The Cave Painter & The Woodcutter by Don Hannah

special ’cause ya helped make this thing, this perfect little—
    Ya can’t begin t’explain what it’s like—
    How perfect they look and feel and—
    How ya just wanna kiss’m all over, ya just wanna pick’m up and hug’m—
    Or just sit there and watch’m sleep. There is nothing so beautiful as a baby that’s sleepin’ and—
    How soft they are and how ya gotta hold’m tender and careful ’cause a the soft part on their heads, and cuddle’m and—
    How ya know they’re more special than any other baby that ever was.
    I mean, ya know that’s not true, that they can’t be that, really-really, but that’s how it feels, that special thing. And I want Bobby ta grow up and finish school and get a fine job that’ll make’m happy and never have ta be in a foster home or take crap from people who look down their noses at him.
    That kid made me feel so good, see, made me feel like it’s true what Angie says, that “babies make things better.”
    Even though there’s times when they’re howlin’ and cryin’ and won’t sleep and got the croup and Angie’s all tired ’cause she’s the one gettin’ up ta feed’m and that. Even then.
    And then Brittie comes, and it’s so good! She’s the quiet one, always skittish, serious little thing. So shy. But she don’t quit smilin’ at first, that one. And I can see me and Mike in her and Bobby, but in a way that’ll turn out for the good ’cause Bobby won’t take off on his sister, Bobby won’t be stupid like Mike and end up with the Hells Angels and that. How could Mike be so stupid? Get all mixed up with drugs like that. He was even smart enough ta learn French for chrissakes, he was smart enough for that. But those bikers, Jesus.
    â€œBut not Bobby, no,” I tell Angie. “He’s not gonna be stupid like that. You’ll see. We’ll do everythin’ we can to bring him up right. No dirty talk, no treatin’m bad. On time fer school and then the Sunday school once a week.”
    â€œAll right,” she says, “Good.”
    â€œSo we’re in agreement?”
    â€œYes,” she says, “don’t need ta be married ta have an agreement.”
    â€œThat’s right.”
    â€œI’m not gonna be like my mom, or yours,” she says. “We’re havin’ none a that.”
    â€œThat’s right. A clean slate, like old Gram useta say.”
    â€™Cause little Bobby come along and woke me up, he come along and smartened me right up. And him and Brittie together—
    â€œShare that with yer sister now,” we say, and that Bobby, he does that pretty near every time. Not too much a that “gimme gimme never gets.”
    And at the church there, Reverend Simon preaches this sermon on how things’ll get better, when Heaven comes and that. “The wolf’ll dwell with the lamb,” he says, “and the leopard’ll lie down with the kid, and a little child shall lead’m.” And I’m goin’, “That’s it, that’s right, that’s just how it is. A little child shall lead’m.”
    â€œY’ll do whatever it takes?” says Angie.
    â€œYes I will. I’ll come home from the restaurant and hand the money over straight ta you. No stoppin’ by the Cedars or nowhere after work. Straight home.”
    And I go about doin’ just that. I do. And I’d a stayed with it, too, I would’ve.
    But don’t those two kids make me really love Angie! She’s so much like me, I think at first, we even grew up in the same place. I only know’r ’cause Heather kept in touch that time ’fore she moved away, and they’re still friends. I didn’t know’r growin’ up, can’t even remember her from school. She remembered us though, said, “I always thought your brother Mike