Inspired from Picture Prompt 1
Department Stores
Department stores made Danny feel uneasy, especially department stores in a mall. Talk about traffic. Danny shifted the empty basket from his left hand to his right as he scrunched his eyebrows peering at the words hanging above him. Diapers, Wipes, and Feeders. Had Leslie said anything about getting diapers? He couldn’t recall all too well. He strolled into the aisle nevertheless avoiding eye contact with the two women who looked up. He walked past the loaded shelves, getting more confused when he glanced up at the different types, brand and sizes of diapers there were. Oh dear.
What size does a newborn wear? 1? Or 2? Is the size 1 for premature babies? Maybe. They gotta have diapers for premature babies, right? And what was better Huggies or Pampers? Huggies was cheaper. Why waste money on material for poop, that you eventually throw away, he thought to himself as he reached for a medium size package of size 2 Huggies diapers.
The middle aged woman who had been busy choosing wipes moved towards the diapers. She stood close to Danny looking up and down the shelf. Danny withdrew his hand and watched her as she reached towards a Pampers diaper size 1.
“Premature baby, huh?” Danny couldn’t help but say in an attempt to figure out if size 1 really was for a premature baby or for newborns, because he needed to know what size his and Laura’s baby was going to have to wear first thing.
“Excuse me?” She turned to look at Danny. Danny, turned too, rephrasing in his mind what he was going to say. Then Danny frowned and forgot all that was on his mind as saw those all too familiar gray eyes go wide. Anni.
Danny’s basket slipped from his fingers and clattered as it hit the ground. Blushing and fumbling, he awkwardly picked up the basket and looked up, forcing a smile on his face.
“Danny!” The woman cried, pleasantly surprised.
“Anni.” Acknowledged Danny as a wave of memories of smiling grey eyes hit him, making him uneasy.
“Wow. I didn’t expect to bump in to you here, of all places. It’s been so long. What’s up?” She looked genuinely concerned. Anni, his old girlfriend. It had been long.
He glanced at the empty basket and back at her. “Well you know, uh, shopping.” He said, shrugging.
“Ah. Right. I can see that.” She raised an eyebrow. “For diapers?”
Too stunned too speak, he nodded. She frowned then glanced at his hand. His ring felt too tight all of sudden. He had to get it off. He put his hand in his pocket and looked back at the shelves, knowing all too well what Anni was thinking. He didn’t want to make this too big a deal.
“I can’t figure out what size to get. What size do newborns wear?” He asked looking up and down, truly confused. “Size two right?”
“No. Size one unless the newborn’s abnormally healthy. What’s the baby like?”
He sidestepped her question. “Isn’t size one for premature babies?” He asked, looking back at her again. She had gained weight. Her face was rounder and he could sense a slight hint of fat under her chin. But her eyes were just as bright and attractive.
She looked back at him strangely and burst out laughing. “Premature? Oh Danny!”
“I guess not then.” He said, trying to laugh off his silly mistake.
Their hands bumped as he reached for a Huggies and her for a Pampers. “Sorry.” He mumbled. Then he realized his wedding ring was in plain sight. He shoved his hand in his pocket again.
“Married?” She asked nodding towards his pocketed hand. “Uh, yeah.” He said, avoiding her gaze.
...
It is snowing, and they are trudging home, laughing in the snowflakes. “Now I’ve always wanted a ring. A golden ring.” She says, hinting at something he knows only too well.
“Anni, you know me, I’m not the marrying type.”
“Then what guarantee do I have, to know you’re mine and will be mine?” She says coyly, making him laugh. She shakes her head to remove the stray hair from face. Skipping ahead, she turns around sharply and faces him, making him to come to a halt. Her grey eyes are twinkling like stars.
“Seriously, Danny, we have to get married! And maybe kids. Oh how lovely that would be!” He voice rings clear on the lonely road.
He shrugs. “Kids? Come on Anni, they would ruin all the fun of life. Dirty diapers and sleepless nights.”
She shrugs, and stands aside, letting him walk ahead. She puts her arm through his and sighs. “We’re young right now, that’s why. I’m sure you’ll change your mind as time passes.”
