Checkmate

19

"Are you sure these are the ones you want?" I asked Sam, holding the pair of snickers he picked out.

"Uh-huh," he nods and I turn to the clerk.

"Do you have these in size five and a half?"

She takes the shoes for a moment and nods.

"I'll be right back," she says before walking away.

Colton stood up from the bench that was way too short for his tall frame and came to stand beside me.

   The basket in his hand was full of Sam's stuff. We'd already bought him the practice clothes, gears, socks, a ball, and even a mini-goal so he could practice in the backyard. Colton's groans as he moved the basket from one hand to the other made me shake my head ironically. I'd warned him that a cart would be better, but he'd insisted he'd be fine.

He caught me staring but my eyes didn't falter, passing a clear "I told you so" message.

He rolled his shoulder and straightened his posture, nodding towards the clerk walking in our direction with the shoes.

"Try moving your toes," I instructed him as he slipped them on.

"They're a little bit too big, Mom."

"He's right, Kim. I think he's a five."

"No, it's fine. The socks you'll be wearing are pretty thick so a five would be too tight. Remember that your feet grow fast you'll fill them up in no time."

After making sure they weren't too loose, I took them off his feet.

"Ok, you can put your shoes back on," I said before turning to the girl, "We'll take these."

With a nod, he took them and was back a few minutes later with our idem boxed and bagged.

   Once we were done with Sam's stuff, we went to buy a few things for the house. Our weekends are dedicated to cleaning so I bought a new gallon of detergent and bleach. Of course, once a single gallon was loaded in, Colton finally accepted that a cart would be a lot more efficient. After a quick stop at the fresh produce section, we were ready to check out.

"Sam, help me scan these?"

I looked away from my purse and watched as Colton handed Sam things that he'd then pass to the lady.

Sam squealed as their little game of pass-pass intensified, Sam though clearly overwhelmed by the speed at which he was being handed things, did not skip a beat. The woman may have been annoyed at first, but by the time they were done and high-fived each other, her smile was as bright as mine.

Back at the house, I couldn't help but watch them play from behind the window.

   Colton wasn't very athletic when we were together. He was always vocal about his dislikes, saying they were useless to society. Now, as I watch him play with Sam, I wonder if he'd only say that to spite me. He'd always been playful about it, but my love for soccer had rendered me tone depth and my competitive nature could never let the chance to argue about random topics pass by.

Sam was running around with the ball while Colton shouted at him.

"Where do you think you're going? Give me that!"

Sam giggled but didn't lose his concentration and kicked the ball between his legs before going around him to score his goal.

"Woah! How did you do that?" Colton said, holding his head in amazement while a proud Sam began to explain his tactic.