Noelle Snow moved through the Thrifty’s carefully shopping. Thrifty’s wasn’t the most vegan-friendly market in Canada, but it also wasn’t the least. She shopped there to support her local market. Now she was half shopping for the now and half shopping for the future. With Blaze and Olivia’s birthdays coming up at the end of the summer, she wanted to plan ahead to make sure Blaze got plenty of nice vegan goodies. Daisy wouldn’t even think of it and buy cake and ice cream without considering that wasn’t in Blaze’s diet. So she was already thinking ahead on that.
Blaze filled his mother through the market, looking at the various bright and pretty boxes that lined the shelves. He liked this place, so full of food and things his mother would bring home for she or Chris to turn into even better foods.
Cory Henshaw was restocking like crazy. They had gotten a huge delivery and he was finally down to the less essential items but it all had to get out. He wheeled the stock cart out from the back laden with candy boxes and displayers for near the front and refills for the barbecue spice rubs, marinades and sauces that they kept in a displayer by the meat counter in the summer season. But the meat department was just at the tail end of a rush with both Mitch and Fiona serving customers rapid fire. Cory parked his cart to the side of the department and walked towards the front to see if he could stock candy first and come back to the Grill and Chill products.
Lydia was like a one woman show at the till as the deli rush made their way through and to her end. She saw Cory and flagged him down “Cory, bagging please! I’m drowning here!” But she kept her smile on for the customers and chatted and laughed her way through the line up that she rang through as fast as her fingers would allow.
Cory saw the second wave of the rush and heard Lydia and wove his way through the line to circle around her to the end of her counter “Paper or reusable?” He asked over and over and filled and sorted into carts and carried out to cars as needed.
Fiona handed over her last two packages and spun around at Mitch shooting little finger guns in the air “OK they’re gone...fwew...now I’m taking my lunch. Showdown over. See you in 30 Mitch.”
Mitch snorted “Yeah man go for it. I’ll start fillin er back up.” He looked into the meat counter assessing what they were now low on again. Through the front glass of the counter he could see a Peterson twin down the middle aisle and hoped to to ever living fuck it was Patrick, not Chris.
Chris was down the center aisle now staying back from the crowd at the till and squatted down looking at coconut milk. He had been researching recipes for homemade coconut ice creams. He and Noelle had been talking about Blaze’s birthday, and Olivia’s coming up. He had a can in each hand comparing the labels. He overheard Mitch’s voice and ignored it as was per their usual unless they ended up face to face in a way that required polite acknowledgement.
Noelle moved about the aisle looking for her son. She wasn’t panicked, but now that the crowd had dispersed, she wanted to make sure he was still close to hand.
Blaze came across a cart full of candies and was looking them over. His mother made him his very own candy, but sometimes the kids would tease him because they got the packaged kind and he hardly ever did. Spotting a decorative bar, he picked it up and looked at it. There was chocolate and a picture of an almond and milk. Not being able to read, he took it to mean this was a chocolate made with almond milk and he turned to see his mother approaching them. Hopefully, he held up the bar. “Can I have this?”
Noelle smiled when she saw her son was close by. But he was holding up a bar of chocolate and asking for it. She took it and looked at it carefully. “No, baby. This is milk chocolate and we don’t eat milk products.” she put the bar back.
“But almonds.” Blaze protested. He’s seen the almond and recognized it.
“That means there is almonds in the chocolate, but the chocolate is made with milk.” she tried to explain, even though she could hardly wait for Blaze to begin reading. It might make her life just a little easier.
Blaze sighed and tried again. “Please?” the word dragged out to take 5 seconds to leave his mouth in something far to close to a whine to be anything but. He looks around for Chris … Dad … maybe he would be more reasonable.
Mitch was at the end of the meat display case now by the stock cart and pulled his head out after sliding in a tray of boneless chicken breast. He overheard a sweet little boy begging his mom for a harmless chocolate bar and getting denied because the mom said no milk products? Mitch scoffed “A little candy bar won’t hurt the kid.” He said to the mom “Kids need milk to grow.”
Chris had heard Blaze and Noelle from where he was and was ready to offer backup if Blaze really dug in his heels. Then he heard Mitch open his opinionated yap and stood up from the canned goods, slowly walking over. “Fuck’s sakes….” He muttered under his breath.
