Chris’s hundred-day birth party was approaching, and Penelope needed to get ready.
“Please, tell me!” Penelope leaned on Warren, trying to stop him from brushing his teeth. Warren, on the other hand, continued brushing, ignoring her completely.
“Why are you throwing such a big birthday party for Chris? Will you introduce me to everyone?” She smirked.
“You’re overthinking it,” Warren replied, setting his toothbrush aside and wiping his mouth.
Penelope rolled her eyes, wrapped her arms around him, and said, “Well, I don’t really care!”
“If you don’t care, why did you ask?” He turned around, gently pulling her away.
“I was just curious,” Penelope pouted and glared at him, unable to come up with a retort, and stormed off in frustration.
Warren smiled, and Penelope picked up Chris from the cradle. The baby had napped a lot during the day and now refused to sleep.
“Your dad can be a bit of a troublemaker,” Penelope teased, poking his chubby cheeks. Chris turned his head away and snuggled into Penelope’s chest.
“Hey, what are you up to…?” Penelope looked down, watching him bury his head in her chest.
“The little satyr!” Penelope gently lifted Chris by his arms.
Warren entered the room and asked, “What did you just say?”
Penelope turned to him, saying, “Look, this baby’s like a satyr. He tried to nibble me.”
Chris drooled, and Warren took the baby, wiping his mouth, and said, “He’s too tiny to nibble you!”
Penelope pointed at her breast and said, “Well, see for yourself.” There was a little drool on her left breast.
Warren glanced at her and suggested, “Maybe he’s hungry. You should give him some milk powder.”
Penelope playfully pinched Chris’s nose and teased, “Hmm.”
As she left the room, Warren leaned down to pat his son’s head and said, “Blame your mom. She didn’t give you breast milk. You probably want some, right?”
Penelope returned, shaking a bottle of milk, and said, “I’ve reconsidered, and Chris probably thinks I have milk for him. He’s not a satyr.”
Warren simply said, “Give me the milk.”
Penelope handed the bottle to Warren and took a seat beside him.
She lowered her head and addressed Chris, saying, “If you get hungry next time, just look for the bottle. There’s no milk in your mom’s breasts.”
Warren glanced at her, and she nodded with seriousness. “Teaching should start early. If he keeps leaping onto women’s chests, he might end up in trouble with the police when he’s older.”
“Our next child will breastfeed,” he stated.
Penelope argued, “Formula is more nutritious than breast milk, and formula-fed children tend to be a bit taller.”
Warren looked down at Chris, who was peacefully drinking his milk with closed eyes.
“Oh, wait, did I just say I’d have another baby?” Penelope realized her slip, while Warren smiled and replied, “Chris will be an older brother. If you give him a little sister or brother, he’ll be very happy.”
“He’s still a young kid. Does he even understand what happiness means? Plus, what if he doesn’t like having siblings?” Penelope’s thoughts wandered again.
“Chris is like me, he won’t mind,” Warren said as he wiped sweat from Chris’s forehead.
“Well, his temperament is certainly like yours… a bit stingy,” Penelope nodded.
Warren glanced at her, and she quickly snuggled closer to him, taking his arm and smiling up at him. “It would be wonderful if he grows up as handsome as you.”
Warren chuckled but remained silent. Penelope silently addressed Chris in her thoughts, ‘Mom can be quite shallow. My biggest hope is for you to be happy and full of life. But, Chris, you’ll inevitably carry many expectations from your dad.’
****
The next afternoon, Warren got ready to go out.
“Please take me with you!” Penelope held onto his arm and pleaded.
“Just for a meal and a drink, you want to come?” Warren asked, looking at her.
“I’m tired of being stuck at home. Just let me go out!” Penelope nodded vigorously, eager to join.
He reached out to tidy her disheveled hair and said, “If you’re bored, just ask Grace to go shopping with you. The credit card is on the bedside table, you know.”
“I don’t want to go shopping…” Penelope explained, “Grace is even more of a shopaholic than me. If I go out with her, I’d end up broke.”
Warren looked at her. She had been obedient lately. “Go change your clothes,” Warren instructed.
“Yay!” Penelope replied enthusiastically.
Warren’s friends all came from affluent backgrounds, each with their own achievements in various fields. While their interests varied, their level of intellect was quite similar.
They regularly met up at a club, where they talked about business, politics, sports, and entertainment. Penelope’s presence naturally piqued their curiosity. They had assumed that Warren preferred a mature and sophisticated woman, but they didn’t expect him to show up with a “wild daisy” Penelope.
For Penelope’s classmates, she was like a wild rose. But among this group of seasoned men, she seemed like a young girl.
“Warren, dating such a young lady isn’t very common,” someone remarked with a smile.
Penelope smiled and turned to Warren, saying, “Some people like to call me a young lady!”
Warren chuckled and introduced her to the others, “Meet Penelope Seinfeld, my wife.”
A sudden hush fell over the group, followed by a barrage of questions.
“Your wife? Is she even of legal age?” asked a young man at the table.
“Warren, you’ve been keeping this a secret!” exclaimed a young woman from across the table.
“Come here, Penelope, share your love story with us.”
Penelope was taken aback. “I… I just noticed a game arcade. I think I’ll go play there for a while!” With that, she let go of Warren’s hand and made a hasty retreat.
“You scared her off,” a man with gold-rimmed glasses remarked with a grin.
“She won’t be sitting here anymore. Let her go,” the man smiled and shook his head.
“Penelope can leave, but you need to explain. How did you two meet? She seems quite young; you won’t be…”
After Penelope left, Warren endured a relentless twenty-minute interrogation about his willingness to marry. His answer remained consistent: he had met the right person, and everything felt perfect.