When Niko was just courting Riki and he would present and woo her with his bento creations, Riki often wondered where Niko got his supplies and ingredients. When they started living together, Riki immediately and unconsciously took on the 'domestic' role of cooking for them. She remembered that Niko's cupboards were empty when she first moved in and Niko said that he needed to go to the supermarket to stock up on supplies.
When Riki moved in, they made a weekly meal plan so that Niko could buy the ingredients on Riki's list. It was a challenge for Niko to find some of the items on Riki's list and he would soon call her and later, put her on video so that she could see the supermarket aisles and shelves.
"Ang dami namang klaseng gatas!" Niko lamented when Riki asked him to buy milk.
"You didn't check the label. Dapat 'salted' butter yung kinuha mo. Walang lasa talaga tong 'unsalted'..." Riki said when Niko complained that his toast tasted odd.
"...check for the expiry date on the bread. The trick is to check the bread that's on the lower shelf if it's the same brand. They usually put the ones with the later date on the lower shelf..." Riki said.
And because the quarantine rules changed frequently, they soon resorted to online purchasing and spending less and less time out of their home. If they wanted and needed to go 'out', they would step out on to their balcony or take a short walk on the building's rooftop and play/activity area on the mezzanine floor.
Riki downloaded several shopping apps so that she could purchase their grocery and market needs. Niko had the 'other' shopping apps where he purchased most of Kaia's things.
"Iggy! Saan mo naman ilalagay yang swing set?" Riki asked when she saw Niko looking at an 'infant' swing and slide set. Niko's one-bedroom condo unit was slowly getting filled with more and more baby things.
"Ang cute o. I'm sure magugustuhan yan ni Kye-kye. Diba, baby?" Niko replied as he took Kaia from Riki and continued scrolling for toys and other things.
"Niko naman, di nga tayo makagalaw o..." Riki sighed and looked around the rather cramped one-bedroom apartment they had. Niko had gotten a little excited in getting things for his Princess. Aside from the 'regular' things like a crib and changing table, there were still a few boxes they had not opened, some of which were gifts.
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Moments later, Kaia became fussy and Riki had to take over. While washing and changing Kaia, Riki asked Niko to write down what she wanted and needed to buy from the online market. She then instructed him how to go about placing the order on the app.
When Kaia finally settled down for a nap, Riki asked Niko if he was able to do the shopping as she instructed. Niko was now busy doing his online work but acknowledged Riki. A few hours later, they received notice that their fruits and veggies were about to be delivered.
As Riki sorted through the bags of veggies, she wondered why there were items that were unfamiliar. Some items were more than what they could consume in a week.