Noelle looked evenly at her son. He knew better and she suspected she was looking at preschool peer pressure in action. She was about to open her mouth to offer a maternal bribe when she heard a voice from the direction of the meat counter. She turned her head to see the butcher, who she barely knew, being a vegan. Keeping her manners about her, she simply told him what she told everyone. “We’re vegan. And he’s growing fine, thank you ….” she realizes she doesn’t even know this man’s name who is giving her parenting advice.
Blaze is currently unaware of any conflict. He is still looking for Chris and he sees him coming towards him. Grabbing his coveted chocolate bar, he runs to him. “Daddy … can I?”
Mitch rolls his eyes without even trying to hide it from the woman “Look that’s fine to choose when you’re done growing but don’t push that on your kids. What about calcium and vitamin D? Kid breaks an arm on the playground and it takes twice as long to….” Now he sees Chris, and knows it’s Chris from his stupid crooked nose. He cuts off in confusion as this kid calls him daddy? “Oi when did you have a kid?” He’s not even remotely attempting to greet Chris and pauses his diatribe at the kid’s mm.
Chris’s jaw sets as Noelle has to defend her parenting and eating choices to Mitch Taggart. As Blaze runs towards him he scoops the little guy up and takes the chocolate bar from him “I don’t think so bud but let’s see what else we can find that’s better.” He glares at Mitch briefly but now he’s holding Blaze so he softens, or tries to “You can get a lot of calcium and vitamin D from leafy greens. Hi Mitch, butting in I see. This is Noelle, and Blaze and yes he’s my son. Sometimes kids come through you and sometimes they come to you. How’s Melissa feeling? I heard she was having a rough go with her pregnancy.”
Noelle stiffens slightly. “Calcium and Vitamin D? Spinach, kale, for both. But Calcium? Almonds, brazil nuts, leafy vegetables also have Vitamin D. Fortified cereals and orange juice is also a great source of both calcium and Vitamin D. Not that …” then they are interrupted, thank god, by Chris who is holding Blaze and talking to the butcher, who is called Mitch. He also mentions Melissa, who Noelle actually knows. She quietens down a bit and lets them continue.
Blaze sighs as he is picked up and thwarted. There is still hope in the word ‘better’, but the grown-ups are talking, so he falls silent. He’ll go to his mother if he’s let down. Better usually meant something his mother made herself.
Mitch tenses up visibly when Chris asks after Melissa “She’ll be fine. Just needs extra rest.” He looks between Chris and the kid and the woman who is clearly with Chris as the kid’s mom and his partner of whatever nature they have “I still think it’s wrong to push politics into a kid’s food.” He had heard all the leafy arguments before.
Now Chris set Blaze down gently and looked at Noelle. His eye was twitching like it did when he was trying not to blow his top. He waited until Blaze took a few steps away and walked right up to Mitch’s counter and dropped his voice a bit, because he knew he’d be swearing “Listen Mitch you raise yours how you want and I won’t say a damned thing about you letting them think it’s ok for other living creatures to be slaughtered for their consumption. Because I know, like you don’t seem to have a fucking clue about, that it’s none of my damned business.” He slaps the counter as he steps back, trying to fake a smile but it doesn’t reach his eyes and the one is still a little twitchy. “Give my best to Mel. Hope she feels better.”
Mitch just glares at him and slides the meat counter door shut a little hard, almost a slam but not quite.
Noelle kneels down to Blaze as Chris tells off Mitch. She strokes his hair and then looks up at Chris almost innocently. “Melissa … That’s your ex, right?” she looks at her son now. “I still have some agar agar left. We could make gummies.” she offers as if she hadn’t just possibly smacked this man in the face with an old lover of his girlfriend.
Blaze blinked at the idea of gummies. “Sour Patch Kids?” he pipes up. For barely being three years old, he does have mad negotiation skills.
Mitch puffs up a bit when he hears Noelle ask Chris if Melissa is his ex and he can’t resist a dig “Yes Noelle, emphasis on EX. She left the know it all snowflake vegetarian and married the butcher, the realist.”
Chris smirks at Noelle and then nods “Yeah…” And then he leans down engages with Blaze, trying to ignore the looming glare of Mitch “Oooh gummies Blaze!” Then Blaze suggests sour patch kids and he laughs “God memory like a mean elephant kiddo….they are vegan?” He looks at Noelle and then hears Mitch’s dig and stands up walking back over a bit “Mitch….I know you think you’re insulting me. I’m over Melissa and in love with Noelle, madly in love. And if you think you’ve one upped me….really I just feel sorry for Mel. You can hate me and I won’t care….but leave my family the fuck alone.”
