Once we get the rest of Cody's side of the room figured out, I tell him we're gonna head to Target to get a few things. Since there's not much food in the cleared-out kitchen, we also add grabbing lunch to our itinerary. I ask Cody what he wants and whether he wants to get something now or after Target.
"I wanna eat at the diner," he confirms. That is definitely doable. "And I am not hungry yet so we can go after," the young boy decides confidently.
"Sounds good, Half-Pint," I confirm, and we head out to the car.
At Target, I grab a cart and we head toward the housewares and cleaning department. On our way, we pass by the shoe section and I decide a detour is in order.
"Hey buddy, let's take a look at the sneakers here," I encourage. His eyes light up and he takes off for the kids' section. When I get to him, he is pointing to several cool pairs. I smile. "Okay dude, first we gotta measure your feet to see what size you are. Looks like your feet are growing!" I indicate, pointing to his toes wiggling on the flip-flops he's currently wearing. There is a guide for shoe sizes on the ground, so I point to it and explain what he'll need to do.
Cody kicks off his flip-flop and we get an accurate measurement. With this information, we can see what shoes will fit. While he picks the ones he wants to try, I grab a package of socks that are his size as well. I return and he's got three pairs of shoes lined up. One is a skater-style sneaker similar in type to the kind he just got rid of. One is a light-up kind that kids love, featuring some cartoon characters I am not yet familiar with but imagine I will grow acquainted with living with the five-year-old. The last pair is similar to a pair of Chuck Taylor low-top All-Stars that Zach has.
I have him try on all three pairs and they all fit, and have some growing room.
"Well, Codes, what do you think?" I ask.
"I can't decide… will you help me Uncle Shaun?" he implores. I melt.
"Let's get all three," I decide with great conviction.
"What? Are you sure?" he asks, looking back and forth among the three options. I imagine he usually has had to be more careful in his selections, but Uncle Shaun is a sucker that wants to spoil him.
"I sure am dude."
"Woohoo!" he exclaims, jumping up and down. I place all three pairs in the cart alongside the socks. He jumps on the end of the cart and we speed toward our original destination.
I pretend I am driving a runaway vehicle with him on the end, weaving around aisles and pretending to almost crash. He laughs like a maniac and I imagine we look a bit unhinged to other shoppers, but we are having the best time enjoying the silliness.
We get to the vacuum area and I find the one with the best rating. Not having to worry about the cost is nice and I imagine with a kid, that this will be a valuable investment. I also grab a Swiffer set to mop the floors since I didn't see a mop either. I try not to think of what Zach and Cody would have done if they were going to stay where they were with Jeanne taking nearly everything. I also get some garbage bags and storage bins before we head to the cash register.
We check out and head to the Volvo. I throw the new cleaning equipment in the back and sit Cody up next to the stuff. I pull out the socks and rip open the package, tossing a fresh pair to him.
"What pair do you wanna wear first, bud?" I ask as he pulls a sock up past his ankle. He points to the light-up pair, his eyes wide with excitement. I grab a Swiss Army knife from a box of my stuff to clip the plastic binding the shoes to each other. We get the shoes on his feet and he jumps down from the back of the car to stomp around. The look of joy on his face each time the shoes flash makes me realize that it's gonna be difficult to not spoil him rotten. When he's had his fill of jumping around, I settle him in his seat and we head to the Pacific Diner.
When we get out of the car, Cody goes directly to the hatch and wants to grab the bag with his other shoes to take inside. After that's been done and I lock the car, we stomp inside with Cody lighting the way. Since it's the middle of the afternoon before the dinner rush and after the lunch crowd, the diner is empty when we enter. Zach looks up from the kitchen window and grins.
"Uncle Zach, look at my feet!" Cody exclaims jumping up and down. He hands the bag to me so he can better point at what's going on. Zach emerges from the kitchen to see.
"Wow dude, those kicks are sick!" Zach assures his nephew.
"I got two more to show you too!" Cody exclaims, grabbing the bag I had just been handed to show off his additional footwear. Once he's done that, he takes off for the bathroom chanting "Gotta pee, gotta pee!"
