Isabella was dog tired! She ached for a cold shower and rest.
She had come back from the school where she was doing her Teaching Practice that afternoon, completely drained. And all she wanted was just some rest and a thorough bath to scrub off the sweat and grime. She always felt this way on days they had P.E. (Physical Education). She was chubby and hated any activity that made her lift her body too much, especially skipping ropes or doing sit-ups under the sun. Oh how she hated them!
As she trudged home under the blazing Sun, she prayed her Mom wouldn't be at home so she wouldn't send her on a never ending errand spree, but immediately she quietly sneaked into the house through the kitchen door, she knew Mom was home.
“Isabella are you back?” her mom called out to her. “Please come, so you can help buy some provisions. We don’t have Milo, sugar, or milk again!”
"Yes Mom, good afternoon ma!" Isabella sighed as she greeeted her Mom. She tried to form tired, but her mother handed her a handwritten list before she could even argue.
“And go with your brother, Raymond. He's been bugging me since he returned from school.”
That was just the last straw.
Going out to shop for something in her present mood was bad enough.
Doing it under the sun was worse.
But going out with Raymond, her hyperactive seven-year-old brother, was like the ultimate punishment. Her nerves were strained already without her little brother adding to it.
But she had no choice at all than to have him tag along.
She slung the black tote bag for shopping over her shoulder and grabbed Raymond by the arm.
"Just behave yourself today." she snapped at him.
The supermarket was crowded and noisy, but Isabella just wanted to get the shopping over with as soon as possible. She went through the aisles, throwing items into the shopping cart as she moved along and ticking them off on her list. When she was through, she went to the counter to pay for them.
When she turned around to check on Raymond—he had knocked down a stack of hollandia milk sachets. A very angry store attendant was already giving her the look.
"Madam, keep an eye on your child please."
"I'm sorry please." She pleaded as she rushed to pick up the items on the floor. She arranged them back on the shelves, grabbed her brother's arm and shoved him into a chair.
"You sit here, don't move!" She screamed at Raymond as she forced him to sit on a chair.
“Isabella, I just wanted to show you that soap that makes you smell like pineapple." A not too happy Raymond complained.
“Raymond, sssh!” she snapped at him and signalled him to keep his mouth shut. She then went back to the counter to complete her payments.
By the time she finished and returned to where she had left him, Raymond was gone!
He wasn't anywhere around.
She panicked.
She looked left, right and behind the checkout line. Nothing.
“Raymond?” she called, scanning the faces around her.
No reply.
Her heart began to thump violently. She dropped the bag and ran back through the aisles.
“Raymond?” louder now. “Raymond!”
She dashed to the toy aisle, it was empty.
To the snacks shelf. No sign of him
She ran outside, her breath shallow. Maybe he had wandered out? When she got outside, there was no sign of him still.
Tears stung her eyes as people began to gather around her.
Then she heard it, faint giggling from the cleaning aisle. She rushed there and found him crouched behind a stack of toilet paper, pretending to be a secret agent.
“SURPRISE!” he shouted, bursting into laughter.
Isabella almost screamed but Instead, she knelt down and hugged him tightly, kissing him on both cheeks, with a heavy sigh of relief.
“Don’t ever do that again,” she whispered as tears fell freely.
“I was playing hide and seek,” he said, confused. “Why didn’t you seek?”
When they got home, Mom looked up as they walked in.
“Did you buy everything?”
Isabella placed the bag gently on the table and sat down without a word. Raymond skipped ahead and declared to his Mom;
“I played hide and seek in the supermarket and Isabella cried!”
Her mom raised a brow. “Is that so?”
Isabella just sighed and walked out of the kitchen, she desperately needed some rest.
Images generated with AI.
Thank you for reading.
I would never take that child with me to anywhere again idc. Btw, Isabella’s mom is insensitive. Some parents act like this in reality and it sucks.
Some parents are hard on their children.
Thanks for coming around.
This story perfectly captures the exhaustion of adulting and the deep love tucked beneath all the frustration. Poor Isabella, she earned that rest!
Yes she did!
Thank you
Poor girl had a very difficult day, with her naughty brother adding to the stress. Luckily, there were no regrets. A very entertaining story to read.
Thanks for sharing your story with us.
Good day.
Thank you for reading.