At checkout Cherish ignored the price the cashier said and simply turned the other way. This man racked up the bills in her mind she’d have to repay. Once they had a quick diaper change and feeding, they were off to Wal-Mart and just when she thought it would be easier. It wasn’t.
Cherish dully pointed to the last car seat, on the shelf which was the most expensive at eighty dollars, “What about this one?” She asked. He already shot down the others passionately. The cushions weren’t comfy enough. The safety rating was properly displayed, the colors were gaudy. She pressed both hands to her lower back and leaned away with a sigh.
The expression on Simon’s face wasn’t pleased at all by the selection they had. He put a great amount of priority into Jr. before he was born and now he had two. He wouldn’t settle for anything less. The safety rating bothered him the most because that was important if an accident occurred. “She won’t be comfortable and the last thing I need is for my baby to fly out of the window.” He argued.
Cherish scratched the back of her ear as she returned her gaze towards the line of six car seats and didn’t bring up the fact that he staked a claim on Jasmine as his own. It touched her a bit because she was always worried Jasmine wouldn’t have anyone to at about her as she did, “She won’t fly out of a window and we can’t keep driving around without her in a seat like Jr. Are you really going to put her at risk and drive back to the other store?” She asked.
Simon stared at her and was about to protest but the words of wisdom that Doctor Cline shared stopped him. He sighed out of his nose, “Alright. We can get this one just, keep the warranty. I will be filling it out and sending it off tonight.” He said with a bit of a smile.
Feeling at ease, Cherish smiled at him, “Thank you. This will be fine. She’ll outgrow it soon.” She said.
Simon snorted as he pulled the box off the shelf and placed it in the cart before he made his way for the clothes. Cherish decided to search for a box of diapers. With two babies in the house, she felt as though the box they had wouldn’t be enough. She looked only at the prices and bypassed the name brand, tried and true, for a box of generic. Walking back to the cart, she placed the box in below and blinked at how Simon’s eye critically judged her selection. Cherish tried not to laugh, but he was funny when serious, “Oh now what?” She questioned exasperatedly.
Simon gave her a look as though he wanted her to explain herself, “What are you trying to strap onto their butts? Those will probably leak after an hour. I’m not going to clean that.” He warned. Though he complained, it was nice to see her smile and enjoy herself; even at his expense. The fact of the matter was, this whole ordeal distracted him enough to forget his grief in the moment.
Cherish blinked dully at Simon before she sighed, grabbed the diapers, and returned them to the shelf. She didn’t understand how spending six dollars more made the diapers better, but she wasn’t going to argue. Compromise, he accepted her choice of seat, she’d accept his expensive diapers. Grabbing a box of Huggies, she returned to the cart, “I thought you would have something to say about the clothes.” She answered truthfully.
Simon picked up tiny newborn dresses. He had ideas about what color Jasmine would look best in, but he wasn’t into fashion, “I don’t hate the clothes. They look cute, but I know, like all other merchandise here, their stuff doesn’t last long. So, you must buy new clothes and shoes more often. Which ends up being more expensive in the long run…” Simon looked at her, “…but, I’m doing this because you insisted.” He said with a smile.
Cherish rolled her eyes upward. He had a point, she just wasn’t going to admit it. To her, kids grew like weeds, so they’d be out of the clothes before they tore. Seeing the boys section, she went straight for the onesies. They were cheap, versatile, and had cute little slogans on them. Exactly up her alley. She held one up with a mustache printed across the front, “What about this one?” She asked with a grin.
Simon grabbed a small purple dress with frills along the bottom. This was the one he wanted to get for Jasmine, “Huh?” He asked in a daze. Looking at what she held, he smiled, “Is that what you want him in? It’s cute.” He answered.
Looking down at the little gray outfit, Cherish nodded, “I think I do.” She said to herself. She peered into his little seat and paused, “I think I’ll get a bigger size.” She whispered. Simon chuckled a bit because he knew Jr. was a lot to love. Nodding to herself, she switched them out before she caught sight of the dress in his hands, “That’s really pretty. She’ll look like a doll.” Though she didn’t want to admit, Cherish loved the dress. Mainly because she wasn’t given the opportunity to give Jasmine the pretty outfits she deserved. When she found out she was pregnant with a girl, Cherish knew with Todd, dressing her up wouldn’t be possible; he made sure of it. She then wet
