Thank you JAPH3T for this amazing drawing.
The email came in late at night although I had already told my mum about it. So today we were heading out for shopping.
Mum says she knows all about camping and what I'm gonna need.
I pull out the shopping cart and nostalgia hits me. It's been so long we came here together, last time was.. with dad. I think when dad left everything just fell apart. We didn't do a lot of things we used to.
Like hiking, going to the park, family dinner outing, watching Disney cartoons till we fell asleep on the couch..
I watch myself slip back into 2021, seeing myself push the cart to my dad.
My dad made me feel strong, he was my safe spot. With him I never felt too big or too weak. Even if I got body shamed or bullied, I still felt somewhat.. strong in all of it.
He was my superman not Noah. He did the job exceptionally well. I had a friend in him.
My mum would always call us the red heads, it was like our superhero names because we both had ginger hair and looked a lot like each other.
I crack a sad smile and a hand pulling me away from the cart line snaps me out of my thoughts.
"Abby", my mum calls me, giving me a worried look, "What happened?", she asks and I look around. Why couldn't I just stay back in 2021?.
"Honey are you alright?", she asks with a little shake of my arm and I look back at her.
"Yeah.. I'm fine", I slowly say then push the cart forward, "Let's start the shopping".
She sighs, moving forward to take the cart from me. "I'll take the lead", she says, handing me the basket in her hand.
I take it and we continue moving through the aisle. My mum puts a few items in the cart as we go.
Just as we turn into another aisle, we bump into the Jeffersons. Callie's frown disappears when she sees me and I can only imagine how frustrated she would have been with just her dad yapping.
Mr Jefferson smile widens when he sees me. Ever so cheerful.
"Hello Abby", although he says it warmly, it just makes my mind travel to the Simpsons. That shuddering 'hello Bart' from sideshow Bob.
"Uh.. hi Mr Jefferson", I say as warmly as possible and I turn to my mum who's holding a smile of her own.
"This is my mum and mum this is Callie's dad and Callie", I introduce and they shake hands.
"Nice to meet you Mr Jefferson and Callie", she says then looks down at their cart, "Are you also here for camp shopping?".
"Oh yes, we got the email and they wanted Callie to be a tutor", he says and my mum nods with an oh while I give Callie an eyebrow raise in surprise. She shrugs.
"So, why don't you guys continue over here while we continue somewhere else", Callie says as she pulls me with her to another aisle.
"Be close by sweetie", Mr Jefferson says just as my mum says okay.
Callie sighs, "Your mum literally said okay but he has to go.. be close by sweetie", she scoffs, mocking his voice at the end.
"You're the only one he's got so best believe he'll cling onto you", I say and she sighs. She should be glad she has a father who's willing to stay.
"Enough of that, how'd you think study camp is gonna be like?", she asks pushing her hair out of her face as she adjusts her glasses.
"Bunch of smart kids and not so smart kids", I shrug.
"I've only ever tutored Hernandez, I don't know if I can tutor someone else", she says as we pass the kitchen utensil section. Pretty sure they'd have those in the camp.
"Your good at tutoring so it's probably gonna be easy for you", she says and I turn to her.
"Actually.. I'm with the 'not so smart' kids", I inform her and if shock was to be presented, she'd go for it.
"What?, how come?", she asks confusedly.
"I flunked my P.E report ", I say and she gives me a pitiful look.
"That sucks", she says and I nod as we continue walking down the aisle.
"Hey, can you help me get closer to Hernandez?", she asks out of the blue and my eyes widen at the question.
"What?", I ask like I didn't catch her the first time.
"It's cringe saying it the second time", she says, looking away. I kinda knew she had a thing for Hernandez but not to the extent she'd be asking me to be their middle man.
"You're close to him and he listens to you", she says then pulls me by the arm, "I've had a crush on him since the first day".
I look at her and the tint on her cheeks tells me how serious she is. I look down at her hand gripping mine so she lets go.
"I know he's gonna be at the camp..", she trails, walking ahead to stop right in front of me.
