Gone Shopping
Alex's POV
As used to busy days as I've been most of my life, the Stacking Of The Firewood had pushed even
me close to my breaking point. Somehow I'd found enough residual energy to eat, grump back to
my little house, grab a quick shower and change out my damn sheets. Feeling said sheets against
my skin informs me that I apparently didn't even bother to put on any pajamas. Though I do recall
Biscotti bitching at me for my wet hair in the bed.
It doesn't seem like I've hardly moved all night, BP still a warm, comforting lump against the small
of my back. I can feel her tail thumping the bed, alerting Bissy that it's time for the morning
harassing of the human. It's impossible to be annoyed with their affection, even if it means critter
feet all over me.
Unfortunately the paws of my pets also inform me that I really am that sore.
With enough moaning and groaning that I'm a bit embarrassed at myself, I get moving, the fuzzy
duo dancing and crying for breakfast. While they chow down, I get ready for my day. I'm mostly
dressed when I pause, Carhartt pants in hand. I'm so used to wearing them, that I don't even think
about it anymore. But I should change before hitting town. Mix it up a little. I'm pretty sure I have
some jeans bought late summer that should fit, though I'll bet a bit snugly.
Wearing something that shows the assets off for the hot moms has nothing to do with it.
I'm not the only one straggling in late this morning, nor moving like I've been winged by a bus. In
fact it's only Carol and Maria in the clubhouse, though Lucy is shuffling along like a pursuing
zombie behind me.
Maria shakes a pair of ibuprofen into each of our hands alongside a mug and the taste and heat of
good coffee starts the process of waking us up.
The Dawn Discussion goes quickly, the others divvying up tasks that will get better winter
accommodations for our menagerie back on the top of our to do list. I feel sorta bad about bailing
out on a busy day, but that's why we're a team.
After a few more things are requested for the shopping list Kara has compiled, she taps them into
her phone.
"I'm sending this to you and the printout will be in the office. You'll want to grab the whole mess of
bins, because this is a lot."
"And I don't trust the sky to stay dry," Lucy chimes in as we all finish our coffee and head out.
Despite the cold and dark, mornings are my favorite time of day. The world is waking, the animals
happy to see us and the whole day is waiting to be filled. It's glorious.
When the tasks are almost done, Nia offers a portable breakfast for our expedition, while Lucy
steps up to help me get the big trailer latched tight to the truck's rear. The noise brings our guests,
huddled against the chill and drizzle. Except for Sam of course. That summer-weight raincoat
should have her shivering, but she remains seemingly immune to the weather.
"Good morning, gang. Are you ready for civilization again?"
They seem both enthusiastic and a little torn. Yeah, I feel that.
I get my guests in the truck with the heater on while Lucy and I finish takeoff procedures. Then it's
grabbing the printout to shove in my jacket pocket, a box of delicious-smelling, foil-wrapped
surprises and a couple of thermoses, and we're off!
Lena has taken the passenger seat, just as distracting as Sam's smile in the rearview mirror where
she sits between the girls. Really, it's not fair for the universe to drop these amazingly attractive
women in my path and all I can do is admire!
I've always liked being surrounded by the sense of family, and over a shared meal of breakfast
burritos and lots of questions and humor over the course of the trip, we make decent time. The
truck stop where the mountain starts to flatten out is a regular stop for shaking out the stress of the
curvy mountain roads and relieving the occasional whining bladder.
It's hilarious to watch Lily and Sam skip hand in hand down the length of the semi-truck we're
parked next to, peering around the ass end as though expecting a lion attack. Ruby lets them get
halfway across the pavement towards the rest stop before she roars impressively and rushes them,
making Lily squeal.
"Ruby, you're such a butt!"
They become an upright wrestling match to the bathroom nearby, growling and giggling the whole
way. Clearly amused by their kids, Lena and Sam trail after them, vanishing behind the scarred
door.
It shouldn't feel so lonely, standing there with only the hum of traffic and strangers to keep me
company.
Sam's POV
Lena at a public toilet is always hilarious and, while this one isn't terrible, it's not great either. We
stand side by side at the sink, washing our hands. She is the very picture of ladylike daintiness and
I'm splashing water everywhere, including a bit onto her wrist. That dry glare always makes me
grin.
