Author's Notes: Hi, readers. Here's chapter forty-six of "On a Strange Tide." I am glad it took just four days to get out. I plan to have Dan make another appearance very soon. He is important to Jenna because he is her PI who is supposed to supply her with information about Tommy, Kim, and their friends and keep tabs on them wherever he spots them. Stay tuned for chapter forty-seven.
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Chapter 46: Shopping Finished/Another Van Note
Wal-Mart was a little more crowded twenty minutes later. Kim stood next to the slightly more than half-full cart in the baby section. She was searching through a rack of onesies meant for babies from zero to three months old. Aisha stood a short distance away from her doing the same. She hummed a sweet tune. Caleb flicked his mouse's ear while babbling softly. He placed it in his mouth. He hit his hands on its back. He did the same to its front legs.
Jenna searched through a rack of two-piece outfits meant for babies from three to six months old. She was three racks down from the young mother, her friend, and her baby. She looked toward Kim, who proceeded to whistle. She shook her head in disbelief. She thought Kim didn't have the best whistling ability. She believed she was a better whistler than her rival was.
Jenna looked toward Caleb, who took the mouse's ear out of his mouth. She imagined herself pregnant with Tommy's baby and searching through onesies. She saw herself picking out one and showing it to Caleb, who laughed in approval. She could see herself putting it on her baby bump. She couldn't help but smile. She shook those images out of her head and returned to looking through the clothes. She wasn't about to let anyone see what she was doing.
Just then, Kim came to a yellow onesie. The onesie contained the words 'Mommy's' on top, 'Little' in the middle, and 'Angel' on the bottom. The letters happened to be green. She took it off the rack, smiling as she thought it was very cute. She laid it on her baby bump. She removed it and turned to Caleb, who gazed at her curiously.
"Do you think this onesie looks cute to you, honey?" Kim asked. She giggled when he smiled. "I thought so."
Kim walked over to the cart and laid the onesie inside. Aisha came to her side with three onesies in her hand. The first one was white with blue clouds all over it. Three flying green birds were in the center. The second one was yellow-and-white striped. Each yellow stripe had five bees going across them. The third one was light green. It had two flying ladybugs in the center. Kim turned to her.
"Look at what I found, Kim," Aisha announced while showing her friend the onesies.
"Oh, these are so adorable, Sha!" Kim yelled excitedly. She took the onesies from her. She came to the front of Caleb and showed them to him. "What do you think, Caleb? Do you think I should get these?" Her son cooed and smiled. "I'm glad you want me to."
"That little boy has approved every outfit you've shown him," Aisha said as Kim returned to her side to place the onesies in the cart. They looked at each other. "We've done great with the clothes shopping so far."
Kim giggled. "No denying that. I've read some stories about women who didn't know they were pregnant until they gave birth. I find that very unusual."
"Me too. Some women show no pregnancy symptoms whatsoever throughout their pregnancies," Aisha commented. "It's only when they start experiencing terrible pains in their abdomens and are rushed to the hospital that they learn they are in labor. They are shocked." She twirled a braid around her finger.
"Some women show obvious pregnancy symptoms, but they deny they are pregnant. They may not want to deal with the fact they are to be mothers. They may deny it because they were told they couldn't have children," Kim pointed out.
"Mom didn't show any outward signs she was pregnant with me until she was seven months along. By the time she was nine months along, she looked like she was carrying a bowling ball," Aisha said.
"Talk about incredible," Kim whispered with much amazement.
Aisha chuckled. "Definitely."
Kim and Aisha came to the front of Caleb. They pinched his cheeks, causing him to laugh. He hit his hands on the bar. He did the same to his mouse's head. He gurgled.
"I remember when we saw Dennis the Menace in theaters. The scene where the old ladies pinched Dennis's cheeks was pretty cute," Aisha commented.
"It sure was, though Dennis didn't like it. Many kids don't like it when people pinch their cheeks, but we never minded," Kim said, giving a shrug.
"I wonder if Caleb and his brother or sister will like it when they are of school age," Aisha said thoughtfully.
"Maybe they will. Maybe they won't," Kim answered, holding up her hands. "Who knows?"