"Callie..", Mr Jefferson's voice booms through the supermarket, indicating he's close by.
Callie sighs but continues either way, "So please?".
Still in shock and loss of words I nod my head. She smiles then starts putting random things in our shopping basket.
"Thanks for deciding to come out for shopping the exact same time I did", she says just as her dad and my mum appear from another aisle.
"I guess you guys caught up with all your girl talk", Mr Jefferson says as they walk closer to us.
"Yeah..", she trails then says, "Bye Abby, bye Abby's mum".
"Bye", my mum says cheerfully as I wave them goodbye. They disappear to the corner and it's just my mum and I again.
"What'd you get honey?", she asks, peering down at my basket.
"Um..", I trail, looking down as well and I see how random my basket is.
She picks the packet of men socks from the basket then raises a brow at me.
"Uh.. wanted to.. get it for Noah".
**
The only thing I got to keep from my random basket was the men socks. Because men singlets and men deodorant would be too much a gift for Noah. I mean, it's not even his birthday.
My mum got me necessary things though. When I saw the torch lights, I knew her judgement was intact.
"Why are there like five sanitary pads here?", I ask. "The program is only three weeks", I inform her In case she forgot.
"You can never have too much, honey. It's just like butter", she says and I sigh with a shake of my head. I'll never understand her love for butter.
We ran out of soy sauce for fried rice and she added butter. The potato cake needed filling and just guess what she put inside, yes butter. She can add butter to anything.
They say money makes the world go round but as far as my mum's concerned butter makes the world go 360° and even anticlockwise. Sometimes I think she made the phrase, 'why spread love when you can spread butter'.
My phone starts ringing as I pick up the cargo shorts. I look at my mum with a really face, "I don't even wear shorts", I tell her as I pick the phone up.
"Hello?", I ask putting the phone on my ear then planting it on my shoulder before walking upstairs with the shopping bags.
"Hey Ginger", Hernandez's voice finds it's way to my ear and I find myself smiling but then stop when I remember Callie's plea.
"Hey buzz", I say using my elbow to open my room door.
"Hey, how you doing?", he asks as I get inside using my leg to close the door behind me afterwards.
"Good, how are you?", I ask as I finally put the bags down with a small pant escaping my lips.
"You sure you good?", he asks, sounding concerned.
"Yeah I'm okay, uh what about you?", I ask again.
"I'm okay as well.. uh.. I just called to ask if you were free", he says and I can almost feel him scratching the back of his head.
"Uh yeah, I am", I say, pushing a lock of hair away from my eyes.
"Oh sweet. Um.. so, I'll come pick you up", he says.
"Wait right now?", I ask, peering out the window to see if a motorcycle was anywhere close by.
"I'll come by 6 if that's okay", he says and I see Noah opening his window.
"Sure", I say, opening mine as well.
"See you later, Ginger",
"Bye buzz", I say with a small smile before ending the call.
I look at Noah and notice his eyes narrowing at me.
"Who's buzz?", he asks and I shrug.
His room door opens and his mum comes in saying, "Noah, Loren's at the door". Noah shuts his eyes close for a second and I can see a sigh escaping his lips. If he's not excited to see her then who invited her.
She's about to close the door but stops when she sees me, "Oh hi Abby", she smiles and I give her a tight one.
"Hi Carmen",
"Why don't you come join me make muffins", she asks but comes out more like a statement.
"Uh.. actually..",
"It's okay, Noah told me", she starts and I steal a quick glance at him before looking back at his mum,"We'll make diet muffins", she says and I sigh under my breath before nodding with a strained smile.
"Let me go get your favorite apron ready", she says with a smile then reminds Noah that Loren's at the door before leaving the room.
He looks at me.
"Who's Loren?". I ask.
"No one", he immediately says and I peer down the window to look at his front porch. Loren's blue Porsche is hard to miss with all the sun shining down on it.
"Well I guess no one's at your door", I say then walk away from my window.