Annabel rummaged through her cabinets. “Yes!” She secured the mask onto her face, looping each elastic around her ear. She marched into the spare room and grabbed the bucket of spackling paste. She smeared the goopy white liquid over the hole but the paste fell through and dripped into the other side of the drywall. She stared at the wall blankly and her eyes began to water.

  “Breathe,” she whispered, trying to compose herself.

  Annabel reached into her back pocket and pulled her phone out. She searched through her history and clicked on a link. Her eyes scanned the wikiHow guide. Step 1: Preparing the drywall with sandpaper.

  “Ah, of course! Sandpaper!” she exclaimed. Annabel felt her spirits rise. “I can do this.” She wiped her sweaty palms on the back of her jeans and smoothed down the surface around the hole. She smiled, admiring her handy work.

  “What’s next?”

  She scrolled through the article. Step 2: Scrape the area around the hole with your putty knife so it’s smooth.

  “ Okay, that seems pretty easy,” Annabel commented. She pulled the putty knife out of the spackling paste and wiped the excess on the used sheets of sandpaper. Holding her phone up, she looked at the picture and mimicked the illustration, “Angle the putty knife into the wall and—"

  Her phone buzzed, 1 unread message from Doctor Lillian

  Foster. She swiped the notification away and brought her focus back to the task at hand. “Where was I? Oh right, angle the putty knife into the wall and scrape up and down.”

  She moved the putty knife as instructed and slipped. She let out a gasp as her body lurched forward and her fist went right through the wall. Annabel stared blankly at the hole in the wall; it had doubled in size. The little hope she had crumbled, much like the drywall that was crumbling in front of her eyes. Her eyes stung; her lip quivered and a tear rolled down her cheek. She wiped the tear away but more fell. She leaned against the wall and wrapped her arms around her knees as she began to sob.

  LILLIAN PARKED her car across the street from Anna’s. She unbuckled her seatbelt and fished her phone out of her purse. That’s weird, she thought to herself. Her text was the last message on their chat. I’m going to be a little late! was the text Lillian sent almost an hour ago.

  There was one blue tick on the side of the speech bubble.

  Her brows furrowed, “She hasn’t even read it yet.”

  Lillian tossed her phone into her purse and grabbed the brown bag strapped into the passenger seat. Hopefully, she’ll be surprised, she thought. She walked to the door and knocked on it. There was no answer, no creaking of the steps, nothing. Lillian tried again. Nothing.

  She knows I’m coming right? she wondered. Lillian tucked the paper bag under her arm and dug through her bag for her phone. She dialed Anna’s number. The line rang and clicked.

  “Hey! ” she chirped.

  “Hey Anna, I’m—"

  Her melodious laughter filled Lillian’s ear, “Sorry! That was way too enthusiastic. I’m not here at the moment but you know the drill! I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.” Beep.

  Lillian sighed and put her phone away. “Maybe she’s not home?”

  “I know she keeps a spare key somewhere,” she muttered as her eyes scanned her surroundings. She lifted up the potted plant, nothing. Felt up the inside of her mail flap and nothing either.

  She heard someone clear their throat, “Can I help you?”

  Lillian turned around. “I-Uh, I’m looking for Anna,” she stammered.

  The man stared her down with his steely expression. His salt and pepper eyebrows knitted tightly; the lines on his face were deep.

  “And you are?” he asked.

  She stuck her hand out. “Lillian, Sir.”

  His eyes narrowed, he shook her hand and broke into a smile. “I’m just messing with you! I’ve seen you around here with our little Anna. I’m Mr. Andino. I own and run Mikros,”

  he replied, pointing to the grocery store next door.

  “Oh yes, of course! Anna speaks fondly about you and your wife,” she shared.

  Mr. Andino nodded softly. “She’s a good kid, that one.”

  Lillian agreed. “Speaking of Anna. Do you know if she’s home?”

  His brows furrowed. “Yes, I helped her carry some bags up. Why?”

  “I’m sure it’s nothing. She isn’t picking up and I can’t find the spare key,” Lillian said.

  He scratched his head. “She mentioned moving it a while ago. Let me think.”