"Yeah," Aisha agreed. Caleb reached for her eagerly. "You want me to pick you up? Come here." She unbuckled him and picked him up. She grunted a little bit as she cradled him against her shoulder. "I swear, this kid is getting heavier every day."
"You might as well blame me. I've been feeding him lots of breast milk and solid food," Kim said, placing her hand over her heart.
"Since you could be having twins, you may or may not have to give up breastfeeding altogether," Aisha pointed out seriously.
"Even if I am pregnant with twins, I have not had any reduction in my breast milk at all," Kim whispered in much relief. "All the extra calories I've been consuming have kept it up quite a bit." She smiled.
"The possibility of having twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome must be very scary for you and Tommy," Aisha muttered a little tensely. "Adam and I would be quite scared if it happened to us."
"We are scared, but we are determined to face it together if we find out I've been diagnosed with that," Kim said determinedly.
"That's good," Aisha said in a warm voice. She rubbed Caleb's back and looked at him. "You have such great parents. They are so determined to give you and your sibling or siblings a great life."
Aisha raised Caleb high above her head. He laughed and waved his arms about. She brought him back down to her eye level and blew a raspberry on his cheek. He squealed in delight.
"Hey, you better stop blowing a raspberry on that baby's cheek if you know what's good for you," a female voice said playfully.
Aisha pulled away from Caleb. She and Kim looked over their shoulder to see Trini, Kat, and Tanya standing not far from them. The trio had their fingers pointed at them in the shape of guns. Each of them had one stuffed animal in her hand.
"You three can stop pointing your fingers like that," Aisha said, turning around along with Kim. "I won't blow a raspberry on the baby's cheek again."
"Good," Trini answered as she and her friends approached the duo. "We got some stuffed animals to show Caleb." She held up a small white rabbit. "What do you think of this?"
Trini moved the rabbit toward Caleb, who smiled and reached out to touch it. He patted it twice, making her smile.
"He likes it," Trini said cheerfully.
"What about this little guy, Caleb?" Tanya asked, holding up a small orange tiger. She brought it up to the baby's face. He touched it before hitting his hand on it. She smiled while pulling it away. "He likes that one too."
"How about this one, little man?" Kat wondered and held up a small gray bear. She touched its nose to Caleb's. She pulled it back somewhat. He smiled, hitting it. "He likes it as well."
Aisha patted the baby's back. "If he likes it, then it is likely his brother or sister will like it too."
Kim squeaked. "For sure."
Kim and Aisha turned around as Trini, Kat, and Tanya approached the basket and laid the stuffed animals there. They looked at the baby stuff they had gotten with much approval.
"We've done a lot of baby shopping today," Kat commented honestly.
"We did all of this in an hour-and-a-half. That is impressive," Aisha murmured in great awe. "We usually take a lot longer because we're trying on outfits."
"I don't know about you, but I am ready to call it quits," Kim said, letting a long yawn. "I am a bit tired."
"Well, being pregnant does tend to make a woman tired more quickly," Tanya pointed out.
"Why don't we go get all this stuff paid for?" Trini suggested.
"I say that is a good idea," Aisha answered with pride. Caleb started crying, causing her to look at him. "What's wrong, little guy? Are you wet?"
"He can't be wet, Sha," Kim said, shaking her head rapidly. "I changed him twenty minutes ago."
Kim took Caleb from Aisha and bounced him in hopes it would make him stop crying. He didn't and got louder. Kim turned to see Jenna standing two racks away from the group. She gasped in shock. Jenna looked at her and waved at her with a cunning smile on her face.
"Girls, look," Kim whispered while pointing her finger at Jenna. Her friends looked at her and felt their jaws drop.
"What in the hell is she doing over there?" Trini asked angrily.
"She's not having a baby. She must've been following us around the store," Tanya suggested.
"Let's get the hell out of here right now," Kim said bluntly. She placed her still crying son in the cart and buckled him in. "I don't want to look at that bitch anymore."
Kim pushed the cart away from the rack she had been standing next to with her friends. Aisha, Trini, Kat, and Tanya followed her close behind. They looked over their shoulders at Jenna for five seconds. They turned their attention to the aisle in front of them. Caleb's crying quieted down quite a bit. He laid his hands on the bar.
