Chapter 35 -- The First 10 Points and Free Day
The Joysons' apartment was actually quite spacious and seemed to get more light than Maki's parents'. There were 3 bedrooms, two of which were quite large, and one which would be fine for a child. It had only one bathroom, but Maki's bedroom had a walk-in closet that could easily be converted to a bath. If the Watcher had a rule, it was that there should always be two toilets.
Maki's designated skill was programming, and she set to work immediately. She liked that the computer faced the window. The view wasn't spectacular, but she had less of a feeling that she was cooped up.
The ghost in the apartment came as a surprise. It didn't have the lot trait "haunted," so Maki guessed it must belong to a former resident. The apartment's original traits had been "gnomes" and "penny pixies," but since the Watcher had used these already, they were changed to "cursed" and "romantic aura." Aarohi had the unflirty trait, so she wasn't happy about that, but Ishaan's aspiration was Soulmate, and a little romance in the air would definitely help.
Romantic feelings helped with something other than Ishaan's aspiration. Maki was soon celebrating after a pregnancy test.
Ishaan was happy too, when she told him.
They went out on a date to get away from Aarohi's disapproval. Maki and Ishaan couldn't afford to go anywhere that might involve spending money, but they managed to get to a gold date in the park. And Maki discovered that when you're pregnant, a massage is bliss.
The next day Aarohi became an elder while Maki was in the middle of making her a birthday cake. Apparently there are times when the thought does not count -- Aarohi was sad all day because her birthday had been "forgotten."
Maki invited Elsa over and gave her a key to the apartment. "That's sweet, honey," she said, "but are you sure you want to do this? Don't you remember how much misery it caused when your grandfather died on the premises? And I don't really care whether you put my tombstone in the graveyard. Your father isn't going to die, so it's not like we'd be together anyway."
"Just take the key, Mom," said Maki.
Every morning Ishaan had to check on how the baby was doing. "It's going to be twins, isn't it," he said. "I've got a feeling about this."
"It had better not be twins," said Maki. "One toddler will be enough."
"Omigod, omigod, dial 911, I'll go get water, no I'll drive Maki to the hospital, wait, we don't have a car, omigod, omigod," etc.
Meanwhile, Maki had problems of her own.
But the basketball-sized lump soon resolved itself into a baby. Maki named her Vivian, after one of her great-great grandmothers.
Ishaan soon became a pro at childcare -- both diapering...
...and giving a bottle. Maki decided it would be safe to get a job. True, they were picking up $40 each time someone forgot to wash a dish and left it for the Watcher, but she had no idea how much the upcoming rent would be. And even though she was making good progress with programming, she knew she'd need a job sooner or later.
She went through a yoga routine early the next morning to get focused (and also, she hoped, to lose a little weight). The mind concentration routine paid off because she got promoted on her first day at work.
And early the next morning, Vivian emerged from the bassinet, feeling a bit clingy. Maki decided to take one of the family leave days that she had coming. Thanks to her hard work on programming and other tasks, she'd earned a free day. Navya took a job in business, and Ishaan became an athlete. Since Aarohi was an elder, she decided to stay unemployed and to look after Vivi when Maki had to go back to work.
Work would have been easier, Maki realized. After a long potty training session, Vivi knocked her cereal bowl over even though she was quite hungry. She said her first word, too. "No!"
Maki took her out of the high chair and then dashed to the bathroom to take care of her own potty needs. Vivi threw a tantrum.
Eventually, she consented to eat a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, and she was even willing to stay in the high chair while Maki took a shower -- as long as her father and grandmother were talking -- that is, listening -- to her.
Fed and dressed, Vivi decided to wash her hands in the sink she'd found that was just the right size for her.
When Maki found her, she immediately popped her into the bathtub, where Vivi kept trying to eat the bubbles that her mother made in her hair.
While Maki took a much-needed nap, Vivi settled down for a snooze, too.
Opening the toybox was tough, but Vivi was up to the challenge.
The day finally ended for both of them, with Maki reading to her from
Rex Treks, that classic tale of dinosaurs, guaranteed to induce slumber during the first paragraph or your money back.
Maki gained 4 points from programming, 2 from becoming good friends with Ishaan and Vivi, 2 from earning 1000 satisfaction points twice, one from a gold medal date, and one from her promotion as a Tech Guru.
