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One Character (10)
🕑 Added 2025-05-03 17:02:00 +0000 UTCChapter 10 - Awkward Encounters and Abrupt Departures
The bright lights and cheerful Muzak of the local “Reso-Mart” felt jarringly normal after the chaos of the past day. Wes pushed a rattling shopping cart down the baby aisle, Leo strapped awkwardly to his chest in a makeshift sling fashioned from a bedsheet. He kept his head down, baseball cap pulled low, hoping desperately not to encounter anyone he knew. The shame of his current predicament – broke, saddled with an infant, reduced to buying diapers – was acute.
He stared blankly at the overwhelming wall of diaper options. Different brands, sizes, absorbency levels… it was more confusing than calibrating Aroth’s phasing parameters. He spotted a young mother nearby, expertly selecting a package while her own toddler babbled in her cart’s seat. Swallowing his pride, Wes approached her hesitantly.
“Excuse me,” he mumbled, adjusting his cap. “Sorry to bother you, but… diapers. Which ones… uh… work?”
The mother looked up, her initial surprise softened into a warm smile as she saw Leo nestled against Wes’s chest.
“Oh, first time dad, huh? Don’t worry, we’ve all been there!” She came closer, peering at Leo. “Oh, he’s adorable! Look at those big eyes!”
Leo gurgled obligingly.
The mother smiled. “For a little one this size,” she said, reaching over and plucking a specific, brightly colored package from the shelf, “I’d recommend these ‘Dura-Dry Basics.’ They hold up pretty well, aren’t ridiculously expensive like some of the fancy brands, and seem gentle on sensitive skin.”
Wes nodded gratefully. “Right. Basics. Thanks.” He grabbed the package, relieved. He quickly added baby wipes, more formula, and a cheap rattle toy to his cart before heading towards the checkout.
He unloaded his meager haul onto the conveyor belt, fumbling for his nearly depleted credit chip. As the cashier scanned the items, a familiar female voice called out from behind him.
“Wes? Wes Callahan, is that really you?”
Wes froze. He recognized that voice instantly. He turned slowly, forcing a neutral expression.
Standing there, looking surprised, was Alice Quin – sharp, witty, and one of the few women from his past he hadn’t completely alienated. Their relationship had been brief, mutually ended without much drama a year or so ago.
Alice’s eyes widened as they took in the baby strapped to his chest. “Wow. Didn’t peg you for the babysitting type. Whose kid did you borrow?”
Wes felt a flush creep up his neck. “He’s… uh… a friend’s,” he lied quickly. “Just helping out for the day.”
Alice stepped closer, tilting her head as she studied Leo’s face, then looked pointedly at Wes’s eyes. “Helping out, huh? Funny, he’s got your exact eyes, Callahan. Same slightly suspicious squint.”
Caught. Wes sighed and dropped the pretense. “Alright, fine. He’s mine.” He quickly explained the previous night’s events – Latoya’s sudden appearance, the DNA test, the abandonment.
As Alice listened, her expression shifted from surprise to a kind of wry sympathy. “Latoya, huh? Figures. Should’ve wrapped it up, Wes. Remember how I always made you wear a condom, even when you whined about it?”
Wes grunted noncommittally. They stepped outside the store after he paid, the conversation drifted towards safer, nostalgic territory. They talked briefly about mutual acquaintances, old hangouts, the latest guild gossip Alice had heard. It was almost… normal. A brief respite from the current disaster of his life.
“…so then Borin actually tried to assimilate a Floater Bulb he found raw in a Scar Zone ditch,” Alice was saying, laughing. “Ended up inflating like a balloon for three days straight… had to spend all his credits on medical fee.”
“What a waste, eh…”
As she spoke, a thought sparked in Wes’s mind. The truck. His wrecked truck, still sitting back at the Resonance Exchange delivery bay. It was junk, sure, but maybe some parts were salvageable.
The engine core, perhaps the reinforced chassis components… He could strip them, sell them for scrap or parts. It wouldn’t be much, but it would be something.
Credits.
Enough maybe to rent a cheap room somewhere, get away from Rackell and the others before they inevitably kicked him out. Enough to figure out some other line of work besides relying on a guild that clearly didn’t want him anymore.
The idea took root, demanding immediate action. Credits were dwindling fast. He needed cash now.
“…and the medics had to use a specialized resonance needle just to deflate him–” Alice continued, oblivious to Wes’s sudden shift in focus.
“Hey, listen, Alice,” Wes interrupted abruptly, already shifting Leo’s weight. “Something just came up. Super important. Can you just… hold him for a sec? I’ll be right back. Fifteen minutes, tops.”
Before Alice could fully process his words, Wes unstrapped Leo and thrust the baby into her surprised arms.
“Thanks! Be right back!”
He turned and sprinted away down the street until he disappeared around the corner before Alice could even form a protest.
“Wes! Hey! Wait!” she called after him futilely.
She looked down at the infant suddenly deposited in her arms.
Leo, startled by the abrupt transfer and the disappearance of his reluctant father, puckered his lips and began to wail loudly.
WAAAAAAH!
Alice bounced him awkwardly while looking around in bewildered frustration. “Oh, you have got to be kidding me, Callahan…”
Comments
Queen Pheromone
Thanks for the feedback. This is a new spin off that I'm still trying work out it's progression. Future chapters will improve.
Thereader
im trying to like this new story but it just confuses me i get the world good enough but the characters feel confusing and unfocused. i hope it gets better in later chapters
