112 112- Ouch!
Marissa peeked a little around his athletic and brooding figure to have a look. The ladi standing there now had a look of envy in their gazes. 1)
Stop looking at my man! She warned them with a glare.
“Excuse me” A girl in her early twenties approached her with a friendly smile.
“Yes,” Marissa nodded at her good naturedly.
“I’m new here and I would love to know you,” Marissa shrugged not knowing what to say. She always spent her life in a cocoon and never let anyone befriend her or come close to her.
“I’m sorry, as you can see, I have a lot on my hands. My kids are already busy in another corner of the store.
The girl didn’t seem to mind, “Sure. I have got a boy and I know how kids give tough times to their parents,” she said looking behind Marissa.
“Who is he?”
Marissa didn’t like it when she saw how the girl was looking at Rafael. As if she wanted to eat him. She had the audacity of licking her lips as if Rafael was pressed between them.
“A friend!”
“Her husband!”
she and Rafael spoke together.
The girl passed a confused glance between the two.
“I’m sorry, ma’am. We are sort of…. in a hurry!” he offered a cold smirk to the girl. His one arm snaked around Marissa’s waist and the other hand started pushing the trolley full of grocery
items.
The rest of the grocery shopping
was done in peace. Rafael went once to have a look at the girls
who were placing gummy bears in the basket.
When the couple was pushing the cart to the counter Marissa’s phone started ringing, “Gerard?”
“Hey,” he spoke, “Are you somewhere out?”
“Yeah. The usual grocery shopping. How are you.”
“Good. Marissa. I have a favor to ask, Marissa frowned at the request.
“Sure. Shoot!”
“Our tomorrow’s date…”
“Yeah. What about that?”
“Can we make it tonight if you don’t have any problem?”
“Umm…” Marissa gave a fleeting glance to Rafael who was fixing the cart in the long queue.
1/3
“I’m sorry, Marissa. But this is important. My company has assigned me a very vital project. It can boost my career…”
For the next ten minutes, Marissa kept hearing his self–praise about how hardworking he was and how his bosses were too happy with him and so on.
Marissa was trying hard to hold her yawn, “Gerard. I need to go. It’s almost my turn.”
Yeah, sure. I’ll pick you up at seven.”
“B…but…” he didn’t listen to her and cut the call.
“Is everything alright?” Rafael asked her.
“It was Gerard. He wanted to prepone the date tonight.”
Rafael placed his hand on his hip. He couldn’t even smile when his daughters brought the heavy basket and started transferring whatever stuff they had bought to the cart, “Weren’t you
supposed to go with me?”
“I tried explaining to him, Rafael, but he didn’t give me a chance…” she trailed off.
“Then call him again and tell him that you are going with me tonight.”
“But you can take me tomorrow. No?”
A mild argument was brewing up and was getting intense. Their daughters were giggling about something not aware of what was going between their parents.
оп
Their faces were beaming while their parents were fighting about date night.
With a rigid face, Rafael started putting the stuff on the belt absentmindedly.
“Rafael!” she placed her hand on his shoulder, but he stayed quiet. He didn’t want to make a scene in front of the audience.
A worker who found Rafael too lazy, stepped ahead and started placing their grocery on the belt. The cashier kept scanning the prices while she was shaking Rafael’s arm a little.
“I was the one who called him, Rafael now I’ll look bad if I say no. Please.”
He passed a hard look to the girl who was not making any effort to make him fall for her and still his body and soul had started yearning for her.
“Rafael!” she held his sleeve to look at her.
“Sir! Your bill!” the cashier’s voice echoed through the hall, “And you have purchased four hundred and thirty condoms too.”
This time Marissa and Rafael both froze at their place. There was silence in the hall now. The people in queues and close to the aisles were looking at them with shock and jealousy.
“I… I have purchased what!” Rafael spun around to face the cashier, not realizing that Marissa who was holding his sleeve just a few minutes back had left it. She was now standing as if she didn’t know him at all.
“These are your condom packs. They were in your cart,” he explained impatiently. Rafael looked
“I didn’t buy them,” poor him was in shock.
“We bought them, Daddy!” Abigail said in excitement.
“Yes, daddy. There were so many flavors. Strawberry for me, chocolate for Alex, and banana for
Flint.”
Marissa held her upper lip in between her teeth so tightly that she was sure it could start bleeding any minute. It was extremely hard to control the mirth bubbling up in her chest.
“Daddy there are many more flavors over there,” Ariel pointed randomly and clapped her hands happily.
With great courage, Rafael looked behind him and no customer seemed to be annoyed by the long wait.
They all were enjoying the show.
“Daddy!” Abi showed him, her puppy eyes, “Can we buy more? Please? There are so many flavors there. I wanted to place more in the basket, but Ariel stopped me.”
Rafael closed his eyes briefly, feeling the amused glances from other shoppers behind him. He signaled the cashier to remove it from their stuff.
“Yes, Abl. We can gift it to our friends too, who we meet in the park.
There were now unmistakable chuckles and amused whispers from the people behind them.
Marissa was having difficulty keeping her face straight.
“These couples nowadays! They know how to enjoy themselves!” An elderly man behind them. remarked making everyone chuckle.
Ouch!
This was the most embarrassing day of her life.