  “I’ve checked under the potted plant and under her mail flap.”

  “Did you try inside the light?” Mr. Andino asked.

  Lillian stood on her tiptoes and stuck her hand inside the light fixture on the wall. Her fingertips grazed the tip of the key. “I got it,” she cheered. “Thank you, Mr. Andino.”

  “No problem. Let me know how she’s doing,” he replied.

  Lillian nodded in response as she unlocked the front door.

  She stepped inside and waved at the Greek man watching her.She closed the door and climbed up the stairs. “Anna?”

  Lillian called out. The door was open. “Anna, are you home?”

  she tried once more. She shut the door behind her and set her bags on the table. As she entered the small apartment, she heard sobs coming from the spare room. Lillian’s heart dropped. “Anna?”

  She pushed the door open and found Anna curled up, hugging her knees. Her body shook with every sob. “Anna?

  What’s wrong?”

  She wept even harder. “Are you hurt? Is it the baby?”

  Lillian panicked.

  “No!” Anna cried out.

  “What is it?”

  Anna continued to weep in her arms. “I’m a bad mother,”

  she blubbered.

  Lillian pulled away. “What? Who told you that?” She cradled Anna’s face in her hands, wiping the tears away with her thumbs.

  “The crib isn’t ready. I tried to put it together, but it wasn’t working; it was too hard. I lost my temper and threw a hammer in the wall. And now there’s a hole in the wall. It started out small but I tried to fix it and I made it b-bigger,”

  she sobbed. “What happens when the baby comes? What happens if I lose my patience and throw another hammer?

  What if the hammer hits my baby?” Anna wailed.

  “Shh, breathe, Anna. Calm down,” she soothed. Anna wept in her arms. Lillian placed her head on top of Anna’s and stroked her hair gently. “IKEA furniture is notoriously di cult to put together. You know that. I know that. Heck, the whole world knows that!”

  “B-but the wall,” she sni ed.

  Lillian sat Anna up and wrapped her arms around her.

  “Forget about the wall. I’ll get someone to fix it and we’ll built the crib together, okay?”

  Anna’s sobs had ceased but she remained silent in Lillian’s arms.

  “Okay?” Lillian repeated, pulling away.

  Anna burst into tears again. “I’m a horrible mother.”

  Lillian sighed and shook her head. “Look at me,” she instructed. Anna peered through her lashes; they were clumped together from the tears. Her eyes were red, much like her nose, and they were pu y from all the crying.

  “You’re not a bad mother. You’re not. Maybe you aren’t the best handyman, but you’re definitely not a bad mom,”

  Lillian insisted.

  Anna lifted her head and looked Lillian in the eye. “How do you know?”

  “I just know,” she maintained. “Now, wipe those tears away, close your eyes, and hold out your hands,” Lillian instructed.

  Anna opened her mouth to protest. “Uh-uh, just trust me on this one,” she said. Anna closed her mouth and sighed.

  She held her hands out and shut her eyes.

  “Keep them closed! No peeking,” Lillian called out as she made her way across the room. She grabbed the brown paper bag and placed it in Anna’s palms. “Cold paper?”

  Lillian chuckled, “You can open your eyes now.”

  Anna’s brows raised as she inspected the paper bag. She ripped the tape o and looked into the bag. Lillian watched

  her expression change; her face crumpled and she burst into tears.

  “You’re so sweet,” she sobbed.

  “Oh no,” Lillian laughed softly.

  Anna pulled the tub out of the bag and peeled the lid o .

  “When did you go?” she asked.

  “Nonna left some sweets and a spoon in there for you.”

  Anna dug around the bag and smiled when she pulled the spoon out. She’s adorable, Lillian thought to herself.

  “You were talking about it in your sleep last night,” she chuckled. “So, I called Nonna up and dropped by after work.

  That’s why I texted to say I would be late.”

  “I didn’t see your text,” Anna replied, shoveling a spoonful of gelato into her mouth. “I was busy not fixing the wall,” she laughed softly through her sni es.

  Lillian pulled her in for a hug. “I’m sure you gave it your all, but I don’t think you should go into the construction business.”

