parenthood

Episode 21; Houdini

N. This is how I imagine Scout btw!;)

"Is it too late to turn back now?" I ask Harry as we make our way to the grocery store. I was strung out and exhausted from Scout who had been throwing tantrums all day long. She didn't like being told no but she was the queen of telling is no.

"I can handle Scout, plus she's going to be sitting in the trolly anyways. There's not much she can get into," Harry offers pulling into the crowded store full of food. I groan and whine looking back at Scout who threw her stuffed bunny on the car floor and demanded I pick it up for her.

I roll myself back into my seat and look over at Harry lazily listening to Scout scream at me to pick up her toy. This was all a game to her, she loved to drop things just for you to pick them up.

"This is going to be fun," I said sarcastically giving Harry a fake smile and thumbs up as he pulls into a parking spot. I sigh out looking over at him again to see if I could change his mind. "We should just go back home, we can just relax and order in some food,"

"Mads we need food all we have is a jar of pickles and two end slices of bread," Harry counter arching a brow at my pouty lips all while Scout screams in the back seat.

Harry get out of the car and I hesitate sitting for a few seconds before getting out to unbuckle my devil of a child. While Harry fetched the cart I scoop Scout into my arms and position her on my hip. She lays her head on my shoulder and plays with my dainty little necklace clasped around my neck.

"Alright sis, come here!" Harry says reaching out for Scout, I look down at her and see a curled smile on her lips as she nuzzles her face into my chest. "Come here my little curly Q!"

Scout quickly attaches to Harry and sits down in the cart swinging her little legs just as we enter inside the bustling grocery store. I'm overwhelmed with babies crying and frantic mothers surfing down the isles to find what they need. I sigh out after I look at an overview of the overcrowded grocery store.

"Still think this is a good idea?" I ask Harry.

"Look all we need is the basics, why don't we split up, divide and conquer!" Harry tells me which I deemed as a good idea. If we could both shop at the same time in different areas it would cut our time in half here.

"That's not half bad Styles, here," I rip the grocery list in half and hand him the other half of the list. "We can meet back here and check out together,"

"Betcha I can get done before you," Harry says playfully as if to challenge me. I was always up for a challenge, any chance I had to prove myself to Harry I took.

"We will have to see about that now won't we," I wink before staring at him for a few seconds. "Ready, set...." I take off in set and look that most of my shopping is in the produce aisle.

I take a basket and run off to begin searching for the fruits and vegetables. Passing rowdy children and stressed out parents that just want to get out of here. Grocery stores tended to be a parents worse nightmare because that's when your kids started acting up. Showing the whole world that they behave badly, parents judging each other based on their screaming kids. Multiple times having to apologize because they can't take control over their kids that are running up and down aisles.

As I am halfway down the list I spot Harry in the cereal aisle where I watched Scout cry and whine trying to grab various cereal boxes with bright and enticing colors. Bright colors are cartoons could hook her and after that she would beg and whine to have it, which is why during this experience I'm glad Harry got to deal with her just to give him perspective on what the daily grind was like.

Raising a baby was the hardest job I had ever had, and that included law school and everything after that.

My eyes scan to the bottom of the list to reveal something that I was glad Harry hadn't seen. I forgot I had put this on the list but here I was again. My stomach dropped as I walked to the aisle that was specific to this item, an aisle I didn't plan on entering anytime soon.