"Yeah, well, I'm trying to change that."
"They sell pizza and beer here too, you know. It's just not what you're used to."
"I'll have to pick some up. Well, I'll see you around."
"This place can be hard to navigate if you're not used to it. I can help you out, and it'll take half the time."
Chad was trying to fix his family. Having his ex-lover show him around the store wasn't the way to go about it. "I can figure it out myself, but thanks."
"If you're sure."
"I am."
"Okay. See you around." She walked away, headed for some kind of star-shaped fruit. He watched as she picked one up and gave it a squeeze and then set it down only to pick up and squeeze another. Lydia put that one in her basket.
She turned around and winked.
Chad turned away and walked toward a shelf full of creams and lotions. He picked one up and pretended that it was the most interesting thing he'd ever seen. Why had he been watching her? It had to have been because he wasn't even sure how to shop in this foreign store.
He put the lotion back on the shelf and went in the opposite direction of Lydia. He wandered the store, staring at brands he had never heard of, although some looked vaguely familiar. Had Macy bought some of those and he'd seen them at home?
Time passed and Chad still hadn't found even one item to place in his basket. How would he ever eat the same items that Macy did if he couldn't even decide what to get? He realized that he wasn't even sure qualified as vegan. He knew she wouldn't eat cheese—how would she eat pizza?—but he wasn't sure what else she didn't eat, aside from meat of course.
The items in front of Chad seemed to be taunting him. Would Macy eat them when she returned? It wasn't even clear, at least to him, what he was looking at. Even though the packaging was in English, it may as well have been Greek.
"You want some help now?"
Lydia. He didn't even need to turn around. "Just trying to decide."
"I can see that. Let me help."
He turned and looked at her for a moment. "Do you really shop here often, Lydia? Or do you follow me? We run into each other an awful lot. I know this isn't the biggest town, but I run into you more than anyone else."
"Great minds." She held up her basket, packed full of fruits, veggies, and an assortment of other things he didn't recognize. "But I really do love this place."
He eyed her basket and then looked at his nearly-empty one. "Oh, all right. But don't read into it, Lydia."
"Me?" She gave him an innocent look and then shook her head. "I'm only here to help a neighbor out."
Right. Chad knew he would have to keep his guard up. Why did he always have to run into her? Was it really just a coincidence? That was likely how they had hooked up in the first place. He couldn't remember for sure, but he wouldn't have gotten together with her if she hadn't kept showing up everywhere.
"So…what is it we're looking for?" she asked.
"Vegan food."
Lydia tilted her head. She had an expression that he couldn't read. She knew about Macy's veganism—Chad had ranted to her about it enough. Did she think he was pathetic since he was out buying food for his daughter who many thought wouldn't return?
She stood up straight. "We're in the wrong section for that. This stuff is full of butter, milk, and eggs. Follow me. I'll show you where they keep what you're looking for."
They went down several aisles and stopped in one that looked almost identical from the one they had started in. "Everything here is vegan. It either has some kind of dairy substitute or is simply made without it. Are you looking for anything in particular?"
He shook his head. "All of Macy's food expired long ago and I want to make sure she has plenty when she returns." If Lydia did feel sorry for him, thinking that he was hanging onto a dream, let her. He didn't need her approval.
"You'll find everything here. Do you want anything else?"
Chad scanned the packages, feeling as lost as before, but at least he knew he was looking at vegan foods. "No. I'm good."
"Glad to help. I'll see you around, Chad." She turned around and took a few steps.
Guilt stung at him for being so rude. "How are you doing, Lydia?"
She turned around and walked back over to him.
"Sorry I didn't ask about you. I was just…distracted. This store is like stepping into a foreign country."
Lydia laughed. "I remember feeling that way."
"How are you doing? Does Dean stay home any longer than before?"
"No. You know him. He's really married to his work. I'm not even the mistress."
Was that how Alyssa had felt when he had his job and was getting the blog started?
"Don't worry about me. I'm doing well—keeping busy. How are you holding up?"
Chad frowned. "Just hanging in there. We're waiting on the DNA results."
"Still?" She leaned against a shelf. "I figured the news had moved on and never bothered to update."
"They'll be all over it either way. I don't know if we'll ever get the results, though. It's taking forever."
"Want to talk about it? They have a deli and there are plenty of vegan options, but they also have a ton of meat and cheeses too."
His stomach rumbled loudly and then he looked away.
"Come on. My treat. You look like you have a lot on your mind." Lydia gave him a look that told him she wasn't going to take no for an answer.
Pouring
Chad bit into his sandwich, unsure what to think of it. He was figured it wouldn't be very filling with only veggies, seeds, and some vegan condiments. He was surprised at the taste. It wasn't bland and gross as he had expected, even though it was still nothing like what he was used to.
He thought of greasy pizza and spicy chicken wings. Would he really be able to give those up? If it would bring Macy back, he would give up anything for life.
"What do you think?" Lydia asked.