Jenna watched three shoppers come up behind the group. This shielded it from her view. She didn't care. She was glad that she followed the young women around and frightened them when they saw her. She wanted them to know she wasn't letting go of her quest to get Tommy back. She had another idea to make that clear. She had no doubt that Kim used Tommy's van to bring herself, her son, and her friends here. She decided she would look for it. She proceeded to walk in the other direction.
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Kim, Kat, Aisha, Trini, and Tanya watched the cashier receive money from a shopper in the second of nine checkout lanes ten minutes later. He typed in the amount given and got her change. He handed it to her. She pushed her cart toward the exit. He looked at the group and cleared his throat. Kim moved the cart forward. Kat and Aisha placed everything on the conveyor belt. He proceeded to scan the items.
"Thanks for taking me baby shopping, girls," Kim said gratefully as she looked at her friends.
"You're welcome, Kim. It was our pleasure," Aisha responded.
"It's good we stayed calm when we saw you-know-who," Trini whispered, nervousness showing in her voice.
"We learned that from our parents," Kat pointed out. "Everyone knows panicking makes a situation worse."
"We know some people who know that too well," Tanya said, holding up a finger. "I am not saying who."
The cashier scanned the last three baby items, whistling quietly. He typed in the total amount due and rung it up.
"That'll be seventy-five dollars and twenty-five cents," the cashier announced.
Kim pulled out three twenties, a ten, three fives, and a quarter out of her pocket. She had one hundred dollars there. It came from her friends. She gave the amount to the cashier, who typed it in to ring it up.
"You will receive no change today," the cashier commented warmly. He put the stuff in bags before placing them in the cart. "Thank you. Come back to visit Wal-Mart soon."
"You're welcome," Kat replied sweetly. "Thank you for your wonderful service."
Kim started pushing the cart as Caleb babbled. Her friends followed her close behind. They went out the exit and approached Tommy's van that was parked in a space reserved for expectant and new mothers in front of the store. Aisha noticed something under the left windshield wiper. They came to a stop.
"Hey, there is an envelope," Aisha said.
"I wonder what it says," Kat whispered curiously.
Trini gave her friend a warning look. "Don't get too curious, Kat. After all, curiosity killed the cat."
Kat rolled her eyes. "I know, Trini."
Kim pushed the cart over to the driver's side. Kat unbuckled Caleb to pick him up. She grabbed the baby bag and placed it over her shoulder. Kim grabbed the envelope and opened it. She pulled out a folded piece of paper. She unfolded it, finding it contained a note.
"'Kimberly, enjoy your time with Tommy and Caleb. They will be mine before you know it. So will your new baby after its birth. You will grow old and alone while Tommy, your children, and I will live happily ever after. You deserve to be by yourself forever. Jenna,'" Kim whispered and grew angry. "That bitch had the nerve to say all this crap. She thinks she can make her little fantasy happen out of her own free will."
"She is batshit insane. I know I shouldn't have said that in front of the baby, but I couldn't help it," Tanya said regretfully.
"It's okay, Tanya," Trini assured. "Nobody blames you."
"For all we know, Jenna could be in the parking lot right now," Kat said. She and the others looked around, but they didn't see Jenna. They turned to each other. "Just because we didn't see her doesn't mean she isn't here."
"I've got to call Tommy and tell him what happened," Kim commented seriously. She refolded the paper and slipped it back in the envelope. "He needs to know."
Aisha touched her friend's shoulder. "How about you go on and call him while we get the van loaded up?"
Kim nodded at her. "Okay."
Kim found the trunk key and gave the keys to Aisha, who pushed the cart to the back of the van. Trini and Tanya followed her. Kat placed Caleb in his car seat and buckled him in. She laid the bag on the floor near him. She and Kim entered their respective seats. Aisha unlocked the trunk to open it. She, Trini, and Tanya proceeded to unload the cart.
Kim grabbed her cellphone from her purse before laying it on the floor next to Kat's feet. She dialed Tommy's cellphone number and placed it to her ear. She listened to the first ring. The second one came soon after. She sighed impatiently. She wondered what her fiancé was doing right now. A click came in the middle of the third ring. She let out a relieved sigh.