"Look I know you don't want him to be spoiled, but I figured he needed new shoes," I begin my defense, but rather than being chastised, Zach surprises me with a kiss as needy and bold as that first night he showed up after ignoring me, finally ready to take what he wanted. I am momentarily confused by his reaction but I am definitely into it. He molds his body to mine and trails kisses down my jaw and neck, across my clavicle, pushing my shirt aside as he kisses and sucks and bites and ultimately leaves his mark on my body again. Branded. "Uh, wow. If I had known taking Cody shoe shopping would have you this hot and bothered, we'd have to use the third bedroom as a closet," I exclaim, wrapping my arms around my boyfriend who is shaking with energy.
"Um, thanks Shaun. I know he's been needing new shoes for a while, you know? I have been feeling guilty that his shoes were getting so ratty and his toes were poking out and I didn't have the funds to get him proper good ones."
"No problem babe. I saw the need too, you know," I explain, rubbing his back. I am surprised by his reaction but consider it a welcome alternative to being told it was over the top.
Cody returns from the bathroom seeing us hugging and rushes toward us, grabbing a leg of both of us to squeeze. We both throw an arm around the boy to include him in our hug. Zach's eyes look a bit watery and I lean forward to kiss his forehead. He smiles and takes a deep breath, nodding as he gathers his wits and calms down.
"What do you guys wanna eat?" he asks, rubbing his neck as we settle into our booth.
"I want a hamburger and fries with no pickles," Cody decides.
"I'll have the same," I agree with a grin to make it easy on Zach. He nods and heads back to the kitchen to prepare the food. Cody begins coloring. I enjoy the quiet sounds of my newfound family. I am hopeful that our life together settles into the same kind of quiet comfortableness that is going on right now.
A few minutes later, Zach brings out a tray with 3 hamburger meals, a couple sodas, and a small chocolate milk. As we eat, Cody begins asking questions about what some of the big changes coming will mean for him.
"When we move, will people like Tori and Poppy come to see us?" he quizzes his uncle.
"Yeah, we told Tori today we can't wait for her to come visit us, Codes. She's looking forward to it," Zach assures. "And I was gonna talk to Poppy soon to let him know that both his favorite son and grandson are moving soon to start new schools!" He gently adds. I see a tenseness in his jaw and know that he's not looking forward to the conversation.
"Okay good," Cody considers for a bit, then continues. "And you gotta introduce him to Shaun!"
"Aww Half-Pint!" I chime in. "That is so thoughtful of you to think that! I actually remember John from when your uncle was just a few years older than you. When I would pick him to take him and Gabe surfing, I would usually see and talk to your grandma, but occasionally it was your grandpa. I haven't seen him since Zach graduated high school, but I think he'll remember me," I smile and Cody seems satisfied with this response. His uncle's jaw looks even tighter and I see a vein bulging from his forehead. I want to make this as easy as possible for him. Looking directly at Zach, I swallow my pride to say, "I'm okay if you explain how living with your ol' pal Shaun makes your commute to CalArts easier, you know?"
"That's uh, incredibly… understanding of you, dude," he starts, and I gear myself up to occasionally play the role of 'roommate' when necessary. "But sweetheart, I have to be honest about us. It's something I have to do, you know? For myself," he sighs and if it's possible, I love him even more for not taking the easy route I offered. I grab his hand from across the table and squeeze as he looks down at his empty plate, face flushed.
"Whatever you say babe," I encourage. "Let me know if I can do anything."
"You're already doing so much," he smiles as he looks up from his plate. The waitress who covers the dinner shift arrives and heads to the back to drop off her stuff. Zach clears his plate and mine as Cody finishes up his meal. Zach returns to take Cody's finished plate and say goodbye before we leave. He pats his nephew's head and plants a quick kiss on the top of my head before absconding to the kitchen as patrons start showing up. I smile and hand the waitress a few twenty dollar bills to pay for our meal before taking our boy and his shoe collection back to continue packing and cleaning.