Chapter 44
Lisa
I'm so glad I drove to this mall and not just because I just met the lovely Hyuna. I got a chance to stock up on Leo's clothes, general food, fruit mixes for babies and most importantly, alcohol. Hae-in emptied my reserve. I am waiting in the line and in a cash register that neighbours on ours, there's a woman with a baby and a little older child. I have nothing better to do than to look around, so I observe how this family life is supposed to go. Poor woman looks like she's struggling, handling both kids, putting fresh groceries in the bag and looking for her wallet. The older kid's eyes spot the colourful wrappings of different chocolates and are deeply amazed by it. The little girl pulls on her mother's sleeve and points to the chocolates with her index. Mother shakes her head and tells her to buy it some other time and that's when the drama starts. The girl starts screaming, crying, pulling strongly on her hair and stomping around the cash register. Good God. I cannot hide my horrified reaction, so I pretend to look the other way.
She's starting to make a huge scene. The mother has problem fishing out the change and cashier has to repeat the sum a few times. I feel bad for the confused woman, who's slowly losing her mind. What is worse, people look at her like she's the embodiment of a devil. Jesus, just leave her alone.
What makes matters even worse, the youngling gets irritated as well and starts crying, dooming the mother even more. Even Leo didn't scream like that. An older woman who's next in line behind the mother offers to help her out with the baby, so the woman could at least pay and go somewhere private to beat the shit out of the brat. The mother says she can handle it on her own and soon she's out of the mall, soothing the baby and pulling the spoiled girl behind her.
"You," I say and look at Leo. To my surprise, he meets my gaze. "Don't you ever try to do that to me. I won't be as nice as that woman was, you hear me?" The cashier looks strangely at me when she sees various baby products on a conveyor belt and then a bottle of vodka. Got to confess it does look a bit weird. I'll skip the part where I experienced the biggest and most intense vertigo in my life when the cashier told me the cost of everything. I am on my way to go bankrupt and the kid isn't even in school yet! On our way home, everything goes smoothly. When they say driving calms babies down, it's the truth. His curious eyes still follow every movement and he wants to touch and drool over everything. Whenever I take a big turn, Leo starts giggling like crazy and slapping his hands against his baby seat.
Seeing him like that makes me smile and that's why I choose the long way home. We drive around the whole city, probably circling around certain intersections a few times. Leo always laughs the same way, but every time he does, it's such a delightful sound and scene, it fills my heart with what can only be described as joy. To mine and Leo's disappointment, I have to watch over the gas and I am left with no other choice, but to park my car in a garage and put an end to the party. I kill the engine, climb off the car and get Leo out of the straps as well "I'm sorry, buddy. It was fun while it lasted." I say and hold him in my arms.
We go up using the elevator and it's then when I realise what a strong baby he is. I go through a hell of a struggle to keep him away from all the interesting buttons and I thank the over powerful force when he gives up on it and calmly sits in my arms. The ride up to the apartment takes about forever and my tiredness begins to kick in. When the elevator's doors bring us to my apartment, I am taken away by fantasies of my bed. My legs have been killing me from standing in long lines at the cash register. Forgetting that I have Leo in my hands, I launch my butt on the couch and lean my back against the pillows. The kid makes a nice nest in my lap and sits up, looking around the place.
I observe him as he does that and smile "It's quite big, huh?" Oh god, Lisa, you're too dirty-minded for saying things like that. When I speak, Leo turns to look at me, like he's listening intently. It's a vision to die for and I sigh in relief, rather than in pain. Maybe taking this kid home wasn't such a bad idea and I just needed to get adjusted first. It looks like I already did that and so far so good - minus the panic, that is always present. As I let my head rest a little and enjoy having nothing to do, Leo gets nervous and starts poking and pulling on everything.