Her pause at the impediment of the door handle lets me lean around her to get it, and the grateful
smile is worth the effort. A smile that grows as we spot Alex nearby, balancing a travel mug in one
hand while she muscles Lily off the ground to dangle from a strong left arm.
"Looks like you're not the only one fascinated with the arms," Lena teases and I'm completely
taken by surprise, cheeks warming.
The truck stop isn't even particularly busy and is still jarring after the rural quiet of the farm. The
truck is a welcome haven, carrying us back to the highway and towards civilization. While Salem,
Oregon is no New York it feels like a bustling metropolis, a mix of the familiar and new. Stores
and homes and gas stations and restaurants parade by until Alex pulls into a strip mall and I
immediately spot a sign on one of the storefronts that reads, 'Willamette Humane Society Thrift
Store'.
"Yeah, I'm not a big fan of the big places unless I can't find it elsewhere," Alex explains and pulls
up to the door. "You guys want me to just drop you off and come back?"
"You're leaving?"
Lily's disappointment is all of us and Alex's smile it warm when she twists in her seat. "I can stay if
you like, but I warn you that Costco is really boring. Though I'd certainly appreciate the extra
hands."
"We can do that!" Lily enthuses and Alex's smile grows.
"Okay, done! Head in and I'll go park this beast to join you in a few."
I'm woman enough to acknowledge that the look and smell of this store is taking me back to the old
days. Days when it seemed I hardly saw my precious Ruby, could barely feed us, keep us safe from
the vermin. But those are just toothless memories, scattered at the girl's delight as they rush to an
aisle with a smattering of Halloween ideas.
"Sam?"
Lena's voice is feather gentle, her hand wrapping around mine. When I feel my mouth curl in a
smile, she echoes it back, concern fading.
"Just a reminder of how far I've come."
When I lean my head over, she pushes up to rest her forehead against my temple in a touch more
intimate than it might seem. Bolstered again, I lead the way to join our daughters, not giving up my
anchoring grip on Lena's hand. For a moment, the girls are reluctant to get to business and leave
the Halloween goodies, until I utter the magic words.
"Find the grungiest things you can to play in at the farm."
That makes them light up in the delight of children who are getting permission to get filthy. Or at
least the promise of getting filthy!
"You too, hot mom," I tease Lena and she groans as I drag her towards the women's section.
It's a perfectly fine secondhand store, well-stocked, grungy around the edges, and awash in the
completely unique that all of these places have. Ruby scampers off for a shopping cart and returns
with Alex in tow. She looks casual and rugged in those threadbare jeans that leave little to the
imagination, a festive green flannel shirt and a less beat up blue Carhartt jacket. With a flash of
grin at us, she allows herself to be pressed into service of the kids, which is fine because I'll have
my hands full wrangling Lena.
Offering some horrible choices gets my partner's ire up, focusing her past the prissy cat reaction to
our surroundings. Now it's a game! We get a laugh over some of the crazy shirts, I send her off
with a swat to that fine ass with an armload of old denim with a warning to keep the baggy ones so
that she can layer. I don't bother with the dressing rooms, my fingers remember how to do this,
quick and efficient. Jeans, stretchy shirts with sleeves both long and short, even a few pairs of track
pants roomie enough that Lena can steal them. My tall and lanky to her shorter and curvier rarely
allows us the indulgence.
Dragging my finds off to the cart has me admiring Alex's ass where she's kneeling to help Lily with
a Power Rangers jacket causing quite the excitement. With those hips, she could keep Lena in
comfy clothes and I wouldn't even mind the bagginess that would make up for being three inches
taller than both!
Ruby bringing over a few pairs of boots gives me a laugh when she waggles a pair at me. "These
might fit Mama."
"They might, but I think we'd best pick our battles. Shoes that once were on someone else's feet
might send her screaming from the building."
I follow Ruby's eyes to where Lena is walking back to us, laden down with less denim. No matter
her casual clothes, she fits in here about as well as a Tiffany's in a strip mall.
"Point. But what are we going to do about boots?"
Alex chimes in then. "Don't worry about that. Our last stop will have what you all need to fill in the
gaps."
Unaware of our conversation, Lena drops her finds into the cart and falls into my offered hug for
reassurance. "At least they're all very soft."
"A good wash and it will be as though they were always yours."
Spirits bolstered with a cuddle -don't let Lena fool you, she's a cuddle slut- she's off to help the
girls and I can wander.