  “Darn it. There goes all my hopes and dreams. Dashed, just like that,” she feigned despair.

  She felt her cheeks lift. “Are you feeling better?”

  “Yes,” Anna replied.

  They sat there in silence. This is nice, Lillian thought. Anna kept on eating the frozen confectionery in Lillian’s arms.

  “You’ll help me with the crib?” Anna whispered.

  “Yes, I won’t leave until it’s done,” Lillian reassured her.

  She felt Anna exhale deeply and lean into her embrace.

  “You might want to rethink your o er.”

  “Why would I do that?”

  “You’re going to be stuck here until the end of time. That crib is the anti-Christ of all cribs. I’m convinced of it,” she hu ed.

  “I’m sure it can’t be that bad!” Lillian teased.

  “Yeah? Well, you wait and see. I am so close to setting that thing on fire.”

  “Arson is not the solution.”

  “You won’t be saying that post-crib-assembly attempt,”

  Anna chortled.

  ANNABEL PLACED her hand over her mouth to stifle a giggle as she watched Lillian struggle. She was on the floor, surrounded by crib parts; she was blowing her hair out of her face. Things were not going smoothly—it had been two hours since they decided to put the crib together. Annabel threw in the towel after 15 minutes, but Lillian would not let up.She repeatedly tried jamming a screw through one of the side panels. “Why the fuck isn’t this going in,” Lillian grumbled.

  Annabel was curled up in a chair, all wrapped up in a blanket. “I don’t want to say I told you so, but…”

  Lillian put her hand up. “You can say that when I give up.

  I am nowhere near ready to throw in the towel.”

  “Yet,” Annabel chuckled. She kicked the blanket o and sat next to Lillian. “Come on, you don’t have to finish this for me.”

  Lillian leaned into her. Manual in hand, she flipped through the guide and narrowed her eyes. “This is where it’s supposed to go. I’m sure of it.”

  Annabel rolled her eyes and took the booklet out of her hands. “Okay, fine. You’ve already spent two hours on this thing. What’s another two, right?”

  “Atta girl. That’s the spirit,” Lillian cheered. “They say two heads are better than one!”

  She scanned through the manual. “Are you sure these are all the parts?”

  Lillian’s brows furrowed. “Positive. Why?”

  “There’s this thing in the picture, right here,” Annabel pointed.

  “That’s this thingy,” Lillian showed.

  Annabel inspected the plastic screw Lillian held up and flitted between the picture and item. “No. I don’t think that’s it.”“Let me see,” Lillian said, pulling the manual to her face.

  Her face scrunched. “I don’t think it’s the thing I have in my hands.”

  Annabel stood and walked over to the box the crib had come in. “Maybe it’s in here.”

  “I checked earlier. It’s empty.”

  Annabel reached into the box and patted down the insides.

  “There’s nothing in there, Anna,” she heard Lillian say.

  “Maybe we can call customer service and ask them to send over the parts. Better yet, ask them to send someone over to put this godforsaken crib together,” she hu ed.

  Annabel’s hand settled on a small cardboard box. “Hold that thought.” She pulled out the little box and opened it. “I think I found the thingy that’s supposed to go where you thought the other thing was meant to go.”

  “Bring it here,” Lillian asked, her arms outstretched.

  Annabel sat next to Lillian and poured the contents of the little box onto the floor for her to inspect. She picked up the wooden dowel and compared it to the picture on the manual.

  Lillian sighed and her body fell backwards. She laid flat on the floor. “You have got to be kidding me. This whole time?

  Really?”

  Annabel laid down next to her. She rested her head on Lillian’s chest. “Thank you,” she whispered.

  Lillian wrapped her arms around Annabel. “I told you I wouldn’t go anywhere until this was done and I mean it.”

  She felt Lillian kiss the top of her head and her lips curled into a smile.

  “What do you say to giving this another shot now that we have the right parts?” Lillian asked.

  “Sounds like a great idea, Lil.”

  Annabel nuzzled her head into the crook of Lillian’s neck.

  Lillian sighed, “Or we could stay here a little longer.”

