean him up. I have seen Maya do it. How complicated could it be?

I took the wipes and started cleaning him, the operation took longer than it should because Axel couldn’t stand still for a moment.

After ten minutes it was nice and clean, so I took it and took it with me to the bathroom.

The tub was almost full so I turned off the water and threw in some body wash and then I went in with Axel.

The child immediately took his toys and began to make verses while I tried to soap him. I put a little baby shampoo in his hair and started to rinse it off while he moved his head from side to side.

And yet Maya does it in a few minutes.

I thought I was defeated.

I don’t know how long I tried to wash him properly, but when I was done, I had no strength to wash myself anymore, so I just put my head under the water and got up. I took the cork out of the tub and walked out with Axel in my arms.

I wrapped him in his blue towel and then I put one around my h**s.

It had been over an hour since I had called my mother and neither of us had eaten yet. With Axel wrapped in his towel, I went to the kitchen.

As I searched the fridge, the front door opened.

“Nate?” Maya’s angelic voice caught up with me.

Thank God.

I sighed in relief.

“In the kitchen,” I said as I closed the fridge.

Maya walked into the kitchen a minute later, placed her bag on the table and looked at me as Axel began to make verses and clap his hands cheerfully at the sight of his mother. Maya’s eyes immediately softened.

“Did my two men wash?” she asked with a shrill voice as she approached Axel and picked him up.

“Your two men threw up,” I said, shuddering at the memory of my vomit-covered car.

“Both?” she asked, raising his eyebrows.

I nodded and Maya laughed, then began to dance slowly. She laid a cheek on Axel’s head as she held him tight and hummed.

“He didn’t eat,” I said, pulling out some meat and putting it in the oven, “What your mother give to him, he threw it up in my car,” I continued.

Maya laughed again and went dancing to her room. I lit the oven and went to the room while Maya’s speeches came from the other room.