"It's good." He picked something out from his teeth. It might have been some kind of sprout, but he couldn't be sure. He wasn't sure that he had ever eaten those before. It looked like grass with a seed at the end. It actually tasted good with the green spread—avocados?
"See? I told you. It's one of my favorites. Sometimes I come here just to have one."
They sat in silence for a few minutes, eating their identical sandwiches. Chad looked around, trying to make sense of the store. Everyone else was bustling around, finding what they needed easily. It reminded him of his first day skiing when everyone else was zooming down the mountain, even preschoolers, and he couldn't get two feet down the bunny slope without biffing it.
"How are things with Alyssa?"
Chad looked at Lydia, startled. She had never asked about Alyssa before, at least not that he could recall.
"You said that you two were working things out. How's that going?"
"It's been going great." He wasn't about to admit the fight to Lydia. Alyssa would return home, refreshed from a girls' night or two and then they would pick up where they left off.
Lydia raised an eyebrow, probably picking up on the fact that he was leaving out details. They had spent hours upon hours talking. She knew him nearly as well as Alyssa did. "Well, that's good news," Lydia said. "I'm sure Alex is happy about that."
"Yeah, for the most part."
"How's he doing?"
"He's homeschooling right now. With Macy being gone, it was too much for him." Not only that, but also the fact that he was going to be a dad himself soon. What would Lydia think of Chad being a grandpa? He almost laughed. If he wanted to push her away, that might just do it.
"What's so funny?"
Chad looked at her surprised. Had he actually laughed out loud and not noticed?
"You're smiling about something."
"Life just never plays out how we expect, you know?"
"Oh, I know." Chad knew she was referring to the fact that her husband was nothing more than a checkbook and she was the kind of girl who wanted
to be treated like a princess—adored and admired. "Anything you want to talk about?"
He shook his head. "Alex has made a bit of a mess of his life, but it'll all work out somehow."
Lydia gave him a knowing look. "He's a teenager now. It's his job to make stupid decisions."
Chad raked his fingers through his hair. "My kids, they take that to the extreme. My parents, when they were alive, used to tell me that one day I would be paid back for the hell I put them through. I didn't put them through anything like this."
Concern washed over her face. "What did Alex do? Kill someone?"
His eyes widened. "Not so loud! Everyone knows who I am, even though they're being nice and pretending not to notice me."
"Sorry. What did he do? I won't tell anyone."
"I really don't want to talk about it."
"You look like you need to."
"No. Really, I don't." He pulled out his phone and checked the time. "I should get back home."
"If you do want to talk, you know my number. We can still be friends. Unless you told Alyssa and…?"
"No!" Chad nearly choked on his sandwich. "Don't ever bring it up to her."
A slow smile spread across her face. "Trust me, that's not something I would ever do."
"I need to get back home. Alex might need some help with his schoolwork or something."
Lydia eyed his basket. "If you need your regular groceries, you should pick up some more food. I can show you—"
"I do need some, but after seeing the prices here, I'll stop off somewhere else to get those."
"Can't say that I blame you." She wrapped up her garbage and stood. "Although if you want your family eating healthier, this is the place to go."
Chad finished off his sparkling water. "If I tried that, I might starve my son. He's particular about his brands."
"I would never guess where he got that." Lydia grinned.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Lydia laughed. "I saw the way you were eying the stuff here."
"That's because it's like a foreign country." He couldn't help smiling. Talking with her was so natural and fun—and that was a problem, especially with Alyssa already mad at him.
"If that's what you have to tell yourself. I'll see you around. If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to ask, okay? That's what neighbors are for. I mean it."
"Thanks. I'll let you know if I do." He picked up his basket and before he could reach for his trash, Lydia picked it up.
"I'll get that. Take care of yourself."
He nodded and then headed for the registers. He was in dangerous territory and well aware of it. With things as they were, it would be all too easy to pour everything out to Lydia. That had been the problem when they had started talking when he and Alyssa first hit their marital problems.
After checking out, and feeling like an idiot for not having brought his own bag, he decided to go home before stopping off for normal food. He needed to what he bought into the fridge before it went bad, and after eating lunch, the timeframe was growing smaller by the minute.
When he got home, Alex was at the kitchen table by himself. Hopefully he wasn't having trouble in paradise too. "Hey, son. How's it going?"
"Just bombed a quiz, so now I have extra work." He let a dramatic sigh. "I really wanted to be done."
"So take a break. Maybe you'll be able to think clearer when you come back."
"It's so hard to focus. Mom can't even do it. She can barely function, and now she's not even here. Where'd she go? Her phone keeps going straight to voice mail."
Chad's heart sank, but he fought to keep his face straight. "She must be having a good talk with some friends."
Alex scowled. "But she shouldn't turn off her phone. What if we have an emergency? If we need her? You don't even know where she went."
"She's an adult. We can't tell her what to do."
"But she also has a family. She can't forget about us."
"You know Mom. She wouldn't forget about you. This is as hard on us as it is on you. We all have to deal with it in our own ways."
"I know, I know. I'm never going to hear the end of this, am I?"
"Turning your young parents into grandparents? Don't count on that any time soon."
