Respect

Chapter 29

"And I swear by the moon
And the stars in the sky I'll be there
I swear like the shadow that's by your side
I'll be there for better or worse
Till death do us part
I'll love you with every beat of my heart
And I swear
Oooh."
All-4-One "I Swear"

Maia

"You can go ahead." I told the older woman as we both stopped in front of a checkout line that only had one person in it. She only has a carton of strawberries in her hand. She reminds me of Meryl Streep with a hint of Jamie Lee Curtis because of her icy white hair and nose.

"Thank you." She beamed at me and the kids. I came to Target for some pull-ups, bananas, club crackers, and bar soap. Sometimes when I'm hungry and don't feel like getting out the bed, I pull out the crackers from the top drawer of my nightstand. They hit the spot as a late night snack.

When I passed by the laundry detergent aisle, I saw that the tub of 72 Tide Pods was on sale for $13, which is five dollars less than the original price. I don't even need it right now because the one I have at home is still half full, but I don't know when I'll see a bargain like this again. So, I took two tubs: one for me and one for Kyrie. He only uses them to wash his clothes and he always overuses them. I tell him to use either one or two depending on the load size, but he says that using a lot of them at once makes his clothes smell real good.

That's his prerogative.

As I placed my items on the conveyor belt behind the checkout divider, I got a pack of Trident tropical twist gum from the middle shelf next to the cashier. I also looked for the Target gift card that I got for Christmas from Olivia in my purse. This year, I got some really great gifts. I received a long list of things I wanted, but didn't want to spend my own money on. Benita got me some Dolce & Gabbana perfume, Summer got me a bamboo bathtub tray, Davien got me an essential oil diffuser, my parents got me an iRobot vacuum, Kareem and Kobe got me an air fryer, and my brothers put money into my pocket by spending money on my website for their special ladies.

I still haven't gotten my gift from Kyrie because he said it's still in the works, but I would definitely get it before the end of the year. I better get something after I put so much thought into the drone I got him. I don't know whether that means he's building or painting me something, but I'm excited to find out what it is.

I got everybody what they had on their wishlists and my babies got so many presents from matching pajamas to toys. Kyrie also got them the A B to Jay-Z hip-hop inspired alphabet book. I really love the idea behind it and it's an educational gift.

"Mommy." Lozza pointed at the bananas. That's her favorite fruit.

"You have to wait until we pay for them."

"Okay." She pouted.

"Where's that beautiful smile?" I tickled her belly and she giggled. I gently pinched Joshua's cheeks, looking at his baby hair as he kicked his feet back and forth. I had to give him the hookup this morning because my baby boy can't be out here looking like a mess.

You know how when you get a new pair of shoes or pants, you end up breaking it in for the next few days because you're in love with it? That's what Joshua is going with the dinosaur sweatshirt I got for him. I don't mind since it's a little chilly outside.