Chapter 32: ALEX MEETS LEO

Rachel usually took Alex on weekends to places, such as parks, grocery stores, and museums, and pointed out different objects, naming each one so that she could teach him in a fun way.
Sunday morning, she decided to go for a grocery run. She always felt that grocery shopping with Alex was a tremendous task in itself but she always preferred taking him along as today, so as to open his eyes up to the wide world of colorful produce.
From convincing Alex to not put every single thing in the cart to giving in to his please to push the cart himself, Rachel was in for an adventure in the grocery store, especially when Alex with a cart was similar to stunts of 'The Fast and the Furious'.
Grocery run with Alex was just saying on repeated mode "put that back !" every 30 seconds until both of them were literally crying. It was one of the rituals they always followed in the grocery store.
As they started filling their cart, Rachel saw all possibilities happening with shopping with kids which were universally true.
"Grocery shopping with kids in tow can be harrowing. If they are in a good mood, they constantly ask if they can get candy and junk food and toys," said a mom explaining an ordeal of shopping with kids to another mom in the store.
"And if they are in a bad mood, they scream that you're a monster for not buying them candy and junk food and toys, and they run through the aisles knocking into people and throwing things off the shelves," added a mommy of twin toddlers.
"He is saying "Yucky" to everything I put in the cart," a mom with a screaming child complained to her husband.
"Chill, darling! He has no idea how delicious you're going to make those things with your amazing cooking skills," her husband answered as he tried to pacify both, his wife and kid.
Rachel headed to the deli section of the grocery store and got some pre-made items which only needed reheating for the days she would be unable to cook supper.
Rachel witnessed a child throwing temper tantrums on the floor of the frozen foods aisle because it was too cold there but wasn't ready to listen to her mom when she was explaining at the top of her voice that she would feel better when they just moved to the baking aisle.
"All of these screaming kids in this grocery store are making it impossible for me to find my own kids and husband," said another agitated mom strolling down an aisle in panic mode from the fresh veggies section.
"It super sucks when your kid is throwing a fit in the store, but then, when you see that other kid throwing a fit, and you feel very, very, very slightly better," remarked a tired looking mom who had just pacified her child a moment back with a smile and a wink.
"It"s called solidarity," remarked her friend.
Even after Rachel had politely declined Alex's request to eat black cherry yogurt in the store. She could hear Alex continuing to importune and finally she gave in to his demand and made him sit on the bench inside the store as he ate.
"It's so cute how our kids are pushing the grocery cart by themselves !" Rachel overheard a dad praise just right before his kids rammed someone with the grocery cart.
Rachel quickly moved towards the shortest of all check out lines.
As Rachel stood with her grocery cart in the checking out line, suddenly the words echoed in her ears and she turned around to see a child saying, "Mom, I've to go potty."
As soon as these words came out of the child's mouth, a countdown clock started for that mom. It immediately became a race to the nearest restroom, as that is the last thing you want to hear in a long check out line.
Kids ask the most inappropriate questions to their parents' sheer embarrassment about fellow patrons while they are definitely within earshot, thought Rachel as she overheard a child saying, "Mama, why does that man have so many wrinkles on his face and no hair ?"
Rachel recalled that the loudest sound on Earth was of a child asking an inappropriate question about another customer in the checkout line.
"Grocery shopping with children should be an Olympic sport. Only the most talented of parents can withstand the task without needing a very large drink when they return home," commented a fellow customer.
Alex was busy eating his black cherry yogurt, when Leo suddenly happened to sit next to him on a bench with his favorite black cherry yogurt cup.
So how do you get toddlers engaged in actual conversations with you ? One of the best ways is to ask them questions.
It's particularly effective with toddlers because it gets those wheels turning like nothing else.
"Oh ! Look, handsome buddy, you're having the same flavor of my favourite yogurt. Same pinch," Leo said as he initiated a conversation with the toddler to distract his thoughts off Rachel.
"You too are handsome ! Black cherry yogurt is my favorite too. Same pinch ! We have the same flavour of yogurt, the same eye colour and the same hair," remarked Alex with his keen observation.
"Yup, man !" exclaimed Leo as he was pleasantly surprised to see an intelligent little boy, who noticed so many things at a glance.
"We might be relatives," Alex said in innocence.
After all it's a well-known truth that kids are the most fabulous little philosophers, but as often happens with great minded people, they get a little misunderstood. Their unadorned truth might seem a bit harsh to adults.
As Rachel walked towards the bench after paying for the groceries, she noticed Leo chatting with Alex on the bench while relishing his favorite yogurt. She turned around to grab Alex and got to the exit gates for a speedy departure as Alex shouted goodbye to his new friend.
Rachel unlocked the door hurriedly and gently put Alex in the car seat. She juggled with the grocery bags as she started placing them in the car trunk.
Rachel heard a man's voice behind her and turned around as she shifted the sack of groceries to get a better look, and froze to see Leo standing behind her.
As he helped her put the groceries away, he paused and turned to her, a carton of eggs in one hand and a package of sliced cheese in the other.
He put an arm around her waist and pulled her to him possessively – much like claiming groceries after waiting a long time in line to pay for them.
"Is this our son, Rachel ?" Leo asked directly, looking into her eyes while loosening his grip.
Rachel quickly ran into her car without uttering a word with a fast thumping heartbeat.
Leo had been left desperate for answers after bumping into Rachel and her son in the grocery store and noticing she had a toddler with her that was the right age to be his child. He was "convinced" the child was his as the traits and timings worked out.
With the groceries all put up, Rachel started preparing for the supper.
"Daniel, get me as much information on Rachel as you can," Leo commanded his secretary from the other side of the phone.
"Sure Mr Emerson ! It's just a matter of few hours' research to extract information and personal cell phone numbers from official websites and some acquaintances," assured Daniel.
"He has always been manipulative and competent," murmured Leo in his mind.
The nostalgia, the yearning and the desire to tread old ground flowed from Pandora"s box the moment he saw Rachel with her son, who resembled him closely.
It was a lid Leo wanted to try to slam open and certainly struggled to conjure a happy ending.
Later, Rachel basked in a large bathtub filled with warm water mixed with just the right amount of Epsom salt, scented lavender and rosemary herbs while Alex slept for the night.
There was no light except for the flickering of vanilla candles, the aroma of which had filled the whole bathroom.
Rachel threaded through the events of the last three days and her thoughts wavered towards Leo whose touch today at the parking lot had sent shivers through her body, which she could still sense.