  She hummed in agreement, “Great idea, Lil.” Annabel felt Lillian’s cheeks lift and her heart melt. She was content in Lillian’s arms and she was terrified of what that meant.

  LILLIAN’S HEART thumped in her chest. Anna’s breathing was shallow, her feet twitched and she clutched onto Lillian a little tighter. She must be exhausted after today, Lillian thought, stroking the top of her head. Anna leaned into the touch and smiled in her sleep.

  Lillian felt her own cheeks lift at the sight of the woman curled in her arms. She caressed Anna’s face, tracing the outline of her jaw. Her fingertips trailed over her lips. She chuckled when Anna’s nose wiggled at her touch. She stirred from her slumber and looked up at Lillian. A smile appeared on her face. She’s adorable, Lillian caught herself thinking and the thought ran fear through her body.

  Anna stretched her body and yawned, “Was I out long?”

  “Fifteen minutes tops,” Lillian replied, kissing the tip of her nose.

  Anna blinked slowly, a dazed smile on her face. “I dreamed we assembled the crib in less than 30 minutes.”

  Lillian chuckled, “We’ll get the crib assembled by tonight for sure, but let’s set some realistic standards for ourselves.”

  Anna yawned once more and said, “Let’s get to it.”

  “You should sleep, babe,” Lillian said. Babe? Anna turned to face Lillian; her brow lifted. “Babe?” Anna repeated.

  Lillian’s eyes widened. Fuck, why did I just call her that?

  “I-Uh,” she stammered.

  “You’re going to start telling me what to do now?” Anna smirked. She sat upright and grabbed the manual. “Chop, chop, Doctor Foster. We’ve got a crib to put together and we haven’t got all night.”

  Lillian’s heart was racing. She sat up and watched as Anna flipped through the booklet.

  “Would you be a babe and hand me the dowels?” Anna bumped her shoulder against Lillian’s, and Lillian couldn’t help but roll her eyes. Of course, she’s teasing me about it, she thought, but Lillian couldn’t help but realize how her heart fluttered when Anna called her babe.

  She gave Anna a handful of the wooden pins and helped her piece together the crib.

  AN HOUR AND A HALF LATER, Anna was sprawled on the floor, fast asleep, and Lillian had just finished hanging the mobile over the crib. She took a step back and admired her hard work. The white crib looked perfect.

  Her eyes wandered around the room and settled on the bedding Anna had left out for the crib. She walked over to the changing station and placed the plushy little mattress, pillow, and blanket in its place. Lillian chuckled softly when she noticed the print on the fabric. Of course, she’d go with the ice cream cones.

  Her fingers traced the smooth surface of the wooden panels, up to the soft felt fabric of the mobile hanging above the bedding. Anna had chosen a smiling moon and sun. She

  tugged on the string and watched the contraption spin; it played a soft tune she had heard Anna hum before. Babe, she thought back to her blunder earlier. We were putting the crib together for the baby. Baby, babe; they’re so similar.

  Lillian folded her arms across her chest and sighed.

  Probably just a Freudian slip. It meant nothing. Her lips curled up into a smile as she watched Anna sleeping peacefully in the middle of the floor. Lillian bent down and stroked her arm. “Hey,” she whispered, “let’s get you to bed.”

  Anna’s face scrunched as she stirred. “Huh?”

  “I finished the crib while you were asleep,” Lillian said.

  She cracked open an eye and smiled in her daze. “Really?”

  Anna asked, looking up at Lillian.

  “Really. Now, let’s get you o the floor and into bed.”

  Lillian held her hand out.

  Anna propped herself on her elbows and blinked slowly.

  She gasped, “You set everything up!” Anna jumped up and walked over to the crib. Lillian leaned against the wall and watched Anna as she rested one hand on her belly and the other trailed the soft bedding in the crib. “Thank you,” she said softly.

  “It was nothing, Anna. You had it ready, all I did was put it in.”

  Anna turned to her with glossy eyes. “Thank—"

  Lillian walked over to her and cradled Anna’s face in her hands. “If I can’t keep thanking you, I think you owe me the same courtesy, no?”

  She laughed softly and sni ed. “Okay.”