Ecstasy

Palette

"Nope, Xavier? Never heard of that name", Kevin said standing next to me as I walked across the aisle of painting tools, rolling my eyes at all the equipments hanging up, but nothing screamed 'good for a four year old!'

"Mhm, alright", I responded. I needed to see if he knew Xavier, but apparently he didn't. Which came as a surprise to me. I had been seeing his face literally everywhere.

"Who is he to Ashley?" Kevin asked like the protective brother he was. Still, I didn't feel like I had a place to start guessing the relationship they had. Talking about Xavier was making me hungry anyways.

"I don't know. Hey how is this? Or maybe you think it's better in pink?" I lifted a green palette towards Kevin, holding a replica but in pink in my other hand. "I want to buy painting equipments for Stephanie".

"That's cool. I think the pink one will do. Painting equipments? She sure as hell will love them. And maybe cause hell for the walls too", he laughed to himself. I froze in place and looked at the palettes, wondering if the idea was good after his small comment.

"Maybe you're right, I can't buy this for a four year old...?" I said, though it sounded more as of a question. He shrugged his shoulders, reminding me that clearly I was asking the wrong person.

"But Stephanie has said she loves coloring, she's responsible too. I'm sure it will be okay", he added, reassuring me just well.

"Maybe if she finds these too mature she can play with the other stuffed animals I bought for her in the car?" I corked a brow.

"Yeah actually what's up with those freaking animals? They gave me a scare earlier when I was looking through the rear view mirror".

"They're for Stephanie".

"They're three times her size", he squeezed his eyes. I put the palette back to its stand and sat on the floor with frustration.

"I don't know Kevin. What do kids like? I'm terrible at being a father", I announced bitterly. He looked down at me, holding his waist with pity.

"Yo, you're not. I think for your first time you're doing pretty well. Especially considering you never had little siblings of your own to raise either", he said bending over to me only to look at the brushes on my right, murmuring to himself how he needed to buy them for redecorating his house.

"But really though, what do women like?"

"Don't ask me! You're the married one, what did you do to swoop Ashley off her feet?"

"I don't know. I actually did nothing considering it was an online relat—"

"You were free, idiot! You were free and real around her", he grabbed me by the collars, squatting with both his legs on my sides. "Don't panic around women, that's one thing you should learn. They love it when you don't want to buy their love or overdo things. Just be you as cliché as that sounds".

"Yeah, that does kinda sounds cliché".

From the corner of our eyes, we spotted a woman and little boy walking to our aisle, them both stopping in their tracks after seeing two grown men straddling each other on the floor.

She put her hand over his eyes and pushed him back to where they were coming from, murmuring something incoherent to themselves.

"So I don't give her the painting equipments and stuffed animals?" I asked, still not getting a clear answer for the gifts.

"Oh no, get her the gift. Women love gifts", he stood up.

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