Simon scoffed as he threw solutions, “We have Netflix for a reason, and we can use an old shirt of mine.” He said.
Laughing all the way past shoes, they finally ended up in the infant section. The part of the store he wanted to be since they walked in, Cherish pulled away from him still chuckling, “Wait! What about Jasmine’s formula! It’s not that serious, Simon! She was just a little crazy!”
This man was determined now more than ever to pay for their items and get out, “Just. Let’s get the formula and go home, please.”
Laughing, Cherish shook her head as she turned the cart further into the store and made her way down to the baby water and formula, “Look, if you hate it this bad, I will apply for a job and save up for a car. Oh! Could you help me apply? I’m sure their employees get discounts and benefits! Then I can just work and do my shopping all at once.” she said.
Simon felt a little uncomfortable and couldn’t pinpoint why. He gave her a cautious look and tried his best to approach the situation carefully, “Look, if you want a car so badly, don’t worry about it. I can make a down payment on a new car and you’ll be set. Does that sound good?” he asked.
Cherish was in the middle of debating if she should switch Jasmine’s formula, again, and see if it’d help with her tummy problems. She held a can of Enfamil in her hands and read over the ingredients before she arched an eyebrow at him, “No, no Simon. That’s way too much and you’ve done enough for me. I want to do this for myself, I have to.” She answered. Cherish then smiled at him and nudged her shoulder against his, “But thanks for the offer.” She said placing the can into the cart.
Simon should have expected for her not to accept, but he wasn’t sure how to feel about her wanting to leave the home to work. Not that he wanted to hold her back, but he didn’t contemplate what would happen if she wasn’t there to look after the twins. Still, if anyone deserved success, it was Cherish. So, he would do what he could to help facilitate her efforts.
Cherish then pushed towards the diapers and grabbed a box. Even if they didn’t need them now, they would soon enough. She paused a bit before backtracking to him again, “I take that you don’t want to get any groceries here? Are you scarred, dear?” she asked.
He was not about to wander through the grocery section of Wal-Mart. No, not today. He shook his head, “No, I do not. We can go to Publix for that. We’re going to get buy one get one sales, I tell you. Buy one, get one.” He stated.
Cherish broke into a smile and shook her head, “If it means that much to you, fine. But if those prices are too high and those sales aren’t good enough, you can bring me right back here. Deal?” she asked.
“Deal.” He agreed. He didn’t sound concerned about being wrong. He was determined to show this wonderful woman how delicious fresh, crisp produce really could be.
As she followed him down the main walkway towards the registers, she paused, “Wait…what about the kid’s clothes? We didn’t even look!” she said pointing back.
Simon looked her over completely deflated and exhausted with a miserable expression, “The kids have so many clothes though. Come on, Cherish. Please. I’ll even get you Chic-fil-A, let’s go.” He begged.
She knew Simon wasn’t going to have her stopping off and was at his wits end. It showed in his drained expression and how his shoulders slumped forward. She couldn’t help the fit of laughter she was in with him. He was unintentionally hilarious and borderline insane when it came to some of the ways he viewed the world. This part of his personality always kept her on her toes, and she enjoyed it far more than she should have. Especially when it was at his own expense.
Cherish looked to the clothing before she faced him, “Come on just a little…” Slowly, her gaze made its way towards the entrance. Her entire body felt as though she’d been doused in cold water and lit on fire at the same time. Her breath hitched and an anxiety she hadn’t felt in years, before Todd, snatched a hold of her senses. She caught sight of a woman who looked close to her height, body type, and skin tone. The only difference was that she was older, and her hair was sheared close to her head.
Cherish reached out and patted along Simon’s arm and chest. Without looking the woman’s way, she felt this sudden urge of flight and stumbled behind him. She left Simon and the kids as the cart continued to slowly roll down the aisle. As she rapidly fell apart, Simon followed her with his gaze, “Cherish…are you okay? What’s wrong?” he asked.
She didn’t hear him.
Shaking her head, her feet carried her through the purses, “No, no, no…” Bumping into one of the faux walls, she glanced over her shoulder before her head whipped from one side to the other. Blindly, she made her way towards the back of the store before another man rammed into her side with his cart. Simon jumped and reached out to stop it from completely knocking her over, “Sorry!” he blurted out.
The crash echoed through the department which caused more attention to fall on her than she originally wanted. Almost breaking under the pressure, Cherish clenched her jaw and rubbed a palm against her eyes, “S-sorry.” she whispered in a broken tone. Panicking, she felt as though she wanted to vomit as she quickly stepped on the opposite side of the detached fitting room.