"Hello?" Tommy said.
"Tommy, hi," Kim answered and yawned somewhat.
"Hey, Kim. I am sorry I didn't answer right away," Tommy apologized with guilt. "I went out in the hallway, so I could talk to you."
"It's okay," Kim said as she listened to the trunk being closed and the sliding door on the driver's side being opened. She eyed Aisha and Trini getting in. She got the keys back from the former. She saw Tanya get in after taking the cart to a holding rack nearby and heard her close the door. All three girls got in their seats to fasten their seatbelts. They placed their purses on the floor, as did Kat with hers. She turned back to the cellphone. "How is work going?"
"It's going great," Tommy said in happiness. "What about you? How is baby shopping going?"
She rubbed her nose. "It went well. The girls and I just finished it. We will be heading back to the house in a minute. I need to tell you something."
"What's going on?" Tommy asked with much concern.
"Jenna was here," Kim responded urgently.
He gasped in shock. "She was?"
Kim gritted her teeth and grabbed a fistful of hair. She took deep breaths, trying to stay calm down.
"Yes. Caleb started crying after we were done with the shopping. We didn't know what was upsetting him until we spotted Jenna standing two racks down from us in the baby section. She waved at us with a cunning smile on her face. We got away from her as fast as we could. Caleb did clam down," Kim explained.
"Oh, Kim, I am so sorry," Tommy said sympathetically.
"That's not all," Kim hissed bluntly. "We found another note from her underneath the windshield wiper. It told me to enjoy my time with you and Caleb because they would be hers soon and that my new baby would be hers as well. It also said I'd grow old and alone while the four of you would live happily ever after."
Tommy scoffed in anger. "That bitch is getting more insane by the day. First, she follows me around when you are not with me. Now, she does it to you when I am not with you." He emitted a frustrated grunt.
"I know. None of us saw her when we looked around," Kim murmured in some relief. "That doesn't mean she wasn't in the parking lot."
"I am sure you will tell your mother about what happened this afternoon," Tommy suggested.
"Oh, I will," Kim declared firmly. "She will be angry when I tell her everything and show her the note." She gave the envelope to Kat, who opened the glove compartment and placed it inside. She saw her close it. "Who in the hell knows what Jenna will pull next?"
"That's the worst part about this whole situation. We don't know what she is capable of," Tommy murmured fearfully.
Kim clenched her teeth. "I admit I wanted to go over to Jenna and slap her across the cheek over the hell she is putting us through. I didn't because that was what she wanted."
"Good for you. I better get back to work," Tommy answered with a little sadness.
"Okay. I will see you later. I love you," Kim said lovingly.
He chuckled. "I love you too. See you tonight."
Kim hung up her cellphone and reached over to put it into her purse. She leaned back and sighed to herself. She and Kat buckled their seatbelts. She turned on the engine.
"Let's go home, everyone," Kim announced.
"Yeah!" the other young woman cheered.
Kim left the parking lot. Unbeknownst to the group, Jenna sat in her car in the row behind its parking space and located six spaces down from its own. She looked toward the street to see the van go down it until it was out of sight. She shifted her attention to the steering wheel. She sighed in content and gripped it somewhat tightly.
Jenna smiled warmly. She was glad Kim found her note and read it. She believed it scared her. She actually watched her and her friends from three spaces down. She walked quickly to her car and got in before they could spot her. She was grateful for all the fast walking she did when she was in her early and mid-teens. It helped her to build speed and agility.
Jenna closed her eyes as she began planning how to reach Tommy yet again. She was even thinking of other ways to do that. She was determined to make him see they were meant to be together. If someone had to suffer, then she was fine with that. She wanted Kim to suffer more than anyone else did because she was the one who swept him off his feet. If it resulted in harm to her unborn baby, it didn't matter to her. All that mattered to her was getting her man and his son.
Jenna shook her head to get those thoughts out of her mind. She needed to get back to her dorm, so she could work on her biology and algebra homework. She turned on the engine to drive out of the parking lot. She headed down the street. She mouthed the lyrics to Whitney Houston's How Will I Know as it played on the radio.
