Death In Duplicate

Susan was still staring at the twins. “They’ve grown! In just two weeks, they’ve grown!”

“The pediatrician says they’re the healthiest twins she’s ever seen.” Chrissy leaned over her children with a proud smile.

“I think Ethan has more hair, too,” his grandmother continued.

“But Rosie’s blonder,” Chrissy pointed out.

“Yes-”

“I think it’s time for me to leave,” Nadine said. “Susan, will you be home later?”

“I… I guess so.” The question surprised her.

“I’ll call you then… a bit later. Okay?”

“Sure. Whenever you want.”

“Who was that?” Stephen asked, as the door closed behind Nadine.

“Nadine Baines. She and her husband Donald moved in next door a few months ago,” Susan explained. “I meant to introduce you, but in the confusion-”

“You’re going to have to learn to ignore the confusion. There seems to be a lot of it wherever we go,” Stephen said, bending down to pick up the bootie that Ethan had just managed to pull off his foot.

“Oh, look, he can undress himself already,” said the proud grandmother.

“I don’t think he actually intended to do that,” Stephen, a literal young man, explained earnestly.

Susan, remembering one of the reasons she loved her son-in-law, smiled. “Why don’t we take the babies upstairs and I can show you their room?”

“Good idea. I’m sure Ethan needs changing. It’s been over an hour since we stopped on the turnpike and his diaper was dry then so it won’t be now. Did you call a diaper service, Mom?”

“I thought you’d be using disposables-”

“No way! We’d be broke in a week. Besides, disposable diapers aren’t at all ecological. You know there’s very little room left in most landfills.”

“Oh. Why don’t I show you the nursery and then we can get the phone book and make some calls? You won’t mind using Pampers for a few days until we can get a service organized, will you?”

“Of course not. We’re using disposables now. We didn’t want to carry dirty diapers with us.” Chrissy turned to her husband. “Maybe you should start unloading the car. Mother and I better get the babies changed or we’ll never eat.”

“Where do you want everything to go?” he asked.

“Bring our suitcases and the baby things upstairs and…” Chrissy looked at her mother.

“If you have household stuff with you, we can store it in the garage or the basement,” she offered.

“I was thinking about our computers…,” Chrissy began.

“Put them in your father’s study. I’m sure he won’t mind.”

“And I brought along some art supplies. I’ve gotten very interested in watercolor since my pregnancy. I’ve been try-ing to paint some while the twins nap, but it can be sort of messy.”

Susan was a firm believer in mothers pursuing their own interests. “Do you think you could work in your brother’s room? He won’t be home from Cornell for five weeks.”

“I’ll set up an easel on his desk. There’s even good light from his window,” Chrissy said enthusiastically. “Take my stuff up there,” she told Stephen. “Come on, Mom. Sha

Susan started to undo the strap holding Rosie in her carrier.

“What are you doing?” Chrissy cried.

“I thought we should carry them upstairs and leave these down here.”

“We can, but this is a safe way of carrying them both at once. And it will get the carriers out of your way.”

“Oh, I don’t mind having their things around,” Susan assured Chrissy, lifting Rosie up to snuggle against her chest. “I’d forgotten how small babies are,” she said to herself.

“By the end of the day they sometimes seem pretty heavy,” Chrissy said, picking up her son.

Susan looked at her daughter. “You look tired. Are you taking care of yourself?”

“I’m fine. It’s just that having twins and then packing up the apartment in two weeks and then driving up here-it’s tiring.”

“Isn’t Sha

“We can’t imagine going through this without her. She’s a godsend.” Chrissy hefted Ethan’s carrier up on her hip. “We’d better remember to get water for Rock and Roll when we come back down.”

“They’ll be fine. I already filled three large bowls and placed them outside on the patio,” Susan explained, feeling very organized.

“Then let’s go see the nursery.”

“I-” The phone’s ring interrupted Susan before she could say more. Rosie began to wail again, but Ethan dozed on. “I’ll get that and be right up.”

“Great.” Chrissy continued on upstairs as Susan grabbed the receiver off the phone on the hall table. When she joined her daughter and grandchildren, a frown was on her face.

FOUR

CHRISSY’S WELCOME-HOME DINNER WAS NOT THE COZY, restful event Susan had pla

“Wow, those are two active little babies. Thank God, Stephen’s parents thought to hire a baby nurse. I can’t imagine how Chrissy and Stephen would manage without Sha

“I suppose.” Susan paused. “What do you think about Sha

“She seems to be competent, energetic, and well trained. To tell the truth, I’m surprised Rhythm and Blues hired someone so… so normal. I expected a modern-day hippie.”

“She does look normal, doesn’t she?”

“Of course. Why? Did she do something that worried you?”

“No. Nothing like that. Let’s talk about it later. When we know no one will overhear us,” Susan suggested. She was reaching into the dishwasher to rearrange her husband’s work when her son-in-law walked into the room.

“Chrissy and Sha

“Oh, let me help with the babies and you two can take some time off,” Susan said.

Stephen gri

“If you trust me to finish this job without your help, you could go upstairs now, Susan. Then Stephen and Chrissy can leave immediately,” Jed suggested.

“Good idea!” Susan was dying to help with the babies, but she had another reason to be enthusiastic-she wanted to get to know Sha

It was a mess. Bags of baby supplies were stacked inside the door, still unpacked. The diaper pail was lying on its side on the floor. Both babies were crying in their individual cribs. Sha

“Hello, Mrs. Henshaw-”

“Susan,” Susan corrected automatically. “Chrissy, why don’t you go downstairs and take the dogs for a walk with Stephen and I’ll help with bath time?” she suggested.

“Mother, it’s not easy to bathe the twins. Sha

“Chrissy, I’d really love to do it, and I bathed you and Chad without any problems,” her mother reminded her.

“But taking care of two babies at the same time is not the same as taking care of one-”

“I can show your mother what we do,” Sha

“And Rock and Roll are dying for a walk,” Susan lied. The dogs had spent the last few hours dashing in and out of the house making life miserable for Clue and, the last time Susan looked, had been lying together on the brick patio by the back door, enjoying the cool evening air. “You don’t want them to think they’re not getting enough attention now that the babies have arrived,” she reminded her daughter.