Look long enough and you can always find a fun, odd gem in a secondhand shop. Mine gets a
giggle and I grab the things, fairly certain they'll fit. To avoid being caught, I take the long way
around through the men's section, finding a really nice Hawaiian shirt that turns out to be real silk.
Score! Besides, shrugging it on gives me some camouflage.
"Hey, babe, check it out. Hibiscus flowers!"
It's so handy that two of the red blooms fall right on my chest and I can give my boobs a little
tweak to deepen the exasperated amusement on Lena's face.
"Sam, why are you getting a man's extra large shirt?"
"It matches Alex's tattoos and calls attention to my tits! Besides, it's only a large. Don't be
dramatic."
Oh, how I love to play with her! That exasperated affection never gets old. Grinning cheekily, I
turn and nearly bump right into Alex. Those expressive eyes rake up and down even as her
expression remains mostly neutral.
"That's a good color on you, Sam."
Feeling playful always makes me bold. Handy personality trait for a bartender. So I grab Alex's
hand and rest it on my belly. "And real silk too."
Okay, that sounded blatantly flirtatious, even to my own ears. Ruby is looking at me oddly and
Lena is hiding a smile behind her raised hand. For a moment, Alex doesn't move, then lightly
flexes her hand and pastes a somewhat stiff smile on her face before pulling away.
"Good find."
Turning her attention back to the girls, Alex moves off, leaving me pouting.
"Is she oblivious? Or just messing with us?"
Lena just chuckles and gives me a little kiss.
Lena's POV
It's cute how Sam thinks I don't notice her prowling the store looking for… something. I can only
assume it has to do with the flash of pink and red she has tucked into her new-old Hawaiian shirt.
It's not as though I would stop her harmless mischief, even if I could.
As I'm feeling a little overwhelmed by this place and all the… smells, I drift over to Alex where
she idly pokes at a clothes rack and keeps an eye out on my girls.
"Silky boxers?" I can't help but tease. "Indulgent."
More than once, there's been a flash of something enticing in Alex, something that keeps me
flirting. It's there again, in her crooked smirk.
"Oh, there's plenty you don't know about me."
She makes it sound downright suggestive.
With piles of clothes and a few odds and ends, we head for the checkout lines. A couple hundred
dollars for full wardrobes for my entire family. Who knew? Then it's back out to the truck where
Alex pulls out a plastic bin with a rubber-gasket lid and locking handles to pile our dubious
treasures into and it's off to… Costco.
Sure, I've heard of the chain, but Sam has trouble even dragging me to one of the big box grocery
stores. I don't like them, they're chaotic and noisy and overwhelming. Give me a nice boutique or
mom & pop place any day!
Then we pull into a packed parking lot that looks like it should belong at an airport and I have a
feeling I'm in for quite the experience.
There's a flurry of impressively coordinated activity with Alex and Sam once we park what seems
like miles from the hulk of the store. Two huge industrial carts are wrangled from a nearby corral
of them and a couple stacks of the battered containers tossed aboard. Alex is willing to let the kids
hitch a ride and we moms get a show of strength, the muscles in her legs and ass flexing and
bunching.
Well that's a sight that takes the bite out of the chilly day!
Like foraging ants around their nest, a crowd of humanity streams in and out of the huge building.
An employee checks something in Alex's wallet as we are swallowed up and carried along. And…
this place really is a warehouse, isn't it?
We're dumped directly into the electronics and Sam grabs Ruby's sleeve to keep her from fleeing
into the shinies. Once inside, the crowd disperses a bit and I can shift away from my near-cling to
Alex's side.
"Everybody have their phones?" she asks us. "Call if you need assistance. The clothing department
and fun stuff is right in the middle if you want to hit that up. I'll go get the boring stuff like cat food
and toilet paper."
So, more clothes it is. Though at least some of this stuff is more my style. Some of it is even decent
quality. But watching Sam and the girls pouring over the winter gear reminds me that I'm here to
dress for the farm. Sigh.
Lily finds some good winter boots with a better tread for rough conditions, Ruby lights up over
some shiny ski pants and Sam is thrilled with a jacket/pant combo in teal with a faux fur collar. She
actually squeals when a very smug Ruby appears with a set of matching boots from somewhere
nearby.
