Chapter 38: What Are You Thinking?

A store manager came around the corner as Nathan was standing up. He looked at Nathan, then at Crystal, and finally at the mess on the floor. She smiled nervously and said, “Excuse me, sir, but are you responsible for this mess?”

Nathan stood up and turned to look at the girl, and when she saw his face for the first time, she gasped, and her jaw nearly hit the floor. The girl wore the blue and red uniform that was a requirement of all supermarket employees. She had a symmetrical face and a pretty smile, and when she saw Nathan, her face flushed. She immediately lowered her head, held out a book with both hands, and said, “I don’t need to ask you to pay for anything. I know you didn’t break it on purpose. I just want you to leave us your phone number. That way, if there is an investigation, we can contact you.”

Nathan stared at the book and didn’t take it. After a moment, Crystal grabbed the book and said, “I’m sorry, but my boyfriend doesn’t have a phone. If you need any information, you can call me. I saw everything, so I can answer your questions just as well as he can.” Crystal scribbled a few numbers in the book. Then she took two hundred-dollar bills from her pocket and put them in the book. “Here you are. I would like to take responsibility for the broken goods and the inconvenience it will cause your staff to clean this mess up. Anyway, I know that this was all a charade. I can understand why you would want my boyfriend’s number, but it is unfortunate that your Mother didn’t teach you how to attract a man’s attention without behaving like such a hussy!”

The store manager took the book without a word. She looked down at the mess on the ground. She frowned, and her face turned red.

Crystal sighed when she realized that she’d hurt the girl’s feelings. She said, “You know what? I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been so hard on you. How about this, you can have him after we break up?”

When Nathan heard that, he grabbed Crystal and threw her over his shoulder. “What the fuck?!?!?!” Crystal shrieked.

“Unhand me, you ruffian!”

“Fine!” Nathan laughed. “You asked for it!” And he sat her in the front shopping cart, where mothers usually put their toddlers to keep them out of trouble. “How dare you talk about breaking up?!?!?” he shouted.

“I just wanted to give her some hope,” Crystal cried. “No one should have to live without hope. What if she’s depressed? Can’t you see that she’s almost crying?” When Crystal realized that she was in the shopping cart, she said, “Hey, hey, stop! Are you crazy? I’m not a kid. I can’t sit in a shopping cart.”

Nathan: “Don’t move. As heavy as you are, you could tip the cart!”

“Are you calling me fat?” Crystal asked as she grabbed the sides of the cart and tried to climb out.

Nathan held her down and said, “Don’t move. I’ll buy the cart if I have to.”

“Hey! Stop!” Crystal barked. “People are watching. Could you help me out? This is embarrassing! Please... Let me out.”

Nathan added watermelon to the cart and said, “I wonder what you like to eat. Hmmm. I’ll give you three seconds to tell me. One. Two. Three-too late! Ha! Ha! How do you like that, eh? Payback’s a bitch, ain’t it?”

Crystal’s face turned red. “Quit making fun of me!!!” she hissed. After a second, she pointed to the snack section and said, “Hey!

Push me there.”

Nathan brought Crystal over to the snack section, and after she selected several packages of crisps and cookies, Nathan reached out and rubbed her head gently. He smiled and said, “Good girl- so adorable. I could eat you up!”

Crystal frowned and said, “We’re almost done shopping. Can you help me out? You can’t check out with me in the cart like this!”

Nathan said, “Sit still,” and he began to push the cart towards the front of the store.

When they got to the cashier, he gave them a funny look, so Crystal looked up at Nathan and asked, “Why is the man staring at me, Daddy?” Nathan glared at Crystal but said nothing.

Then, as he opened his wallet to pay, the cashier smiled and said, “Oh! She’s your daughter. You look too young to have such a big daughter.”

Crystal laughed and said, “I’m younger than I look. I hit puberty when I was eight. When that happens, it’s called “precocious puberty.”

The cashier handed Nathan his change and said, “That must have been hard. It sounds like your father raised you well, though. You are fortunate to have him.”

When Crystal and Nathan were back in the car, he eyed her breasts and laughed. “You may not have developed early,” he said, “but when you did finally blossom, boy, did you bloom!”

Crystal gave Nathan a dirty look as she crossed her arms across her chest to hide her bosom. “You are a hooligan!” she said.

“You know that?” Nathan shrugged and said, “I do.” Then, when he leaned over to do up her seatbelt, he paused to kiss her on the mouth. He loved the feeling of her lips against his own, and he thought that the way her cheeks turned pink when he kissed her was adorable.

Crystal thought that Nathan was dangerous. She knew that if she got too close to him, it would give rise to sexual urges that were out of her control. She grunted as she pushed him away. Feeling somewhat embarrassed, Crystal pretended to check her seat belt, and she adjusted her sitting position.

“What are you thinking?” Nathan wondered, now that he had returned to his own seat.

“I was thinking about how easy it would be to poison your food,” Crystal replied sarcastically.

When Crystal and Nathan arrived back at their home, the gates to the community were closed. They called the Gate Master, and he told them that a gas line had broken, and they wouldn’t be allowed in until after 5 p.m.