Respect

Chapter 2

"I'm vibin', I'm chillin', I'm good
I'm kickin' back
And I'm vibin', I'm chillin', I'm good
I'm kickin' back and I'm good
I'm kickin' back and I'm good
I'm kickin' back
And I'm vibin', I'm chillin', I'm good
I'm kickin' back and I'm good."
Mika J "Kickin' Back"

Maia

You know what grocery store is overrated?

Whole Foods.

I understand that they promote healthy eating with organic produce and animal products, but I would have died a long time ago if organic food was the key to survival.

Whole Foods to me is a little too expensive for some stuff when I can just buy them at Ralph's or Trader Joe's, even Target.

My favorite store for groceries is Sprouts Farmer's Market, which has great prices and great quality. In regards to clothes and home stuff, I go to Target, Urban Outfitters, and Forever 21. When I want to splurge a little, Dolce & Gabbana is the place to go. And of course, I wear my own brand. That's one of the ways I advertise it.

I'm like one of those people who go to the store for only one thing, but end up buying a bunch of other stuff, especially if they're on sale.

Always searching for those bargains and coupons.

Today, the office is closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day to honor a man who died fighting for our freedom through love, nonviolence, and forgiveness. Lauryn has a book shelf in her room that has books I had when I was going growing up and I bought. There's one about MLK. I know she can't really read yet, I think it's nice that she at least knows his name and sees pictures of him in the book.

So, I came to Sprouts to get cookie dough because someone could tell me all her body parts. Somewhere along the way, I decided to buy sandwich stuff. I got bread, tomatoes, chicken breast, swiss and cheddar cheese, lettuce, cucumbers, and apricot spread. I have some condiments still in the fridge.

"Are you going to help me bake the cookies?" I asked Lozza.

"Yes!" She replied in excitement.

"How many are you going to eat tonight?"

"2!" She said, holding up three fingers. We're getting there. I put down one of her fingers to correct her. I give her sweets once in a while and when I do, I try to limit them especially at night. I don't need her having a sugar rush right before bed.

We need to sleep.

"Good job." I started putting our items on the conveyer belt to check them out. I also took out my debit card from my small hang bag to pay. I already have Lauryn to take care of; I don't need to be worrying about a big purse. I love small purses. All I need is some money, my driver license, and lip gloss to go out. Lozza would be digging in my bigger bag, disorganizing it anyway.

"She's so adorable." The cashier commented.

"Thank you." I looked at Lauryn who covered her face, acting like she's shy. Everything came around $21 and I decided to just use cash since I had enough. The cashier waved goodbye to us and I pushed the cart to my car. I pressed the button on my key to open the trunk.

"Do you need help?" I heard someone ask from behind me. The voice sounded a little rough, but smooth at the same time. I turned around to see a guy, smiling at me and showing his gold grills. I don't know about y'all, but any guy with a grill, dreads, and tattoos is sexy to me.