Lestappen : As Long As We're Together

Lottery Winner

CHARLES

"Please, Maxie." P pleaded as she pointed to the stuffed unicorn.

"No, P, you already have one."

"Come on, Maxie," I said, picking it up, "The unicorn needs a friend." I joined the unicorn's hands (forelegs?) together and said, in a voice that sounded like I had inhaled helium, "Please, Maxie?"
Max rolled his eyes, "Fine. But no more unicorns." Even though he pretended to be annoyed, he smiled. It reached his eyes, making them the same shade as the Monagesque sea at sunrise.
"Maybe no more unicorns, but what about more ice cream?" P asked, and I smiled imploringly at him.
"Small scoop."

P turned to me and I smiled, "Don't worry," I said in a loud whisper, "I'll make sure you get a double scoop."
"The two of you are incorrigible!" Max groaned.
"What?" I asked innocently.
"We're not even out of the toy shop!"
"Are you saying P's unicorn duo needs to become a trio?"
"Don't you dare." He said, threateningly.

P wanted to go to the bathroom so Max took her and I paid for the haul, waiting for them to reappear from the bathroom. When they finally did, we went to leave. She held one of my hands and one of Max's hands, walking happily with us both bent down with her, before stopping, "Ice cream." She said.

"P, you just went to the bathroom."
She turned to me, wordlessly, and I smiled, "I'll take her," I said to Max, "You get the car." I gave him two bags worth of stuffed toys as P told him to be careful with it, and we went to the ice cream parlour.

"Two scoops of chocolate in a cone." P said from here she stood, barely able to see the flavours.

I looked at the flavours too, "Okay," I said, turning my attention to the woman, "Can we get one double scoop of chocolate ice cream in a cone and two scoops of caramel oreo in cups, please?"

"Anything else?" The woman asked, flirtatiously.
"No, that's all." I said, flatly, and she nodded, taking the hint, and P and I left with our ice creams. I held onto one of her hands, the other clutching both the caramel oreos and extra napkins for P.

I could hear cameras go off and glared in their direction. It was one thing to take pictures of me. It was a whole other thing to take pictures of Max's child. It was a sad thought that she'd grow up with cameras in her face.

We got into the waiting car and I handed Max his scoop of Caramel Oreo. He thanked me, eating it as he drove out of the mall.

He dropped me to my hotel and I said bye to the two of them. P even gave me a kiss on the cheek with a mouth covered in chocolate ice cream. Max winced, but I smiled like I had won the lottery because it felt like I had. For the first time in a while, I felt okay.