Chapter 11
Shopping list in one hand, purse in the other, Rachel paused in the middle of the aisle to consult her list.
’Milk, check; cookies, check; corn, check; beans, check. She passed all of the expensive, branded products and made her way directly to the cheaper items. They couldn’t really afford anything expensive and anyway, you could never tell the difference, it all pretty much tasted the same. The squeaky trolley was distracting enough, but she glanced at her list a second time to remind herself what she was shopping for, and now making her way down the soda aisle, she went searching for Jack’s favourite drink. He favored a blue drink that was called Blue Rain, similar, she thought, to Purple Rain; the adult's cocktail. Last time, she’d had to fight over the last bottle of it with another mother but today the shelf was stacked high. What a relief that was to her; Jack wouldn't have a tantrum now that she had picked up four bottles of the stuff. She couldn't stand it herself, but it made him happy, so what did it matter?
Unknown to Rachel, eyes were watching her every step as she passed between the aisles, browsing the special offers. The eyes looked away smartly when she turned; keeping himself well hidden, the sly man pursued his quarry.
Having acquired all the items on her list, she just felt like dawdling around the store for a while, waste a little more time, she thought. It felt good to get away from the house at least; it had been a long time since she was on her own and even if it was just a trip to the grocery store, it was something.
She passed the fruit and vegetables slowly, glancing at some of the more exotic fruits that she wouldn’t ever try. Then she saw a guy checking the ingredients on a can of corn dogs. His gaze wandered from the can to Rachel; he looked her up and down and gave her a cheeky wink. She smiled. He had made it blatantly obvious but she quite liked the thought of some other man checking her out and it kind of made her feel attractive and desirable again. It was good. Until she glanced at her watch and realized she ought to make for home.
Completely ignoring the winking man, she made a beeline for the checkout. She had been away an hour, having told them she was going out for a couple of items. She turned around the corner with her wobbly trolley and almost ran down the canned goods aisle, anxious now to leave the store and return home.
Almost at the checkout, she looked up briefly to see a man who looked familiar and then a little voice in her head sparked up the name, Todd. Oh no; she wanted to avoid him at all costs. There was no way she could bring herself to talk to him after leaving him so suddenly that morning, promising she would call and meet up with him again. She had never seen him since that day. Before she could turn back and find an escape route, he had pinned her down with his stare. She would have to face him.
‘Make it a quick conversation, don’t get into anything heavy, now is not the time, especially in public.’
“Todd… hey!” She made herself known with a quick greeting, but he hadn’t heard, and what a relief that was. She carried on past him with her trolley load of shopping.
‘Maybe it isn’t him...’ But, being the polite woman she was, and not a coward, she stopped right beside him. ‘It has to be him; don't think he has a twin.’
He was studying the label on a can of beans, unaware of Rachel now even though she was standing only inches away from him
“Todd, it’s me, Rachel.” She spoke with more confidence this time and he had no difficulty hearing her.
His response was quick and sharp and he spun round to face her.
“How come you never called?”