Noelle hears Mitch, even though she is marvelling at her son. But she looks at him. “Snowflake, eh? They melt when they touch the heat of the body. The same can’t be said for a cold dead thing that has no life left in it to live.” it is both a jab at Mitch and meat. She then laughs at her son and looks at Chris. “They are vegan. Made in a cold factory with no love … but … for our baby who has been so good…” she nods and grins and straightens, offering her hand to Blaze. “Sour Patch Kids. let’s go and find some.” and she will walk to the cart, which has all kinds and sift through looking for them.
Blaze is nodding hard at Chris and beams when his mother says he can have some. He takes her hand and helps her look.
Mitch is glaring at Chris but thinking on a come back when he’s left speechless by Noelle. Well fuck they were perfect for one another. He thought and brooded. Mitch sniffed in irritation and walked to the butcher’s block and began sharpening a big knife.
Chris inwardly beamed at Noelle’s wording and her getting right into it with Mitch Taggart. He gave Mitch a little sideways glance before following Noelle and Blaze and leaving the angry carnivore behind “Did you find any Sour Patch Kids in there?” He asked peering over where they are.
Jack Snow walks down the aisle, considering what he needs to get. For him the answer was usually cigarettes. He approaches the meat counter and calls over it. “Pound of beef and a half pound of pork, Mitch!” Then he turns and his brows lift. “Well if it isn’t Alexandra’s top whore and her bastard.”
Noells smiles as Blaze holds up not one, but two bags of Sour Patch kids in two different flavors. “We did. Now we…” and then she hears a familiar voice and turns to it, instinctually lifting Blaze into her arms. “Dad…”
Blaze is smiling and holding his bags like prizes when he’s suddenly scooped up. He doesn’t understand and he doesn’t mind. What confuses him is his mother calling this man Dad … like he calls Chris Dad. The man looks a little familiar, but he isn’t sure how or where.
Mitch hears the order and is glad for the distraction as he begins to weigh, print labels and package it. Jack Snow, not his favourite person but it was a toss up now with Chris Fucking Peterson in the store. Focus on the work Taggart, his mind pulled at him. But then Jack turns around and says something super shitty to Noelle...and she calls him dad?
Chris was about to beam at Blaze when he caught sight of Jack walking in and past and going to the meat counter. He looked warily at Noelle and was thinking maybe he’d just pass when suddenly after placing his order he turned and called Noelle a whore...and Blaze a bastard. Nope…..nope...all the nopes. He saw Noelle pick up Blaze defensively and he turned to face Jack “You don’t get to talk to her like that...or say that about either of them.”
Now Mitch was conflicted and even more pissed off, because he was in agreement with Chris Fucking Peterson. When the fuck was Fiona back from that break?
Jack looks evenly at the man who tells him he can’t speak to his own daughter. “Which one are you?” he asks and then scoffs. “It doesn’t mater, she’s probably fucking both of you. Listen, son. I made that little skank. Enjoy her while you can. If she’s like her mother she can suck a golf ball through a garden hose.” he snorts.
Noelle closes her eyes and then opens them. “Just go to hell, Dad.” she sounds tired. She looks at Chris with a plea in her eyes. She remembers how he can protect her, but he wasn’t on duty and, as far as she knew, her father calling her names wasn’t illegal. Blaze is looking at his grandfather and Noelle realizes … Blaze doesn’t know that this man is his grandfather. She takes a step away and turns Blaze’s face away, whispering a song to him, trying more to comfort her than him. He actually rests his head on her shoulder and rests.
Chris feels an explosion happen in his head at Jack Snow’s words and is practically shaking with fury. Not only that but Blaze just heard every damn word of this man’s vile attack on Noelle directed at him. How much would they have to undo later? He watches Noelle and Blaze and when they turn away he crosses the space between himself and Jack Snow. “I’m the one that can arrest your sorry ass for harassing your daughter and grandson in public. For slander, For all kinds of things depending on how many statements I want to gather around town. So you just shut your fucking mouth Jack.”
Mitch is behind Jack but in view of Chris. He looked ready to jump over the counter when Jack started in on Chris about Noelle. Now as Chris talked he unwrapped the packages and dumped the meat back into the trays. He pulled both of them out of the counter and lay them on the butcher’s block “Oh damn we’re all out of beef and pork...I had some but it went rotten. Stinking rotten.”
