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Chapter 13
October 25, 2009 | Filed Under River | Leave a Coment
River and Oliver slowly walked through the grocery store aisles, hand in hand. Naomi lay peacefully on her mother’s chest in a tan carrier.
They stopped next to the dry foods bin and River began to cautiously fill a small reusable bag with organic red lentils. Now that they were a one-income family she didn’t feel as carefree about grocery shopping.
Oliver read his wife’s hesitation.
“We’ll be ok,” he kissed River on the back of her hand. “I did the math and with what we save on daycare we’ll actually only be about a hundred short a month.”
River looked up from her bag. A few grains fell to the floor.
“What? Why would we take Naomi out of daycare?”
Oliver placed a bag of steel cut oats into their cart.
“I just figured that this would be your chance to be a stay-at-home mom…take away the stress of balancing everything, trying to be all things to all people.”
River cocked her eyebrow. “So it’s not possible for me to be a good employee and a good mom…funny during the last 15 months I don’t remember you complaining.”
Oliver touched his wife’s shoulders. “But I remember you complaining. Constantly. About how hard it is to do it all. You know I think you’re amazing. I just want you to have a break for once.”
River kissed her baby’s soft downy head and pushed the cart towards checkout. Why is it so much easier for dads? No career angst for them.
“Staying at home isn’t a break from anything. I love being a mom and I love activism. This isn’t just a hobby for me, I’ll get another job. Taking Naomi out of daycare and putting her back in when I find a position will just be chaotic for everyone.”
She unloaded her goods and focused on the rhythmic beep of each scanned item instead of her doubt.
Oliver put an arm around his wife’s waist. “I guess we’ll just have to make it work.”
“That will be $128.34.”
River unfolded the bills Lisa had given her and handed them to the waiting cashier.
Oliver’s eyes grew wide. “Whoa big spender!”
River was caught off guard. She shrugged her shoulders.
“Severance pay.”
They loaded the groceries into their oak wagon and began the half mile walk home.
“What about that business you always talked about starting? Maybe this is a sign that you need to just go for it. Step out on your own.”
River hugged warm Naomi against her body. While she was pregnant she’d become an expert in all things organic and natural for baby. During her second trimester she’d toyed with the idea of opening a retail store where she’d happily drown in organic onesies while little Naomi rested on her hip. Then the demands of Green Helps plus third trimester fatigue hit and her belly button and entrepreneurship dreams popped at the same time.
“Are you serious? Do you know what it takes to start a business? Loans, investors…”
Oliver stopped walking and turned to face River.
“Babe. If you want it, you can have it. Don’t sweat the details. Just jump.”
River felt a flutter of excitement in her chest. Maybe he was right. She’d run it past the girls tomorrow.
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