Hidden Burdens (working title)

Assistant

Ben pulled out of the driveway once he turned on Kimmy’s music for her from his phone.

Kimmy sat in the backseat, still sitting opposite from him. She stared out the window, thinking about what John said when Testify to Love came on. 

Kimmy listened to the song when a question suddenly popped, not only in her mind, but out her mouth as well, before the kid could stop it. “What’s testify mean?”

Not only did the question surprise her, it also surprised Ben as well. So much he actually physically jumped in his seat. Thankfully Ben had been stopped at a red light. 

He looked back at once to ask, “Huh?”

She could feel herself turn red in the face and could not meet Ben’s gaze. 

Ben had to face forward anyway when the light turned green. 

No one said anything for a while. Ben focused on the road and Kimmy focused on the passing scenery of a dirt field behind a community of homes. The song eventually randomly went into the next one. The truck was silent except for Wynonna singing. 

The drive to Walmart wasn't that long and soon Ben was pulling into the parking lot. He parked several spaces from the building and the two of them got out on their side, meeting at the tailgate. Ben offered his hand for Kimmy to take. She accepted it with hesitation. It helped when he rubbed the back of her hand with his thumb.

They made the brief journey up to the left entrance. Once inside, Ben let go and asked Kimmy to grab them a cart. She wandered over to the carts, waiting for an elderly lady to grab one first before grabbing the next one to bring over to where Ben took it, though he asked if Kimmy wanted to push it. Having run over her mom’s heels a number of times, she gladly let Ben push it and instead walked alongside.

Ben parked in front of the middle aisle display of on-sale items so he wasn't in the way and pulled out his shopping list. He listed off what was needed and recruited Kimmy to help him find everything. 

“Just tap me if you see what we need.” Ben then headed down one side of the middle aisle. 

With people coming the opposite way, even on their side, Kimmy walked behind Ben, with her hands in her pockets. She stared down each aisle and even up at the signs above. Who was she kidding? Ben probably would find everything before she could and he did.

Most of everything, anyway. 

Ben found everything on the list except for cornmeal. Apparently he never thought to look in the baking aisle which they walked by a couple of times. It took a stupid amount of time before Kimmy reached out to tap Ben on the arm and pointed the cornmeal out to him.

Ben backed up and checked down the aisle she was pointing at. He looked around until he spotted the cornmeal. 

“Oh yeah, thanks, kiddo,” Ben said as if he had forgotten, and headed over to grab a box. He dropped the cornmeal into the cart. “Awright, that's everything.” They headed up to checkout and got in the shortest line possible.

The few people ahead of them had a lot more than they did so it took a while before it was their turn. Kimmy spaced out staring at the magazine display. Ben, thinking she was reading the covers, asked if she had a sudden interest in celebrity gossip. 

Kimmy snapped out of her daze when she felt him nudge her. She shook her head. 

“I was only teasing,” he reassured.

She looked away at the floor. 

Some time passed when Ben eventually asked, “Were you trying to ask me something earlier? On the way here?”