I DISCLAIM EVERYTHING, JUST A LITTLE DITTY THAT CAME TO MY MIND UNEXPECTANTLY.
Quinn walked down the aisle pushing the shopping cart for Mrs. Jones in the produce section. She didn't really do things like this with her own mother yet here she was with Mercedes' mom doing something as trivial as shopping. Quinn always had listened to Santana moan on about the horrors of shopping with your parents but Quinn found that she kind of, sort of loved it. It was just her and Angelique, not that she would've protested to Mercedes being there, the girl had become a permanent and welcome fixture in Quinn's life. She could honestly say her relationship with Mercedes is the healthiest one she's ever had.
"Quinn, honey, which would you prefer peaches or apricots? I know you love those fruit salad bowls so I grabbed three" Just as Quinn's face began to light up Angelique spoke again
"But… that doesn't mean you're about to eat it for breakfast, lunch and dinner. That baby need more than just fruits."
"I will eat whatever you want me to as long as we get—",
"I will get bacon of every variety for you." Quinn couldn't help but beam a huge smile and do a little happy dance even as Angelique came around to her side, with both the bag of peaches and apricots having both been placed in the cart, and wrapped her arm around the giddy girl's shoulders.
"I swear, between your love affair with bacon and Mercedes' with tots, I don't know what I'm gonna do. Lord done got my baby girls fittin' to marry food instead of men." Quinn giggled at Angelique's mutterings, she did catch the phrase 'baby girls' and the fact that she was included made her feel warm inside, a near foreign feeling for the former ice queen. She leaned into Angelique's arm pushing the cart through the store towards the register and they got on line.
"Angelique, is that you?"
"Hey, Sister Patterson, how was Tahiti?"
"Hot." The shapely church sister said. They both chuckled but Sister Patterson's eyes cut to the girl Angelique had her arm around
"Well, who's this Angie?" She said in an inquiring and surprised tone, her eyes gazing at Quinn's protruding stomach causing the girl to place her hands there protectively and look down ashamed at the same time
"This is Quinn, she's living with me. Quinn, dear, this is Sister Patterson from church, you haven't met her yet because she was away."
"Hi," Quinn said timidly
"Hello. Angelique can I talk to you over here please?" The two walked out of what Sister Patterson assumed was Quinn's earshot but having been the former eyes and ears of McKinley for Coach Sylvester, she heard them perfectly well
"I heard the rumors but I didn't think it was true." Sister Patterson said urgently
"What rumors?" Angelique said back confused
"That you were gallivanting around this town playing mommy to some white girl from an infamously known well-to-do family." Angelique looked at her like she was crazy
"Look, I'm not gonna tell you how to run your life"
"Could've fooled me." Angelique muttered
"But that girl and her… offspring do not belong in your life. Our life style isn't for them."
"First off, this isn't the sixties so please don't start preaching no black power sermon to me because you know I'm not trying to hear all that. Secondly, I care for Quinn just as much as Mercedes and I won't have you talking about her like she's white trash, not behind her back or to my face, her name shouldn't be in your mouth period. Thirdly, don't you look at her with those judging eyes. She made a mistake and she owns up to that, she's mature enough to realize that she made the mistake and not that baby in her stomach, who might as well be my grandchild. So don't you walk around this town gossiping about them. That girl had nobody, you're telling me when you were at your lowest you didn't wish a kind stranger would help you out, that's what I'm doing and not to score brownie points with the big man, but because it's what's right. Now if you excuse me I'm next in line."
"Call yourself a Christian and you coming at me and my daughter like you were smoking something iffy down there in Tahiti, must be out your mind." Angelique muttered as she angrily put items up to be checked. Quinn stared at Angelique in awe, no adult had ever stood up for her like that.
Once in the parking lot Angelique finally took notice of how quiet Quinn was
"You listen to me, don't pay no mind to anything people like her got to say. There's always gonna be people like her trying to tear you down and make you feel worthless, I don't want to hear none of that self-pity, 'I can't do this, I'm not strong enough' mess coming from you. Because I know that's a flat out lie, they don't know you so what does what they think matter. Alright?"
"Yes Ma'am." Quinn said back
"Good." Quinn threw her arms around Angelique before they went any further
"You're my real mom Miss Angelique. Thank you" Quinn whispered
"You don't have to thank me, baby, you just take care of that baby and yourself and everything will be just fine."
That was the first time Quinn had felt truly protected and at peace throughout her whole pregnancy