We find socks and a long row of books piled high that I willingly let the girls each pick something
from. Reading is never a bad thing! Then I text Alex, who fires back that there's a huge wine
department in the rear of the store if I want to go look. Well that's more my speed!
While Sam takes the girls to wander, I'm left to look at the wines. It's all fun and games until I
realize I have four bottles and several aisles to go. Thankfully Alex finds me, giant cart in hand.
We tuck it along a display as unobtrusively as possible and use it as home base for short forays into
the surrounding terrain. Once I'm done with buying what is doubtlessly too much wine, I follow
my handsome crush through canyons of meat and produce. An astonishing quantity of… stuff is
scooped up and carried in strong arms to be deposited with all the rest. It's insanity, but I can't
complain about the view.
"Do you do this often?" I finally have to ask as I'm taking a break, sitting on the edge of the cart.
With a smile, Alex plops down next to me, her leg warm against mine.
"No, thankfully. And as we get better at feeding ourselves, it will become even less. But when
you're taking care of eight regulars and a steady stream of visitors, bulk is a lifesaver."
The stress of the noisy, crowded conditions fades in the fondness of her little smile. After a
moment, she looks at me, a little self-conscious. "What?"
It hasn't stopped being cute, when she gets flustered.
"Nothing. You just really adore them all, don't you?"
"Yeah, I really do. Sometimes, you have to make your own family."
The memories of finding Sam and Ruby are one of the warmest places in my soul.
"Yes, sometimes we really do."
With some coordination through texts, the five of us are reunited and head for the crowded bullpen
of checkout. It's going to take some time and I find myself looking over the two heavily stacked
carts.
"Okay, the fresh produce I understand, even that much toilet paper, but why the thirty bottles of
ketchup?"
The girls giggle as Alex gives me an exasperated look so like Sam my heart gives a little kick.
"Thirty. Funny! Just for that, I wish I could drag you off to the restaurant supply place, just to see
the look on your face at condiments in a five gallon bucket. But as we have two more stops, we'll
skip it. Oh, and Kara really likes her ketchup."
Sam slides back into line just under the wire for checkout, arms laden with snacks. At least all of
them aren't garbage. Honestly, what this woman can eat and still maintain that giraffe build
astonishes me.
Employees whip through the mass of purchases, filling bin after bin from Alex's stack. The end
tally is impressive and Alex hands over a card, asking if she might have a garbage bag to keep the
quintuple stack of cat food bags dry.
"Why do you have so much cat food?" Lily asks as Alex is tucking the plastic around the top bag.
Ugh, that smile is still a killer!
"I like to stay ahead of the need, to make sure we don't run out. And I'm feeding way more than
just the cats you all know. Strays have started coming to us for food and warmth. In fact, if the
aviary bores you girls, you can help build some winter housing for those strays. And maybe you'll
have some ideas for winter feeding stations?"
Lily, of course, is delighted and Ruby seems intrigued. Good, I love seeing them get in new
experiences. Enticed by the smells of things cooking, Sam volunteers to grab lunch at a nearby
utilitarian food booth with its own impressive line.
"I'll meet you at the truck!"
Bizarrely, we queue up to be let out of the madhouse, a pair of employees taking receipts to give a
glance over customer's carts before releasing us to the parking lot.
"What an odd place," is all I can sum up the entire experience with.
Despite the spitty rain, I can't help but linger over the show of Alex moving heavy bins and sacks
of cat food to be wedged into some sort of order and lashed down with ratchet straps. Some artistic
use of crinkly black tarps add some extra pizzazz to the dance and I applaud when she finishes.
Grinning, Alex bows and flops down onto the edge of the truck bed, only to yelp and slip off.
"Dammit. Forgot I wasn't in the Carhartts. Denim isn't waterproof!"
I just lean over to look at the wet stripe across her ass and raise a brow for a laugh. The relaxed
quiet that falls over us is nice. For all that I would like to get carnal with this interesting, sexy
woman, I also just like her company. The dabbling in others that Sam and I do for fun has never
been like this, long and drawn out over days and days, the target a rich and complicated person
instead of just some attractive fun.
"I have to say," Alex muses over the hum of human activity all around us. "I don't miss this."
"After the quiet intimacy of the homestead, I'm starting to understand why."
Sam finally joins us at a loping run, laden down with a cardboard box topped with a pizza box
getting soggy in the rain.
