Chapter 24: Playing House in IKEA

Who knew that going to IKEA could be so exciting? There was so much furniture and home decor. I had no idea which pieces I wanted to put in our apartment. All of them? I saw a comfortable couch. And there was a soft bed. Ooh, I really liked the pillows that looked like marshmallows. And there was a really cool chandelier!

“Do you think we can put a chandelier in our apartment?” I laughed.

James looked at me, as if checking if I was serious.

“We can put whatever you want in there,” he said.

I looked at the crystals. It was so pretty. But it was a bit much.

“If you want it, I’ll buy it for you…” James offered.

“Okay… I want it,” I decided.

“Let’s look around a bit more and then we can come back to it,” he said, proceeding to walk.

“I’m gonnaaaaaaaaaa swiiiiiiiiiing from the chandelieeeeeeer!” I sung as we walked away.

James laughed.

We wandered from room to room. We admired the sleek lines of modern sofas and the cozy comfort of plush armchairs. With each display we passed, my imaginations ran wild. I envisioned our life together in our new apartment.

“Ooh, look at this kitchen!” I exclaimed, darting into a display of sleek countertops and gleaming appliances. “We could host dinner parties and cook gourmet meals together!”

James followed me into the mock kitchen, his eyes sparkling with amusement.

“I don’t know about gourmet meals, but I can definitely see us burning toast together,” he joked, earning a playful swat on the arm from me.

“We did well in the kitchen when we cooked tacos and chicken pasta,” I pointed out.

“I can’t argue there,” James said. “But with college stress, I don’t think we’ll have time to cook lavish meals. Toast and coffee will be my go-to.”

I didn’t reply to that.

We moved on to the living room section, where a cozy sofa and oversized rug caught my attention. With a grin, I plopped down onto the sofa. I patted the empty space next to me invitingly.

“Come on, Mr. Haynes. Sit next to me,” I declared, my voice filled with mock enthusiasm.

James chuckled and obliged, settling onto the sofa beside me with a theatrical sigh.

“Honey, I’m home!” he exclaimed, mimicking the voice of a weary husband returning from a long day at work.

I rolled my eyes, playing along with equal fervor.

“Welcome home, dear! Dinner’s in the oven, and the dog ate your favorite slippers again,” I replied, adopting the tone of a dutiful wife.

“That damn dog!” James winked at me.

I was about to reply, but then I saw a little boy wandering around alone. His small frame hunched over. His shoulders slumped and a furrowed brow etched with worry. His eyes darted around the bustling store, scanning the many faces with a look of unmistakable distress.

I nudged James gently.

“Look,” I whispered, pointing discreetly in the boy’s direction. “Something’s not right.”

James followed my gaze, his brow furrowing in concern as he took in the sight of the lost child.

“Where are his parents?” he wondered aloud.

“Mommy?” the boy called out. His voice trembled with uncertainty as he scanned the crowd. His bottom lip quivered with unshed tears.

Without hesitation, James and I got up from the sofa. We approached the boy. My heart ached at the sight of his distress.

“Hey there, buddy,” James said gently, crouching down to the boy’s eye level. “Are you okay?”

He shook his head.

“What’s your name?”

“Tom.”

“Tom, do you know where your parents are?”

The boy shook his head, his eyes wide with fear as he looked up at us.

“I-I don’t know,” he stammered, his voice barely above a whisper.

My heart went out to him as I reached out to gently place a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“It’s okay,” I reassured him, my voice soft and soothing. “We’re going to help you find them, okay?”

James and I exchanged a worried glance. We set off together, scanning the aisles in search of Tom’s parents.

“What is your mommy’s name?” I asked.

Tom sniffled, “Her name’s Lily.”

“And what does she look like?” James asked.

“She has curly hair, like this.” He gestured with his fingers, mimicking the curls that framed his face.

James and I exchanged a glance, noting the details the boy provided as we continued our search.

As we wandered through the displays, the boy’s demeanor began to shift. His tears dried. His eyes widened as he looked around. He stopped at some of the makeshift rooms and touched the furniture displays.

It was clear that he felt safe with us.

We searched for a woman with curly hair and James called out her name several times.

“Do you want to play a game while we search?” I asked Tom.

“What game?”

“We can play House,” I suggested.

“Yeah! Let’s play!” Tom said, smashing his fist into the air.

With a nod of agreement, James replied, “Sounds like a great idea! What role do you want to play?”

The boy’s face lit up with delight. He looked up as his imagination raced ahead as he considered his options. “I want to be the dad!” he declared proudly, puffing out his chest with newfound authority.

Chuckling at his enthusiasm, I played along, saying, “Alright, Dad. Lead the way! What’s on the agenda for today?”

The boy’s eyes sparkled more than the crystals on the chandelier. He surveyed the imaginary home around us.

“Let’s make dinner!” he suggested eagerly, already heading towards the mock kitchen with a sense of purpose. “Oh, and you two are my kids.”

I laughed at that.

James and I followed suit, joining Tom in his make-believe culinary adventure. With a sense of playful abandon, we pretended to chop vegetables, stir pots, and set the table.

As we sat down to our pretend meal, Tom beamed with pride. He jumped up and down in his seat. “This is the best dinner ever!” he exclaimed, his laughter filling the air as he took a pretend bite of his imaginary meal.

James and I exchanged a smile, our hearts warmed by the simple pleasure of sharing this moment with Tom.

“Absolutely delicious,” James chimed in.

James was so good with kids. He was kind and patient and playful. Was this what things would be like if we started a family together?

“Tom! There you are!”

A woman with curly hair ran toward Tom. Her eyes were wide with relief. This must be Lily, Tom’s mother. She scooped him up into her arms, holding him close as tears welled up in her eyes.

“I’ve been looking everywhere for you!” Lily exclaimed, her voice filled with a mixture of relief and gratitude as she embraced her son tightly.

Tom beamed with joy. His face lit up as he looked between his mother and us.

“These are my friends, Keily and James,” he said proudly, “we are playing House!”

“Hi Lily. We’ve been looking for you!” I said.

“Glad you found us,” James added.

Lily turned to us, her eyes brimming with tears.

“Thank you so much for taking care of him,” she said, and wiped at her eyes.

“It was no problem at all,” James replied, getting up from the table.

“Will you play with us?” Tom asked his mother.

“I’m going to call dad – he is still searching for you! And then we are going home,” Lily said.

She pulled her phone from her pocket as she dialed a number.

“I found him,” she said into the phone. “Meet us at the car.”

Lily hung up the phone.

“Thank you again,” she said. “I really appreciate your help.”

With a final wave and a heartfelt goodbye, Lily and Tom made their way towards the exit.

“What now?” I asked James, turning to him with a smile as we watched Lily and Tom.

“Now we finish shopping,” James replied.

He took my hand in his. I chuckled, feeling a sense of contentment wash over me as we resumed our journey through the aisles of IKEA. We perused the displays and added a few more items to our shopping cart. But my thoughts were still on Tom and how good James was with kids.

“That was nice,” I said, breaking the comfortable silence that had settled between us.

James nodded, his smile widening as he squeezed my hand affectionately. “What was?”

“How you played house with Tom.”

“Just a preview,” he winked, his tone playful. “You already know that I’m planning on having lots of kids.”

I felt my cheeks flush with warmth at his words, a surge of happiness coursing through me at the thought of our future together.

I had a lot to look forward to.