Chapter 29 : shopping trap
The sky was a sparkling clear blue filled with warm, bright sunshine rays. The downtown area streets were crowded with people; the cars' horns noise and the chatter of passers-by added their share of uproar to the usual hubbub of the day before the weekend in this main commercial area.
Yaelle and Cali went shopping because Cali had become a raging ball of nerves. She was stressed because even though she has been very patient_ she forgot to go _ before taking her pregnancy tests, there were no signs of premenstrual symptoms or those of pregnancy and to top it off, the results were slow to come out.
Since it was scientifically proven according to Yaelle that shopping was a stress reliever, Yaelle offered Cali to accompany her on a shopping trip downtown.
"what are you planning to buy?" Cali asked to gather more details.
"Now that I have a little money, I want to gift something to my mentor and my dear little brother... and some supply for our shop." Yaelle seemed excited by their outing; so was Cali
"We should go buy the gifts first. That way it'll be less cumbersome than lugging many things from the start," Yaelle says pulling Cali inside a large department store.
Neither Cali nor Yaelle was fond of a shopping-like-torture-day_ most of the time when they accompanied Cali's mother. They will have to go back and forth between the stores, browning, reviewing, trying, comparing, rating all the stuff even the ones they didn't intend to buy, and so on_ but they appreciated the general atmosphere and the euphoria when they came across rare pearls within reach of their purse and especially when the shopping did not last forever.
"Let's get Klan's gift first," Yaelle suggested
"Do you have an idea in mind? »
"No…that's why I asked you to come with me; to help me choose" Yaelle didn't know anything about Klan's tastes, so asking Cali for help was the most appropriate thing to do
"Unlike my mentor who I know like the back of my hand, I don't know much about Klan. Also, you've lived with him longer than me so you must at least know the kind of thing he appreciates" Yaelle added
"Speaking of your mentor, what are you going to take from him? »
"That's easy!... A bottle or three of good wine" Yaelle replied proudly, " What do you recommend for him then?"
"Hmm..." Cali was thinking deeply and muttered "A gift for a young man who is not lacking anything... since Klan isn't picky, anything will be fine with him as long as it is given wholeheartedly. Also, we can't beat his gramps with their extravagance and originality in giving him gifts so, let's bet on something symbolic… how about a scarf?"
" A scarf?... it would be more symbolic if I knit it myself and, at the same time it's a grandma's thing to offer knitting, I want something casual and trendy that he can wear every day"
"So how about a watch...a tie?" he wears suits most of the time as he spends most of his time in the office these days…. Or a belt…. Pfff!!!" Cali burst into a subtle laugh
For the record, Cali had already given Klan a belt as a birthday present with the note 'to fasten your pants so they won't come loose so easily.' as Klan's loves affairs became more and more frequent.
Cali cleared her throat before continuing, "A belt or sneakers"
Under the recommendations of Cali, they finally opted for a tie pin.
…
It was almost lunchtime when the girls finished their tiring shopping session; the sun was high in the sky and the heat had picked up. Yaelle offered to have lunch there before going home. so, in the sweltering heat and with arms laden with bags, they went to a nearby restaurant. At the entrance to the restaurant Yaelle suddenly said:
"Ah, I forgot, there's this little thing I saw earlier that I wanted to buy. You see, it's a baby onesie..." Yaelle rubbed the bottom of her nose, "I might soon be an aunt and that makes me want to put my hand on all the cute little things!!" She said with a creepy smile.
"Seriously…for something that hasn't even been confirmed yet, are you willing to leave me there alone, tired, hungry, and thirsty?" Cali couldn't believe it. First, it was that creepy smile that gave her goosebumps, now Yaelle was going to torture her, leaving her to die by, if not, starvation or thirst, then exhaustion due to that overwhelming heat.
"Who said I will leave you alone? I have an acquaintance inside… ah! this is my acquaintance!!" Yaelle points to a table where someone was sitting, "Go over there and tell him you're with me and that I'll join you later when I'm done." said Yaelle before disappearing like a rocket
The thought of going to sit and have lunch with a stranger who had just been stood up by Yaelle was awkward. She thought it would still be appropriate to go and tell him that Yaelle had taken to their heels. But what was her surprise when she discovered who this acquaintance was?
Why hadn't that occurred to her earlier? this back this silhouette, the heat, the thirst, and the tiredness had surely scrambled her senses so that she did not recognize this Yaelle's acquaintance. Damn Yaelle, damn last-minute shopping. All of that was a trap.
"Klan…what are you doing here?"
"Hi, Cali… first of all, take a seat please," Klan said to her in a soft voice.
For the past few days, Cali's spent them avoiding face-to-face meetings with Klan, as well as all of their text conversations that led toward that topic she didn't want to hear a word about. But; now that he was in front of her and she could see that hidden behind his calm demeanor there was a hint of disappointment, her guilty conscience gave her a hard hit.
It was frankly unfair to have left Klan feeling bad all this time and shunned him like he was guilty. Cali took a deep breath… so she decided to stop being a coward, take responsibility, and face the situation.
"I'm sorry...I shouldn't have acted like that" Cali apologized.
"Oh no, I put pressure on you and pushed my decisions on you without asking for your opinion. »
" NOPE! I'm in the wrong, you didn't force me to do anything and I know you thought of me first. I just wasn't ready to face you but now… now I'm not going to hide anymore. Klan…let's talk!" Cali added with determination
If Cali avoided confrontation with Klan, it was not because of what happened between them that night, but because of the conversation, the next day that changed her perception. from Cali regarding her feelings that she believed would never change and especially not in that kind of direction.
…
Some days before _eight chapters before_…
The morning when Cali woke up and saw Klan sitting with his broad bareback facing her and both hands massaging his forehead. And she realized what happened between them, Klan also revealed something even bigger than their intercourse itself
"I'm sorry…" he said to her, showing her a used condom. Cali tilted her head. After all, what was going on? the answer came just as soon,
"I think the condom ripped last night when we were doing it."