Alex cracked a smile. "Sorry. If it makes you feel any better, I would have made different decisions if I could go back in time."
"If you ever figure out time travel, let me in on it, okay? There are a few things I'd like to do differently myself."
"Like never let Macy go out that night."
"Definitely the first thing I'd take care of. Why don't you relax? Take a nap, maybe. You look like you really need a break."
"A nap? Really?"
"You look like you could use one."
"I'm not three."
"Neither am I, but I really want one." He pulled the first item out of the bag and put it in the fridge.
Alex gave him a funny look. "What's that? It looks like Macy's food."
"I decided to buy some so that when she comes back, she'll have something to eat. We can eat it too. Don't feel like you have to stay away. I bought plenty."
"Why? Are you going to start eating vegan food?"
"I might give it a try. I could stand to lose a few pounds."
"For an old dude, you're in good shape."
Chad looked at Alex for a moment, and he could see his son was worried that he had said something wrong. Normally, Chad would have been offended at being called old, but at that moment, he found it hilarious. A laugh fought to escape.
Alex's eyes widened, watching Chad. He scooted his chair back.
Finally, the laughter made its way out of Chad's throat. Alex jumped. That only made Chad roar all the more. He leaned against the counter, clutching his stomach. It had been so long since he'd laughed—really laughed—that it ached.
He looked over at Alex and saw that he was laughing too. They made eye contact and both went into a deeper fit. Chad's eyes filled with tears and soon ran down his face. He laughed until his gut hurt too much to keep going. He gasped for breath, wiping at his eyes.
When they had both calmed down, Alex gave him a funny look. "It really wasn't that funny."
"I know. We must've needed a good laugh."
"Yeah, I guess so. Sorry I was rude earlier."
"Don't worry about it." Chad wasn't even sure what Alex was referring to. "We're all under stress."
"I think I will take that nap." Alex yawned.
"Where's Zoey? Is everything okay?"
"She just went to her house to get some clothes and stuff."
"You didn't want to go with her?"
He frowned. "Not after failing that stupid quiz. I have to get on track before I fall behind. I have to retake it and pass by tomorrow morning."
"Want me to take it for you?" Chad joked.
"Funny. Not that it would work. They use the webcam to make sure the right person is doing the work."
Chad's sore stomach dropped. "They can't hear us talking, can they?"
Alex shook his head. "I have the mic turned off. They just care about the camera, but I'm surprised they don't want the mic turned on too. I guess they think they could tell if we were cheating."
"Probably. Get yourself that nap. I'm going to take one as well. Maybe by then, Mom will be ready to come back."
The front door opened and Chad looked down the stairs, hoping Alyssa was back already. It was Zoey, with a tear-streaked face.
Reality
The look on his dad's face struck terror through Alex's body. He jumped up, expecting to see his mom at the door wrapped in bandages. Instead, Zoey stood there with red, puffy eyes and tear stains down her face. Her hair was messy.
Alex's stomach twisted in knots. "What's wrong?"
"My parents are coming in tonight. They want me to go back home tomorrow. Mom scheduled my next doctor's appointment and she's bringing my sperm donor."
"Your…? You mean your dad."
Anger fla
shed over her face. "Not my dad. Where's he been? In Japan playing baseball my whole life. He's not a dad. All he's ever done is supply half my genes and some money." She slammed the door. "I told her I'm going to stay here."
Alex's dad sighed behind him. Alex remembered Zoey's mom threatening them with kidnapping charges when Zoey said she would stay at their house instead of going home. His dad was probably worried about that. Probably even more so with his mom out who-knows-where and not even answering her phone.
"Isn't it good that he wants to be involved?" Alex asked.
Zoey shot him a death look and then kicked off her shoes. She stormed up the steps. "It's a little late for that. The stupid jerk never bothered to call me on any birthday or Christmas. Hasn't sent any presents or cards or anything. Apparently, I'm supposed to accept the fact that he sent some money, but you know what? That's a load of crap. Mom's the one who's been here my whole life. He's got another think coming if he wants to walk in and take over the role of a parent."
"Want to do something to get your mind off it?" Alex asked. "I was going to take a nap, but we could watch a movie or something."
"You think watching a movie is going to fix anything?" she demanded.
He backed up. "I didn't say it would fix anything."
"No, I don't want to watch anything. I want to…I don't know. I just…I'm so pissed!"
"What's going to help? You need to calm down. It's not good for the baby."
She narrowed her eyes and stepped closer to Alex. "Don't tell me to calm down. That just pisses me off even more."
"What did I do?" Alex asked.
Her lips formed a straight line and her nostrils flared. "You have to ask?"
Alex sighed. It felt like he was in the middle of one his parents' fights. "Do you want to talk about what happened over there?"
"No. I just want to break something." She stared at him.
"I hope not me."
"Ugh. Let's go watch a movie, but I want to see something in the theater. Something as violent and bloody as possible."
Alex's dad stepped forward. "It's your lucky day, Zoey. There's a gory war movie and I happen to be available to drive you guys."
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