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Giving Prissy a fake smile, he walked off with Dylan. Daniel and Dena followed behind him like little chicks. I gave her a fleeting smile and wave then hurried after him. The last sight of her I had as we pulled away was her staring at us, looking slightly shocked. I hoped she wouldn’t tell Dan she’d seen me or where I was staying. I didn’t want him to come around the compound making trouble.
Law: Chapter 3
Tonya was right. Going to the store with three small children was like going to the circus. They were excited and everything that caught their eye, they wanted. She was great about telling them no and not giving in. If they whined, she’d give them a look and, nine times out of ten, they would quiet down. If not, one look from me and they did. She was frugal with what she picked. She compared prices, and I noticed she seemed to lean toward fruits and vegetables, although they were frozen or canned. I questioned her about it.
“Tonya, why don’t we go get this stuff over in the fresh produce aisle? It has to be healthier and taste better than that.”
A blush spread across her cheeks then she confessed why she didn’t want that. “Yes, the fresh stuff is better all around, but it’s also way more expensive, Law. This is fine. I can make it tasty and the kids don’t mind. I need to grab milk, bread, and a few other things, then we can go.”
I glanced at the cart. It didn’t have nearly enough stuff in it in my opinion. I didn’t see any meat or junk food, not that kids need a lot of that, but a treat once in a while wouldn’t hurt them. Grabbing the cart, I took off to the produce aisle with her hot on my heels. I’ll be damned if she and her kids would go without proper food because she didn’t have the money to pay for it. Dan had a lot to answer for, the bastard. As soon as we hit the produce section, I started filling the cart. Based on the canned items, I had a good idea of what they liked. I added a few others I figured would be good to have. She tried to stop me.
“Law! Please, stop. I can’t afford all this!” She tried to grab the fresh fruit I was putting in the cart. I gently pushed her away.
“I can. Those kids need fresh fruits and vegetables. You do too. Is there anything else you or they like in this aisle?”
She frowned at me but didn’t answer me. I guessed she was being stubborn. Ignoring her, I headed to the meat and dairy aisle. It was another argument there, but again, I won by sheer size and will. I filled the cart with eggs, milk, cheese, yogurt and meat. By the time we were done, the cart was full. I had to carry Dylan while Daniel and Dena walked beside their mom. We went to the front to check out. There was a line. While we waited our turn, a lady came over to us. She was older, with gray hair. She was smiling.
“You have a beautiful family. Your children are so well behaved, not running amok like so many others.” She wrinkled her nose as she glanced at a kid who was lying on the floor, kicking and screaming, because his mom wouldn’t get him the candy bar he wanted.
If he’d been mine, I’d have beat his ass right there. There was no sense in that. People now thought spanking was wrong. If done right, it never harmed anyone. People needed to learn self-control and how to act. If their parents didn’t teach them, then one day they might have to be taught a hard lesson by me. I smiled at the woman. I saw Tonya opening her mouth to tell her they weren’t mine.
“Thank you. They do behave for the most part. It’s all due to their wonderful mom. I wouldn’t be able to tolerate that.” I gestured to the tantrum thrower, who was still on the ground. He was getting louder and everyone waiting to check out was watching him. As for his mom, she didn’t even bother to look up from her phone.
“Terrible. Why doesn’t she do something?” the woman muttered. I heard a few other customers mumbling the same thing. I decided I’d had enough. Right or wrong, if his mom wasn’t going to make him settle down, I would. I handed Dylan to his mother then went over to the boy. I hunkered down beside him.
He appeared to be nine or ten years old. Old enough to know better. His face was red and tears covered his face. Snot ran down his face too. His screams cut off abruptly when he saw me. I stared hard at him for several moments before I spoke. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw his mom sneak a peek at me. She didn’t say a word.
“Young man, that’s not how you should act. There are people around who don’t want to hear that racket. Stand up and brush off your pants. Your mom said no. Be a good boy and listen. Getting your way all the time won’t do you any favors when you get older. Believe me, I know. I see guys like you, who’ve been given everything, even though they don’t need or deserve it all the time, when I arrest them.”
I wasn’t above instilling a tiny bit of fear. Nothing to hurt him, just to make him think. I wasn’t lying about how many I dealt with as a cop due to them thinking they’re owed stuff by everyone else. Instead of working for things they wanted and needed, it was easier to take it from someone else. He sniffed then scowled at me.
“You’re not my dad. You can’t tell me what to do,” he said snottily.
“You’re right. I’m not your dad. If I was, you’d be sporting a sore butt right now for acting like that and talking the way you are. I’ve heard enough. Straighten up or I’ll have to ask you and your mom to leave the store.”
“You can’t do that.” His mom finally spoke up disgruntledly.
“Oh, but I can. You’re disturbing the peace and as a police officer, I can escort you off the premises. More than one person is complaining about your son.”
She had her nose curled up and was trying to act like she could dismiss me. I wanted to laugh. “What kind of cop dresses like you? I don’t believe you. If you don’t get away from my son, I’ll call the real cops.”
“Go ahead,” I told her, as I crossed my arms and stood there.
It became a standoff. I was fine with it. I kept an eye on Tonya, so that when it was our turn to check out, I could unload the cart, pay for it then reload the cart for her. If me standing there kept that brat’s mouth shut, I’d gladly do it. The peace and quiet was nice. Tonya’s kids were staring at him with wide eyes like he was some foreign wild animal. I couldn’t help but remark, “See, this is how children are supposed to behave,” I pointed out to the brat and his mom. Her nose curled up more.
We’d just gotten to our turn and the brat’s mom was at her register too, when the door to the store opened and an officer walked in. It was one of my coworkers and a guy I really liked, Gordon. He came walking over to me when he saw me. I saw the smirk on the mom’s face as he did. She thought I was in trouble. I wondered who called the cops. I hadn’t seen her use her phone. He held out his hand and I took it. We greeted each other and I heard the mom gasp.
“Hey, Jake, what’s up? That’s a helluva cart full.”
He was eyeing Tonya and the kids with interest. His gaze lingered on her a few moments too many for my taste. I found myself hurrying to get his attention. Tonya didn’t say anything. She was watching as I unloaded our cart on the conveyor belt.
“Yep, we needed a lot. How’s it going? What brings you here? Looking for your lunch?”
It wasn’t unusual for cops to stop at a grocery store during their shift, to grab something easy and quick to eat. He shook his head no.
“Nah, we got a call about a man threatening a kid. Had to come check it out. The description sounded a lot like you, now that I think about it.”
“It probably was. All I did was tell that young man over there to get up off the floor and to stop screaming. I explained you can’t have everything you want all the time and that we arrest people who think like that way too many times. His mom must not have appreciated it.”