He scoffs. “Babies! Come on Anni! I’m sure I won’t.”
...
“Well congratulations then! Bit late I guess. Your baby that you’re shopping for?” She said after a pause, bringing Danny back from his thoughts.
“Uh, yeah.” Danny, said, as he reached for the Huggies size 1 again and placed it in his plastic shopping basket.
“What about you? Who you getting diapers for?” He asked, trying to switch the topic from him to her. She loved babies! “For my step sister.” She said, smiling sadly. Sadly, he did not know why. He glanced at her bare left hand and wondered how life had been for her.
“So it’s a new born! A girl or boy?” She asked, as she brought down a pack of Pampers into her basket, along with a small pack of wipes.
“Well. She’s not born yet. Laura’s due to have her in a week or two.” He said, looking up at the shelf again, pretending to browse through the things, though didn’t need anything else.
“Laura.” She whispered, lost in thought, not knowing that he heard her say that.
...
He dodges and the vases come crashing to the floor, tiny porcelain shards shattering around him. She erupts into sobs, her face in her hands. He hates it when she cries.
“Stop crying.” He shouts. Her hand reaches for the small Buddha statue. She aims it at him, but it slips from her hand, crashes, and she sinks to the ground.
“How could you, Danny?” It’s a rhetorical question, and he doesn’t have an answer. Her sobs are loud, and they hurt him, provoking him.
Clenching his teeth together, he carefully approaches her and kneels down.
“I’m sorry Anni. But it’s over.” He says softly. She looks up, her tragic grey eyes drill into his heart and he flinches. She shakes her head vigorously.
“No! Danny, no!” She cries devastated. “Please we can work it out.” She hurriedly wipes away her tears, her heartrending eyes imploring him. He looks away. But he doesn’t love her anymore. He loves another. How can he be with Anni? He can’t.
He picks up a shard of smooth porcelain, tracing it with his index finger, and shakes his head. “No, Anni. I’m sorry.”
“No Danny, I’m sorry. I promise I won’t break things anymore. Please. Don’t leave me. Danny, I love you, please Danny.” She looks up at the ceiling, her tears trailing down her neck. “Just don’t see that witch anymore, ok? You can get another job and you won’t have to see her. Or we can move and start over. Oh Danny!” She pleads.
...
Anni touched him lightly on the arm and he looked up startled. “But that’s wonderful news Danny! You’re going to be a father!” She beamed at him.
He nodded. “Thank you.”
A shrill ring of a phone interrupted them, and Danny realized it was Anni’s phone. Anni placed her shopping basket on the floor. “Excuse me.” She whispered as she rummaged her bag, and finding the phone, the flipped it and held it against her ear, her head sideways so that her hair fell on her face, in an all too familiar way.
“Hello.” She said. “Yea, I’m at the mall… Yes!” She paused listening the other side then frowned, “Jen I’m getting it, ok! Please be patient… Yes I’ll be there.”
She shut the phone down and the frown on her face vanished into a fake broad smile. “My sister. I’m running errands for her. Well I’ve been having to, ever since I moved in with her.” She explained brightly. “Well, I’m getting late, so I have to go.” She said apologetically reaching for her basket.
“Bye.” He said.
“Good bye,” She replied, turning on her heals. “Oh wait!” She stopped and turned, pulling down her bag from her shoulder again. Taking out a pen and paper she hurriedly scribbled something and passed it to Danny.
“My phone number.” She said cheerily hurrying out of the aisle. She turned her head one last time.
“Call me sometime ok? Stay in touch, and uh, when your daughter arrives, let me know.”
He smiled and realized, he had barely asked her anything of her life, but she had already walked out the aisle, and he was not going to run after her. He stared at the piece of paper in his hand. The dashes on the ‘i’, and the fancy ‘A’ were all too familiar, making him nostalgic.
With a heavy heart, Danny also turned around and walked out of the aisle of diapers, wipes and feeders, wondering if he would ever make that call. He doubted it.
Since I critique as I go, I'll try and wipe out any things like 'why the heck would she do that?!' when it's explained a paragraph later, but if I miss one sorry 
