The next day Masahiro and I went to the grocery store to get some food for the week as is routine. He gave me a list of what to get while he went to the pet shop next door to get some food for the pets.
List:
Food:
Ground beef
Pork
Chicken
Eggs (half dozen)
Pasta sauce
Green beans
Corn
Broccoli
Carrots
Tomatoes
Cucumber (2)
Milk
Apple juice
Ground coffee beans
Other:
Hand soap
Dish soap
Deodorant (K)
Mouthwash
Condoms
I chuckle a bit at the last item before I starting looking around for them. Masahiro didn't take long at the pet shop and returned in less than 20 minutes with the pets food.
"I'm back"
"Good, did they have everything"
"Yep! How's the list going?"
"It's going alright...this may sound stupid but how can you tell if a tomato is ripe or not? I think it's fine but I'm not completely sure."
He chuckled a bit before taking the tomato out of my hand and giving it a few small squeezes before handing it back.
"It's ripe, it didn't feel like I would smush it with my hands but it wasn't extremely hard either."
I nodded and we continued to walk around and grab the items. Surprisingly I learned a bit while with him. Usually I'm busy preparing for class the following week that I don't have time to go shopping with him. He told me about what brand of stuff works best and taste better. From the start of us living together I never paid much attention to any of the brands of food other than my coffee.
The last thing on our list was the last thing we had to get. It was obvious that Masahiro was embarrassed about being in this section, but he sucked up his pride.
"Hey babe, what size do we normally use?" I say nonchalantly in order to tease him.
"Kousuke!" He whisper yelled at me.
I laughed and grabbed a pack before we headed over to the register. After we paid, we filled the truck of my car with the bags.
"Masahiro?" A familiar voice called out.
We turned to see who the voice belonged to and it was Ms. Setagawa.
"Mom? What are you doing here?" Masahiro replied with a mixture of nervousness and anxiety coating his voice.
"I was on my way to the market, this place has a better selection than the one by home" she laughed awkwardly.
"Hi Ms. Setagawa, lovely to see you again" I pipe in.
"Ohshiba, wow, you two are still together" I could see the slight uncomfortable smile on her face.
"Yes, such a shame you couldn't attend the wedding"
"Kousuke, be nice"
"No Masahiro, he's right. I wasn't a very good mother. When you told me about your relationship I didn't know what to think. I think I was also mad at you Ohshiba. Masahiro was all I had left and it felt like you were taking him away from me but I now understand that you didn't have any cruel intentions. I am still trying to wrap my head around the two men part, but I want to learn and I want to be a better mom. I'm so sorry Masahiro, you should have been a better mother to you than I was and I am so proud of you."
"Your proud of me?"
"Yes, I am very proud of you"
"Thanks but I'm not sure if I'm ready to forgive you. You really put me through the wringer." My husband said.
I watched the event unfold and was so proud of him. The amount of growth he's made is incredible.
"I understand and I don't expect you to forgive me so easily. All I want is to get a chance to be a better parent. Take as long as you need, I can and will wait."
"Maybe, but I think it's a bit too late for you. After everything that you've put me through and all of the abuse I had to take. It's not fair that you could get off scotch free. I think it's time that we go our separate ways. Thank you for the apology." Masahiro presented his hand to his mother who shook it.
Ms. Setagawa walked into the store and Masa climbed into the passenger seat of the car. I pat he head and drive home. After we put away our purchases, I hug him from behind.
"Good job today Masa, I'm proud of you"
"I love my mom, but I'm not ready to forgive her"
"I understand" I said and planted a kiss on his head.
"Can we just watch a movie and cuddle?" He asked to which I obviously agreed to.
I grabbed a soft blanket from our bedroom and came downstairs before wrapping him up in it and putting on a movie for us. It didn't take long for him to fall asleep on me. I truly do love this individual.
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Hi!
This is the third time I am celebrating my birthday with all of you and it is so honoring. To think that this would still be continuing after three years is insane for me to even think of! I am so grateful for all of you!! Make sure to take care of yourself (as your birthday gift to me) and drink water. I love you all!
~🐝