Childish

45

I could tell that Naomi was excited to go shopping. She already had most of the baby's room set up and ready for him to come but she still needed clothes and other little items. I couldn't remember what all babies needed but the list seemed long.

Naomi sang along to the radio as we drove to one of the few stores within Alpine. My old town wasn't the biggest but we at least had several big-name stores to shop at for clothes and groceries. Alpine had more mom-and-pop stores than anything I recognized so it left me wondering where we would go to find anything.

Naomi pulled into the parking lot of a store I had never been to and turned the car off. "I really hope we can find some cute clothes."

"This is Alpine we're talking about. I'm sure we'll find something." Monica said.

Naomi got out of the car and walked around to the back. I watched as she got Monica's wheelchair out and unfolded it. She wheeled it around and set it beside Monica's door.

I waited my turn for her to get me out, watching her out the window. When it was my turn, she unbuckled me and lifted me out as carefully as she could. She set me on Monica's lap since she wasn't able to lift me for too long without straining herself.

"Should we look for some cute dresses for you?" Monica asked.

"You sound just like your brother."

She laughed. "That's not a good thing. I'm supposed to sound smarter."

"You are smarter."

She wrapped her arms around me to hold onto me as Naomi pushed the wheelchair for her. "Thanks, Lyla."

As we entered the store, I found myself staring at everything in sight. The store was called 'Sammy's' and seemed to be a store that had everything. I wasn't sure why Naomi didn't want to go to a more expensive store first but I wasn't going to argue. It wasn't my money she was spending.

The store had various shelves with baby items littering them. The occasional kitchen or home item filled in random spots. It seemed like more people in Alpine bought for their kids than the adults.

Naomi stopped in front of the carts and lifted me onto the plastic seat. My legs dangled under the bar and I fought back the urge to complain about how uncomfortable the seat was.

If I wanted anything bought for me, I'd keep my mouth shut and just be grateful that I was asked to go along at all.

Naomi walked down the first aisle and looked through the toys. I was surprised she went in that direction first considering she really needed clothes for the baby. She hardly had anything for it just yet. I wondered if she was going to have a baby shower but didn't want to pry and ask.

"Lyla, what toys do you think I should get for the baby?" Naomi asked.

I shrugged. "Maybe you could get some stuffed animals."

"That's all you could come up with?"

"I don't know! I've only been a baby for..." For... holy crap. Almost a year. It was almost my birthday which meant it was almost a year since my parents and I moved to Alpine and I was forced to act like a baby. Over the course of the year, I'd been turned into a toddler and then a baby. I had plenty of experience, at least in my mind, yet I couldn't think of what Naomi needed for the baby.

She brushed my hair back behind my ear. "What's your favorite thing to play with at school? Is there something you play with every day that you think the baby would like?"

I looked down at my bear and ran my hand over his head, smoothing back the fur. "I like my bear. And... and the blocks. But... we already have those at home."

"We could always get more. Then you'd have some and he'd have some."

"You don't think I'd share?" I looked up at her.

She smiled. "I don't think you'd want to."

She was right. I didn't like sharing. I didn't like sharing toys or parents or anything. I grew up an only child and, living in Alpine, that had stayed the same. Until Naomi got pregnant.

I looked to my right at the shelves that lined the wall. I looked through the various toys before I pointed to one just above my head. "Since the baby's a boy, you could get some trucks to play with."

"What if he doesn't like trucks? What if he's into... dolls?"

I shrugged. "I guess you just get it when the time comes. It's easy to plan when you have something in mind. But kids don't always follow that same path." My parents thought I would play with Barbies and want to be a princess but I wasn't like that when I grew up. I wasn't fully a tom-boy but I did like to get dirty.

She looked over at Monica who was trying not to laugh as we spoke back and forth with one another. "What did Alex play with when he was little?"

"He liked to color and draw. Our parents let us experiment with bigger things, older things. We knew more than all the other kids."

She pursed her lips. "I forgot you two didn't grow up the same as the rest of us."

"Personally, I think you should get some blocks. And maybe a rug with roads and things on it. Like a little town."

Naomi nodded. "That sounds good." She pushed the cart down the aisle and stopped when she reached the many boxes of blocks. She bit her lip as she surveyed the box.

"What?" I asked, wondering if she had changed her mind.

"I can't lift this."

"Why not? It's right in front of you."

"She's pregnant. She can't lift heavy things anymore." Monica interjected, using her medical knowledge to help me understand the current predicament we were in.

Naomi sighed. "I can't lift anything more than twenty pounds and you and Monica can't walk."

I narrowed my eyes at her. "That's not my fault."

She patted my leg. "I know, honey."

Monica put her hands on the wheels of her chair and turned it in the direction we had come from. "I'll be back. Wait here."

"Where is she going?" Naomi mumbled.

I looked at the box and saw the weight in the bottom right corner. It was 25 pounds. To me, that seemed high but maybe it was average for a box of blocks. "That box is bigger than I am."

"I'm glad you're not too big. I'd hate to not be able to carry you around or hold you in my lap."

"Do you like babies?"

She laughed. "What do you mean?"

"Do you like holding babies and stuff? Like when you see a baby, do you get all excited and want to hold it and play with it?"

"Do you remember the first time I met you? It took everything I had to not run around my desk and squeeze your cheeks."

My face flushed at the thought of having squeezable cheeks. I wasn't that fat, was I?

She looked back in the direction Monica had gone when she heard footsteps. A young man followed Monica as she pushed herself toward us. He looked young but I knew he had to be over 18 to be working.

I quickly put my pacifier in my mouth so he wouldn't try to talk to me. If he was anything like Naomi, I didn't want to risk a painful conversation.

The man clapped his hands as he approached us. "Alright. Tell me what you want in the cart and I'll get it for you."

Naomi smiled at him. "Thank you. We really appreciate it."