Inquisitive

INQUISTIVE. 

I did not know that people could be inquisitive over the grocery store, but Lumi proved so.

I gave her quite the heavy nudge to get little feet to start walking. She was unable to stop the moment those sliding doors opened.

She blocked the entrance to pause and scrutinize every little detail of the aisles. The labels. The lights. Then we were off. 

It was a whole new world for her.

Yes, Lumi was the one was dragging me from section to section.

That surprised me. I even had to shout to her to wait for me to grab a basket from the corner. But I caught up to her to find that she was in front of some Honeycrisp apples. She held one in the air with her mouth wide open in amazement.

The sight was not only amusing for me; there was an old grandma who stooped on a cane nearby. Her eyes crinkled more at her corners as she gave a hearty chuckle.

"Oh, it's good to be young. I wish my grandson was as cute as you. Sweetheart, that apple's gone a little bad," she said. 

Lumi jumped at the old lady's soft but cracking voice. She shot a quick glance towards her two feet away, and then to me. The apple she prized fell into the section she had grabbed it from.

I wanted to tell her to be more careful to not let the apple bruise. But she had scuttered behind me before I could say anything. 

"Oh, my grandson isn't as clingy as you," the old lady muttered, waddling away. 

I picked up Lumi and sat her bottom sit on my arms.

"You'll be clingy to me when I'm that old, right, dumpling?" I asked, glancing up towards her. 

My attempt at helping her break out of her look of fright worked. She raised her head, her eyes that darted around now sharp and curious. 

"You can't be jealous... of grandma?" Lumi stammered. "S-shouldn't you be proud?"

I snorted. "Hmph! Why can't I be jealous? I didn't get to praise you first. And I am proud of you. Look at you, running around like you own the place. I thought I would have to push you around in a cart." 

She bowed her head down. I saw a faint blush spread across her pinchable cheeks. "I-I am excited. There's so many delicious things." 

"Pick whatever you like, dumpling. I'll put you down first. There aren't many people here, so run around as you like." 

I said that, but it was obvious my words restrained her.

The display tables were almost a full head taller than her. She worked around that by peeking around every corner for other shoppers. When the coast was clear, she stepped out, shut her eyes, and strained to grab the closest fruit or vegetable. 

I did not even bother doing a quality check for freshness and appearance.

Instead, I remained satisfied with being the little helper by her side. She was beginning to regain her childlike self again. She passed me dozens of fruits and vegetables by the minute and that was all that mattered. 

We continued strolling through the produce section. Then, we passed the meat counter and seafood section, where Lumi paused. She stared at the fishes swimming in their cramped tanks. The lobsters waving their big, banded knuckles were next. She gaped at the huge blades of the meat slicer and the butcher's carefree knifework.

Amazed by these little intricacies, Lumi was even halted on picking out items. I chuckled before I picked her in my arms and moved along. I grabbed some bacon and ham from the deli section, some bread, and a tub of mayonnaise and made way to checkout. 

Her daze about the fishes weakened as her back stiffened. She could avoid people around every section of the store, but not at checkout. Self-checkout systems were yet to grow in popularity in this era, compared to my past life.

I placed her down on the ground first before I moved all the items in the basket onto the counter's conveyor belt. 

Watch, dumpling.

The cashier who served us was the one I spotted earlier through the glass windows outside. She was a youthful, lively girl with a bright smile on her face. She had cascading chestnut hair and a darker hazelnut-colored eyes. Yet the cashier apron and uniform did not suit the temperament she carried.

Appearance wise, I thought it would be great if Lumi grew up like her. 

I gave her a nod of approvement. I worked the night shift in this grocery before and always saw her buying chocolates late. She was a college student then.

I began a conversation as she finished scanning the last few items, keeping that in mind.

"Two chocolate bars and a lollipop from the back, please." 

She redirected her focus from the checkout screen to me. Her eyes went wide for a split second, but she recollected herself fast. 

"Of course, sir. What flavors would you like?" 

"The two biggest chocolate bars and the strawberry-flavored lollipop," I said. I set a hand atop her. I was gentle in grasping her read, encouraging her to raise it.

"Here you are," she said, as she handed over the sweets.

"Thanks." 

"That will be seventy-three dollars and sixty cents today. What would you like to pay with?" 

I waved the sweets in front of Lumi and grabbed her attention. She tilted her head before she slipped the lollipop into her mouth. 

"Cash," I said, opening my wallet in one motion. But inside, I began to panic a little. 

The cashier grabbed the bills I handed over before placing a hand behind her neck. "Oh, I'm sorry to ask, but have we met before? You look familiar." 

"Daniella, right? Four caramel-blast chocolate bars on weekdays at midnight."

A look of amazement crossed her face. Her hand covered her mouth. "Ah, it is you! You are that cashier; I almost didn't recognize you!"

I scratched the back of my head, half amused and half relieved. "What a coincidence." 

"Well, we are a small community in this city. But I've always remembered you because you were the gloomiest person around." Then her eyes went completely wide as she took a step back in embarrassment. "Ah! Sorry for that gaffe!" 

"No worries," I said, chuckling. My mind supercharged into overdrive as I tried to direct the conversation. "I believe it's been a nice change." 

"Yeah, you look much happier and at peace," she affirmed, unabashed as she scanned me up and down. I hoped she was trying to find out what had changed me.

Then her gaze drifted to silent Lumi suckling a lollipop next to me. She brightened like a lightbulb. My heart did too.

"Who might this be? Oh, she's so cute!" 

"My daughter." 

Could you wave to her, dumpling? 

Entranced by the sweetness of the lollipop, Lumi complied immediately. She raised her hand up and dropped it as fast, not before she shrank behind my legs. 

But it was slow enough for Daniella to catch. She almost squealed in delight. "Oh, she's like a little kitten after birth! What a cutie!" 

I nodded in agreement but froze when Daniella bent over the counter. She pulled out a carton full to the brim with chocolates. It had to cost more than what I was paying for the groceries today.

"Here, this is for you, little girl," Daniella asserted, her arms folded. "The owner said I could take as much as I want as long as it's not out of stock. Little does she know that I've made three restocking orders. Plus, there's a shipment coming today!" 

I tried my best to hide my laughter and wondered if all college students were so bold. When I was entering the workplace doing odd jobs in senior high, I was afraid to make any mistakes. Yet here was Daniella, committing inventory fraud. 

Daniella urged me with her eyes to grab the carton as soon as possible. "Before people notice!"

I found her interesting, and of course, she was benefitting Lumi, so I did not refuse. I crouched down and patted Lumi's back. "Dumpling, what should we say in these situations?" 

My heart was a little cloying and stuck in my throat. I hoped these small gestures and interactions would help her build her trust of people again. If she did not want to reciprocate this gratitude, it would be a long and arduous journey ahead. 

Yet Lumi surprised me time and time again today. She still remained careful, but she raised her head without a wince of hesitation. 

"Thank you, sister Ella," she answered. Her voice so crisp and so soft it could melt all the sugar and sweets that I was holding. 

While Daniella and I were both awestruck by this sudden burst of cuteness, we were the polar opposite. She leaned backwards and clutched a hand over her chest, blind-sighted. I puffed up my chest in proudness and placed a possessive hand on Lumi's shoulder. 

I wanted to hear some praise to affirm my standing as Lumi's father, but Daniella ignored me. She slammed her hands down on the checkout counter and declared some nonsense. 

"Little one, I can tell at first glance you're not out often. You're look so small and so frail, so don't be picky with your food! Snacks are delicious and enjoyable and can fill you up, but they don't help you grow. You tell your dad to make you sandwiches and you come to me whenever you want snacks!"