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“Well, okay, you’ve got me there,” I conceded, a sheen of sweat slicking my back. “What are you doing here?” I tried to keep my tone light and casual. I was just asking why he was here…nowhere near his very fancy neighborhood. “I mean, I just didn’t imagine you grocery shop like us regular people.”
He seemed slightly caught off guard, as if he wasn’t expecting the question or the comment.
“Mommy?” Luna’s voice snapped both of us from each other’s gaze and from the moment. She was holding a box of cereal with an unusual number of magical and colorful unicorns on the label.
I froze on the spot, panicking, knowing this was the first time Damian saw my daughter. I couldn’t even come up with anything to say as I watched Damian’s head cock in confusion.
“Can I try this cereal, Mommy?” Luna asked me.
All I could do was nod.
The music superstar shifted his attention to me. His gaze had never been as piercing as this before, yet his facade remained soft and approachable. It was almost unnerving how someone was obviously feeling a strong emotion, but skillful enough to mask it with a friendly face. Perks of being a superstar. Slowly, his smile morphed into a real one, and in an instant, his usual calm and cool demeanor made a comeback.
“Hi. You must be Luna,” Damian greeted, kneeling down in front of her. His voice was kind and friendly. I wasn’t sure if this was just his celebrity training on how to talk to kids or if he was really that soft-spoken to them, but I… wasn’t hating it. Luna didn’t seem to be bothered by Damian’s presence, so I felt that there was no need to worry about her. “I was just asking your mom about this cereal.”
What I needed to worry about was myself.
Luna’s expression transformed from curious to unimpressed in mere seconds. I knew that face anywhere. “You’re asking for my mommy’s help… about oats?” She pointed to the box in Damian’s hands. “Do you need to open it? I have trouble opening jars sometimes and my mommy helps me then,” she added, her little feet bouncing up a little in excitement.
“No, that’s not what I… ” Damian tried to explain himself, but I knew all too well that once a four-year-old started to ask questions, there was little to no point in attempting to stop them whatsoever.
“Mister, you must be so weak when you need my mommy’s help in opening a box, but I know she's strong.” Luna’s voice began to boom, followed by teasing laughter that echoed throughout the hall. One quick glance toward Damian’s security team, and I found them laughing at Luna’s words. “It’s okay, mister! If you eat a lot of vegetables, you can become strong too! And you’ll be able to open all kinds of oats on your own!” Her bubbly tone was infectious, and I was fighting every urge in my body to not burst out into laughter as I watched Damian’s confused and somewhat offended facial expression.
This music superstar just got roasted by a four-year-old, and the kid didn’t even do it on purpose.
“Luna, be nice,” I told her, but I could feel the chuckle clogging up in my throat. I kept it all down, though. It would be mean of me to rub salt in the wound, but I wanted to. Oh, how I wanted to.
Damian merely shook his head, grinning at the lively child.
“You know, you really are your mother’s daughter,” he said in a soft tone.
Luna merely tilted her head, completely lost in what he had just said. I couldn’t even fathom why he would think it would be a good idea to speak somewhat metaphorically to a child.
“Of course, I am, mister. What a silly thing to say,” Luna simply responded, effectively roasting Damian once more. She continued to do it so effortlessly that I was almost jealous of my own kid. How could she be so good at taking down Damian a couple of pegs? God, I wished I could do that.
Chuckling this time, Damian proceeded to stand up. He looked at me once more, a glint of joy in his usually nonchalant eyes.
“Well, I won’t be taking any more of your time. I’m sure you must want to spend a lot of time with this little lady… for the time being,” he said, subtly hinting at the upcoming tour.
I had just forgotten about it, and he just had to remind me.
Damian reached into my cart, took his oatmeal, and proceeded to walk toward the cash registers. I simply watched as his security team led him out of the grocery store. A roar of screams immediately filled the place when the main entrance opened, probably a huge crowd of his adoring fans. Boy, it was a good thing no one could see us talking in between the aisles. I absolutely did NOT want to put Luna under that intense spotlight.
“Who was that strange guy, mommy?” Luna asked as we walked down the aisle to continue our shopping.
I remained silent for a couple of seconds, not really knowing what to say.
“Oh, remember my new boss I told you about?” I grabbed a couple of toiletries from the shelves.
Luna nodded and said, “The lazy man?” She then looked back to where Damian exited. “That was him, Mommy?”
I giggled slightly, shaking my head at Luna’s frankness. “Yes, sweetie, that was indeed the lazy man. But we won't call him that, okay?”
She laughed along with me as she happily trailed along.
“I like the lazy-but-not-lazy man, Mommy. He’s nice,” Luna declared suddenly, making some form of affection surge throughout my chest that I stopped dead in my tracks.
I looked at my daughter, feeling a bit somber, yet managing to maintain a smile.