"Got lunch!"
We pile back into the truck and Sam hands out huge slices of cheese pizza and cheap waxed paper
cups of pop. I almost make Alex choke when I mock, "as a New Yorker, I feel like I have to scorn
this pie."
Coughing, Alex gives me a stink-eye and I suspect she means something more than her innocent
comment of, "I like pie."
My wry glare just makes her smirk.
Once Alex wolfs down a slice with impressive speed, despite my sass, we're off once more. We
pull up to yet another huge store, this one marked, 'Lowes'. There's a canopied area that looks like
the blue-collar version of valet parking, several beefy trucks already queued up.
"This is just a pick up and will only be a few minutes."
With that, Alex is gone, leaving the keys in the ignition to keep the local 80s station playing. Tenish
minutes of finishing our lunch and a forklift approaches, laden down with an impressive pile of
narrow boards I think are 2 by 4s. Alex and a blue-shirted employee walk out with arms full of
large boxes and the new supplies are strapped down. The whole thing barely takes twenty minutes.
"See? Easily done. Now, our last stop should have some fun for everyone, and is close by as well."
And so we city mice are introduced to Wilco. It looks like any other big box store on the outside -
admittedly half the size of its larger cousins- and doesn't seem all that different on the inside. Until
I realize that yes, this is a small farm/homestead smorgasbord. Pet supplies, gardening, seeds,
BBQs, building supplies, farm-themed toys and novelty items, and best of all, a clothing
department.
We get there once Lily has been held back from attacking the toys and we all sulk in
disappointment over the empty steel tubs where baby chicks would normally be for sale.
"Wrong time of year," Alex chuckles and shoos us off to look for clothes and shoes. The whole
department looks like what Alex's closet would be if she had my budget. There's a particular
aesthetic to the whole place, a telling of what these clothes are meant for. My girls scatter like
excited chickens, thrilled to be given the opportunity to fit in at our temporary life.
We convene at the Carhartt gear, no shock there. Sure, there are other brands, but we don't even
look.
Sam finds the warm jackets we truly need to be outdoors at the farm, heavy and sturdy. She goes
for basic black, but hands me the same article, only in a dusky purple. The thing is so utilitarian it
hovers somewhere between 'ugly' and 'cool'.
I balk at the heavy pants the likes of which Alex lives in, but my girls go nuts over getting their
own. Sam even finds some in the kid's section for Lily, who squeals loud enough to be heard in the
parking lot. Oh well, at least it gets the attention of an employee.
One by one, we are each fitted with proper muck boots, heavy rubber like a truck tire and neoprene
nearly to the knee to keep us dry. When Lily is clearly in love with the black and hot pink, who am
I to deny her begging for us to match? She's clearly more attracted to the fun, colorful wellies, but
knows how much abuse boots take at the farm from watching videos. Ruby picks out the same
boot but in purple and Sam sticks with the black, but gets hers with the neoprene in a jaunty
pattern.
Left on our own, we go for hats and scarves and gloves and thermal underwear, carrying on like
hyenas the whole time. Unsurprisingly, Lily is the best at the enjoyable chaos, bolting out from
behind a display, draped in a huge flannel shirt and heroically planting her sleeve-covered hands on
her hips.
"Look! I'm Alex!"
In a display of magnificent timing, the woman being homaged strides in, grabbing a baseball-style
cap from a rack. She drops it on Lily's head as she 'eeps' at being caught, grinning warmly.
"Needs more Carhartt."
That leads the odd friends off into the sea of sturdy cotton duck fabric until Lily squeals in delight.
It doesn't matter that the extra-small brown jacket just like Alex's is still too big on Lily, her delight
is joyous. She flaps around in the thing like a satellite around Sam and her heavy, clompy work
boots she's clearly not going to leave without. Even if they make her look like an uncomfortable cat
someone has put socks on.
"Gonna take some getting used to," she says with a laugh that matches that megawatt smile, echoed
in Alex.
"Yep. I remember. A big change from comfy hospital shoes. Not your style, Lena?"
The question sounds almost flirtatious, and I happily flirt right back. "Not really. Though there are
a few of those cowboy boot style ones that have a certain… artistic flare to them."
That rolling chuckle matches her charismatic grin and I can't help but wistfully wish that she'd get
a clue.