The house was small—just two bedrooms, a cramped living room, and a kitchen that always smelled faintly of coffee and baby formula. But it was yours. Yours, Rodrick’s, and your daughter’s.
Rodrick loved it. No Greg barging in, no Susan breathing down his neck, no Manny raiding his room. Just peace… or at least, it was supposed to be.
This afternoon, peace was impossible.
“Rodrick, we’ll only be gone a few hours,” Susan said cheerfully, pushing Manny through the front door while Greg dragged his feet behind. “Be nice to your brothers.”
“Mom—” Rodrick started, but Frank gave him a pat on the shoulder before following her out.
“You’ll survive.”
The door clicked shut.
Rodrick stared at Greg and Manny in the middle of the living room. He shifted his daughter in his arms, her tiny head resting on his chest. “Great. Just great.”
Greg flopped onto the couch like he owned the place. “Hey, don’t look at me. I’ll just sit here. Manny’s the one you gotta worry about.”
Right on cue, Manny stomped up to Rodrick. “Rodrick, play trucks with me!”
Rodrick shook his head, bouncing his daughter gently. “Not now, dude. She’s almost asleep. Let me put her down first.”
Manny frowned. “No! Now.”
Rodrick exhaled, already feeling the headache forming. He walked toward the nursery and laid his daughter in the crib, rocking her gently until her cries faded into soft breaths. “There we go, princess,” he whispered.
But before he could even step back, Manny came barreling into the room, toy truck in hand. “VROOOM VROOOM!” he yelled, crashing the truck against the crib rail.
The baby jolted awake and immediately burst into tears.
Rodrick froze. His entire body tensed. Slowly, he turned to Manny, who was grinning proudly like nothing was wrong.
“Manny,” *Rodrick said, his voice dangerously quiet,+ “what did you just do?”
“I made her play with me!” Manny announced, as if it were obvious.
The baby wailed louder, tiny fists flailing, and Rodrick’s composure shattered.
“ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!” he roared, scooping his daughter up in a panic. “She was asleep! Do you have any idea how long it took me to get her down?!” His voice cracked with the frustration he’d been holding back for weeks.
Manny’s grin faltered. “I… I just wanted—”
“NO, Manny!” Rodrick’s eyes were blazing, but his arms stayed gentle as he rocked the crying baby. “It’s not always about what you want! She’s a baby, she needs sleep, she needs quiet, and you don’t just barge in screaming like it’s a playground!”
Greg peeked into the room, wide-eyed. “Whoa. Chill, man—”
“Shut up, Greg!” Rodrick snapped, his voice raw. “You don’t get it either! You both get to be kids—run around, make noise, do whatever you want! But she depends on me. Every second. And I can’t let her down.”
The baby’s cries softened as Rodrick’s voice broke. He pressed his cheek against her tiny head, closing his eyes. “She needs me to be better. And I’m trying.”
The room went quiet. Manny’s lip trembled, guilt washing over his face. Greg shifted awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck.
Finally, Manny whispered, “…Sorry.”
Rodrick opened his eyes, still rocking his daughter. His voice dropped to something tired but calmer. “Just… please, Manny. Let her sleep. I promise I’ll play trucks later, okay? But you can’t wake her up again.”
Manny nodded silently, clutching his toy truck to his chest.
Greg muttered, “Man… you’ve really changed.”
Rodrick looked down at the baby, who had finally relaxed back into his arms, her tiny breaths warm against his shirt. He kissed her forehead and whispered, almost to himself, “Yeah. I had to.”