Chicago (GXG)

Part 8

We're currently walking to the store nearby. The whole time I'm terrified of this kid, but he seems calm and nonchalant as if he'd over the original shock of me existing.

I realized I didn't have Val's number which means that if something went wrong I would have to deal with it myself. Now I'm actually terrified. What if he has allergies? Or something else I need to know?

We enter the store and I was a sweating mess. I took a shopping cart and started going inside but slowed down when I saw that Jonathan was looking at me in a weird way.
"Uhm...what's wrong..." I asked him, scared that I did something wrong. He shrugged and ran inside. Oh boy.

He ran around a little, but mostly around and nearby me. I picked up some ground meat and a meatball spice mix. I heard Jonathan's foot steps creaking across the store floors, it's as if this was the first time he's been in a store.

I got to the ice creams and raised my voice a little bit to call him over. "I need you to choose a flavor." I told him.
"Vanilla." He said quickly before running off again. Good thing we're almost alone in here so no one can be bothered.

I rolled over to the register after picking up some other snacks to go with, and after I was done paying I looked for Jonathan and saw him looking around the toy aisle. Figures.

"Jonathan, we have to go." I said and he made his way to me.
I walked and held the bag in my left arm, on the side of the street and Jonathan is walking on the safe side of the sidewalk, away from the traffic.

Then I felt him slide up his hand into my empty right hand. I didn't know what to do so I let it happen.

I wonder what had him so stoked about the store visit? Has Val never let him come with her? Maybe he always waited in the car?
It's not my business but I'm going to ask Val about it later, just because my curiousity will kill me if I don't.

We made our way inside and I started unpacking the groceries. I was about to start cooking when I sensed Jonathan stealing something off the table. The ice cream is now in his grasp and he looks ready to run.
I took a defensive position and lowered myself to run after him. "Jonathan, you don't want this trouble..." I threatened him, ready to charge on him.

"For the ice cream, maybe I do..." He said. That's the longest sentence I've heard him say so far, it caught me off guard.

He saw an opening in my confusion and took it. He sprinted to his room and hid under his bed. I ran after him and before I noticed that I've entered his room for the first time by accident I was waving my hand under his bed trying to catch onto his clothes.
He's laughing like a maniac and I heard him opening the package. "Jonathan! No! Put it down!" I squeeked out while stretching myself trying to get to him.

He was sniffing the open ice cream, taunting me. "Jonathan! I swear! Give it or no meatballs!" I said as my last resort.

I heard him stop sniffing it. "You're bluffing." He said suspiciously. Why does he know these big words, I thought kids his age didn't talk yet?
"I am not bluffing! Please Jonathan, it'll taste better with dinner, I promise." I begged him to release the ice cream from his monster grip.

He let it go and slid it over to where my hand was and I felt relief. I stood up and realized I had come into his room without permission or anything, so I felt kind of bad. "Sorry, didn't mean to come in here like that." I apologized to him.

"It's okay, it was funnier like this." He said while arranging his toys.
We parted ways and I went to make dinner while he stayed in his room.

I mixed the ground meat in a bowl and added the spice mix. I used two spoons to make uneven meatballs, just how I like them. If they're round they bake evenly, but if they were uneven and have bits and pieces here and there they get crispy in the oven.