Turtle Recall
"I tell ya Stu, this Cheese Blowout Sale came at the perfect time!"
Stu sighed. He had wanted to just be in and out, grab the sandpaper he needed and get back to the house. Stopping to get a fondu set had not been in his plans… heck, going to the mall hadn't been in his plans but in order to finish up on the work he'd done to the backyard fence he needed that sandpaper.
"Okay Chas but in and out. The kids are due for a nap soon."
"That's okay, just need to get down to the bottom floor." He paused, looking at the kids. "Why don't I take Tommy and Chuckie and you take Phil and Lil? Chuckie has been having some separation anxiety issues recently… I don't want him to get upset."
"Sounds good to me," Stu said, though he had a sneaking suspicious that Chas was taking Tommy purely so Stu couldn't abandon him at the mall if he got sucked into things. "Remember, in and out. The Penn State game in on in an hour and I don't want to miss it."
"Right," Chas said; that's why they had gone so early to the mall. "Come on kids!"
"Look at all this stuff, Chuckie!" Tommy declared, throwing his arms out wide from hi stroller. "I bet there are lots of things here that could help turn us from babies into big kids!"
"I don't know," Chuckie whimpered, "a lot of this stuff looks really scary."
"Oh, its okay Chuckie… your daddy wouldn't take us someplace scary."
Chuckie considered that. "Hey… you're right!"
Tommy nodded and then spotted a store advertising toddler clothing. "Look, big kid clothing! If we wear that then we have to be big kids."
"You think so?"
"Of course, Chuckie! Angelica said that I'm a baby because I wear a diapee… so if I'm not wearing a diapee then I'll be a big kid."
"But… I don't wear a diaper and Angelica calls me a baby."
Tommy considered at. "Well… maybe… maybe its because your shorts keep her from seeing you aren't wearing a diapee anymore."
"I guess so."
"Yup, we just need big kid clothing!" Tommy declared, working to undo the belt on the stroller. "Now then, let's-"
"Up we go, champ!"
Tommy blinked, confused, as his daddy lifted him up.
Somehow, during the entire time he'd been talking to Chuckie, they'd gotten done shopping and were now back at the car! And his daddy and Chuckie's daddy had bags, meaning they'd already done their shopping while he was distracted!
Tommy's lip trembled as he realized that now he couldn't get big boy clothing and not be a baby anymore.
"WAAAAA! WAAAA!"
"See, told you they needed a nap," Stu said as he got Tommy into his carseat. "Time to get the babies back home."
That only made Tommy sob louder.