Jack doesn’t look afraid of Chris, but he does tighten his jaw. When Mitch speaks he turns and sees the meat there, but is smart enough to understand that he’s being refused service. “Yea … OK Mitch. Whatever.” he brushes by Chris and glares at Noelle and Blaze, then considers stopping at the till, but instead just storms out of the Thrifty's grumbling under his breath.
Noelle hears the exchange, hugging Blaze to her and rocking him side to side. Once her father leaves she looks at Chris. He’s Superman again to her and she takes in a deep calming breath. “Thank you…” she whispers to Chris, stroking Blaze’s hair. Then she closes her eyes again, trying not to let her father's words open any old wounds.
Chris is unwavering in his stance against Jack but he’s shaken by it all, especially for Blaze. The stakes just got higher with a child in his life to love as well as Noelle. He looks at her with love and nods, not needing the thank you but understanding it.
Mitch puts the trys back into the display case and then as Chris starts to walk away he calls out to him “Peterson.” Chris turns “Sorry I gave you and your lady a hard time. Take care eh?”
Chris blinks and reels a bit. Did Mitch just apologize? “Uh...don’t worry about it.” He has a look of total disbelief as he walks up to rejoin Noelle and hugs her and Blaze together. “Let’s go through the till with what we have, and then go to the playground?” He wants to give Blaze something normal right now, something safe and fun that he loves “And eat sour patch kids.” He adds.
Noelle nods and heads for the till, still clutching at Blaze. “Lets buy them both, okay?” she smiles at the idea of the playground. Just when she made a normal life for her son, her father appears, and tries to knock it all down.
Blaze lifts his head and looks at his mother, then hugs her. “Will you push me on the swing real high, Daddy?” he asks, hopefully.
Chris smiles emotionally at Blaze “Yes buddy as high as you wanna go.” He pokes Blaze in the belly and takes the two bags of candy and their incomplete grocery items and just puts it all up on the counter for Lydia to scan. “Hi Lydia.”
Lydia greets them cheerfully but she saw and heard some of the mess of Jack Snow. Being Lydia she focuses on the kid, holding up the sour patch kids “Are these for you? Oooh these are my favourite too.” She pushes the items down to Cory. As much as she’d wanted her daughter to stay away from the Peterson boys, Chris had been a kind friend to Ziggy after her Cyrus died, checking on her and being a good guy. This generation of Petersons had turned out alright. And Noelle, well she was one of her kids, her former foster kids, when her parents had thrown her out pregnant. Now the asshole father was still making trouble? She patted Noelle on the arm if she could “You ok?” She mouthed when the kid’s head was turned. She was so glad Noelle had connected with Chris and they seemed to be quite the family now.
Cory just bagged in reusables that came from their half full cart as per Chris’s instructions. He had been taken aback by the exchanges and also a bit confused. There was clearly a whole history to these folks he wasn’t aware of. The man who walked out was clearly an asshole. Hell he made Mitch look like a muppet.
Noelle begins to loosen her grip on Blaze and accepts the pat. It helped to alm her. She hadn’t been one of Lydia’s kids for long, but it was as nice an experience as it could be considering she was pregnant and would have been homeless if not for Lydia. To the mouthed question she sort of nods and shakes her head while shrugging. “Meh…” she mouths back.
Blaze smiles. “Thank you, Daddy.” he chimes and reaches to hug him. He really did love Chris so much.
Noelle hears Blaze call Chris Daddy in front of Lydia, who might not know it had gone that far with Chris. She changes her head motion to nodding. “I’m good. Thanks.” she murmurs instead, looking at Chris with love as he dealt with Blaze.
Lydia beams, looking at them all and nods at Noelle with confidence.
Chris gets hugged by Blaze and scoops him up and sets him on the counter still half in his arms so he can hold onto him and use the debit machine. He still loves hearing Blaze call him Daddy and gives him a little kiss on the top of the head “You’re welcome but you better share.” He teases and then sees Blaze’s little finger reaching for the pinpad “Oh you want to press the buttons...k hang on...let me do some first. Ok press the green one now.” He lets Blaze feel like he’s helping to pay and then takes a squirt of hand sanitizer for both their hands after handing the pinpad back because it’s still the pandemic era. Then he thanks Lydia and Cory and looks at Noelle with love. They could weather this.
Noelle takes the bag as the men in her life pay for their groceries. She is glad they have nothing perishable as they leave the Thrifty’s and head for the park. She had the day off. Chris had the day off. Blaze had them both for the rest of the day. Plus store bought gummies beside. Life was good and she wouldn’t let her father ruin it.
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