Dreams and Reality

Chapter II: Carry On

Chapter II: Carry On

Sonata moves her head back and forth to the music in the supermarket, sitting comfortably inside the cart. By now, she's too old to sit in the seat provided by the shopping cart, but she likes acting like the cart is her pirate ship. Of course, she begged me to let her bring Mr. Thompson with us while we shop. I didn't end up talking to Sonata yesterday about the consequences of her actions... I felt way too tired. Then again, that's probably an excuse for me to try and avoid responsibility. I will talk to her when we get home though... "The cereal's up ahead!" Sonata tells me while pointing a toy sword, a big smile on her face.

"Aye, Captain," I tell her with a slight chuckle, pushing the cart forward to the selection of cereals. "We can only get one box though, so pick something both you and Aria will like." Sonata's eyes look towards me with a confused expression, hesitating to pick out a box for a moment.

"What about you, Adagio...?" Her question sort of breaks my heart... Her eyes stare into my soul, searching for some answer to satisfy the curiosity inside her little mind. The truth is that I don't have a lot of money left from my paycheck after paying the bills, so I'm trying to prioritize food they can eat rather than treats. Those aren't necessary, as much as I may want to buy them cookies.

"I don't like cereal, sweetheart," I lie to her as casually as I can, walking over to the side of the cart. "I prefer eating breakfast at work and all." In my attempt to satisfy Sonata's curiosity, my statement only seems to make her seem more confused.

"Work gives you breakfast?"

"All the time. It's one of the perks of my job after all~" If only my job actually had perks like that... I get chewed out by my boss all the time and I never seem to get a break other than for lunch. Hell, that's only around fifteen minutes... Now that Sonata's suspended, I'm either going to have to find a babysitter or force Aria to stay home. I can't quite afford to just leave work for tomorrow. Today was already my day off...

"Do they have blueberry waffles?" Sonata asks me excitedly, seemingly interested in this false narrative I've made.

"I'll have to bring you by sometime to check, won't I? For now, just make sure to pick out a cereal box you two will like, okay?" Sonata nods happily, picking out a typical name brand box with a bunch of sugar. Something kids would like a lot... Pushing the cart again, I look at the grocery list of items that we need, making sure to point us in the direction of the dairy products.

"Adagio?" Sonata asks me innocently, turning around in the cart to look at me. "Why isn't Aria here...?" It's true that we usually make these sort of trips together, so it's not unexpected for Sonata to notice that fact. Aria stayed at school late, probably trying to avoid me and make sure I left for the store before she got back home. I don't particularly blame her... I said something really mean to her the last time I saw her. Something I shouldn't have ever said...

"Aria didn't want to come, but you'll see her again when we get home." The next item on the list is milk. Hopefully, we can find one with an expiration date that isn't in the next three days. I'd like these groceries to last us at least a week. Turning the cart down the aisle, my eyes scan the milk options slowly before picking out a carton with a reasonable expiration date. "Put this down next to the box of cereal, okay, Sonata?" I ask her, carefully handing the carton to her. Without protest, she nods and puts it exactly where I asked, showing the stark contrast between her and Aria. Aria would have argued with me for no reason... I... I don't think Aria's a bad person, she's just... really hard to deal with. I suppose it's because she's a teenager... Almost an adult. "The last thing on the list is toothpaste. Do you remember what kind of toothpaste we get?" I ask Sonata in a slight hum, keeping her interested while we shop. A bored kid is the worst recipe for disaster in a supermarket. That's something I had to learn first hand.