The One In The Crib

A short slice-of-life about a pair of godparents who face a whirlwind of emotions and unexpected revelations as they take on the sacred task of naming their godchild.

At some point in life, everyone, men and women alike, dreams of having children of their own. Not one person can say that they haven’t let their mind wander and have it end up on fluffy thoughts of the chubby and adorably tiny hands of a baby, with eyes that look like theirs, or the beginnings of hair that resemble their own, or even the significant little habits that the baby seems to have already picked up. Walking down the street, how many times has someone smiled involuntarily as they set eyes on a little baby girl gurgling in joy over a newly bought toy? How many times has someone pulled ridiculous faces in the public setting of an elevator just to incite giggles from that baby boy in his stroller?
Looking down at the petite newborn in the crib who stared back up at her with wondrous eyes, Ariel thought about whether there could be anything more darling. She smiled beside herself, not able to resist the toddler’s charm. It was just Ariel and her right now, in their own little world, as they held gazes that were unwavering and it warmed Ariel to her core.
“She’s a doll, isn’t she?” Ariel snapped out of her trance to look up and see Johnny looking at her with the smile that made his eyes more or less disappear.
“Who, me? Oh yeah, definitely. You don’t have to point it out,” She replied.
He smirked fleetingly before replacing it with a playful frown. He leaned into the crib that the girl laid in, and whispered, “She’s stealing your spotlight, babe, you gonna take it lying down?”
“Can you stop bothering my child, John and Ariel?”
The pair turned to see Yoona leaning on the door frame, holding a box of clothes and toys.
“I’m not bothering her, I’m teaching her to stand up for herself, Yoo. This is a valuable lesson, you know,” Johnny retorted as he moved to help the woman ease the burden.
“Oh sure, yeah. Valuable, indeed.” The sarcasm in her voice was obvious as Yoona looked at Ariel with a glint in her eyes. She responded with a roll of her eyes but a small smile graced her lips regardless.
Yoona, Johnny, Ariel, and Kihyun (now Yoona’s husband) had been friends for a while now, a while being almost 8 years. They knew each other from university through clumsy hallway conversations on the way to class, awkward partnerships on especially difficult research papers, and forced mingling in frat parties. This slowly evolved into a dynamic that lasted longer than most friendships born during university. While Ariel wasn’t choosing favourites, it was no secret that she and Johnny were practically a package deal. Johnny was a reflection of Ariel in almost a creepy way. It always seemed that Johnny had the same thoughts as her and often was one step ahead, no matter how reckless the idea was, and vice versa. (Now) Shin Yoona and Shin Kihyun were the saner ones of the pack. Well, it was debatable but it helped to bear in mind that Johnny and Ariel were inelegantly clumsy in every way. So, Yoona and Kihyun were eternally cut out to be the mom and dad that they were now.
A huff and a heave signaled the arrival of Kihyun, who looked comically exhausted after running “baby errands” as they called it.
“Oh, by the way, what are you naming this one?” Johnny piped up from the corner where he was rustling through the box of toys.
Kihyun grimaced slightly and reminded him that ‘this one’ was in fact a human toddler to which Ariel replied, “Eh, Potayto, potahto.” Ever the back-up problem child, she was.
“Well, we had a few options that we had thought of earlier but we got into a fight almost immediately when we tried to settle on one. Hence, enter you both,” Yoona sighed, shaking her head.
“Ariel, you’re a girl,” Johnny said.
Ariel raised her eyebrows at this, “A GIRL? ME? Johnny you’ve known me 8 years and you… Unbelievable.” The deadpanned look he gave her in return was worth the smack she got from Yoona to the back of her head.
“I can’t exactly come up with a name on the spot.” Ariel shrugged.
“How about we tell you the names we thought of and you pick the one you like best?” Yoona suggested.
The many names they recited, including, Yerim, Somi, Mina, went unapproved.
“It doesn’t FIT!” Ariel sighed.
Yoona and Kihyun shared a knowing look.
Suddenly, Ariel shot up and clapped as they said the last name.
“That’s it!”
Kihyun grinned fondly, “They’re helpful. Godparents after all.”
Ariel stared at them in shock. Behind her, Johnny ran to tackle the pair in a more than painful hug. Ariel turned around to stare into the crib at the hazel eyes that were now closed, the pink lips that dreamily sucked on the baby bib and the light pink onesie that she donned.
“Baby Mirae.”