Nertrina

What's the best example a mother can set for her children? Not just any example, the best example

"I want the cookies. Which bag has the cookies?" the smallest child exclaimed as the quartet departed through the inner doors. 

"No," Nertrina, the eldest of the clan, stated as she stopped moving. She looked over at the empty grocery cart area and then declared, "everybody grab a bag. I'm not pushing this cart out there when we can carry the bags."

"Aw, Mom," whined the teen girl. 

"I want the cookies!" 

"You get a bag, Revon. Don't just get the cookies, and you don't open them until we get home." 

Another customer with a full cart made her way around the small family, while other people slowly made their way in. 

"Daniel, push the cart over that way," Nertrina said to the taller male. He did as instructed holding a plastic bag with half a gallon of milk and some cans inside. 

The family now each possessed a plastic bag of purchases. The departed out the second set of sliding doors into the bright sunlight. They made their way into the busy parking lot of pedestrians and cars. 

"This bag is heavy," Revon said. 

"All you got is the cookies and some coffee," the girl fussed. "I got the sugar and some cans." 

"Be quite, Dia. Let's get to the car. Where did I park?"

"Over that way, toward the gas pump. Why'd you park so far away?" 

"Because the lot was full and none of us are handicapped."

"I will be I keep doing walking like this," Daniel fussed. 

"You are the complainingest bunch of kids. Now where did we park?" 

The family made their way down the center aisle running between the parked cars, walking further and further from the store. 

"I think it was over in that lane," Daniel offered up. 

"You sure?" Nertrina asked. "I thought it was more this way."

Nevertheless, following young Daniel's instructions, Nertrina crossed the drive toward the next row of cars. She was suddenly grasping some familiarity with this row, so maybe Daniel was correct. 

"I think I remember being over this way," Nertrina said. 

"I don't," said Dia. 

"I remember that blue car," Revon said. 

"Yea, Revon did say he liked that car. I remember that now," Nertrina declared. 

The family sought to backtrack from when Revon noted the pretty blue car, where they were standing, how they had ventured. 

"We should almost be there," Nertrina said. They continued up between the cars so as not to block any traffic. 

Nertrina kept her head up, looking forward and suddenly began walking slower. Her gaze became transfixed before her. 

Daniel was looking at his phone when he realized his mother was seemingly no longer even moving. 

"What's wrong, mamma?" Dia asked, then she too saw as her mother did. 

Daniel too had stopped, with Revon being the last to comprehend the situation. The mother and her three children stood in the middle of center aisle, between two rows of cars and looked ahead. Daniel and Dia were all but waiting to see what Nertrina decided to do. 

There was their car, the family SUV, everywhere Nertrina drove, she put the children in, if their father accompanied them, he'd drive it, there it stood before them, where they were all but certain they had parked it. 

Slowly Nertrina looked around to see if there might be a similar vehicle, but she saw none. From the direction they had gone when Revon said he liked the blue car, this was their car. 

And an elderly white woman was unloading her shopping cart into it. She was busy chatting away with another elderly woman who was also unloading her car. That seemed to be making her take a long time, which suited Nertrina until 

she figured out what to do. 

So neither elderly woman would look at her and the kids and wonder what they were watching them for, Nertrina steered them over away from their automobile being intruded upon and slowly walked up the outer side of the row of cars. 

"Daniel, you watch the traffic," Nertrina said, keeping her eye on the woman putting yet another sack of groceries in the back of the car. 

"Momma, she's got our car," Dia said. 

"I see that," Nertrina replied quietly. 

"What are you gonna do?" Revon asked. 

"Everyone just stay quiet, and follow me. Daniel watch the traffic." 

The elderly woman continued to chatter away and laugh with the other woman. She would stop yet again with putting bags in the car, giving Nertrina yet more time to figure out what to do. They continued on up from the elderly pair and finally slowly made their way back around, but didn't take the center route again. 

This time Nertrina crossed to the opposite outer lane, where all vehicles, depending on how they were parked, were facing out front or back. 

Nertrina had backed in, which she now saw was fortuitous for what she planned. She was going to get in the vehicle and leave, but then asked calmly, "did we look all the doors?"

"No," Daniel replied. 

"I didn't either," Dia said. 

"I think I did," Revon chimed. 

Nertrina wasn't sure she locked the driver door either, but she knew she still had the keys in her purse. Slowly she removed them to be prepared. She watched the women some more as she made her way to the front of her SUV. The two elderly women still seemed oblivious in their gossip. 

Nertrina looked around the parking lot to see how occupied it was for what she planned. 

"Allright," she said, "here's what we're going to do. Dia, you head to the front passenger door. I'll get to the driver door. Daniel you and Revon get in the . . . . where's Revon?" 

Nertrina looked up to see that the small child had already made his way to the SUV and sat inside on the front seat, and was now opening the cookies. She couldn't see if the white woman was almost through, but she had to make sure this woman didn't get near Revon. 

"Go, get in the back. Hurry!" she ordered Daniel and Dia. She in turn made her way to the driver's side, casually but briskly, then opened the door and got in. It was then she heard the other old woman give a startled reaction, but Nertrina didn't stop. She tossed the bag to Revon, then got the key in the ignition. The door was closed, but she locked it to be sure. 

With the hatch still open, she heard one of the women declare, "stop! Stop!" 

Nertrina decided she did not have to explain herself to anybody here. The engine turned over, she threw the vehicle into drive. 

"Stop!" 

"It's our car!" Daniel yelled at her. 

"No, it isn't! It's mine!" 

That was all Nertrina needed to hear. She pressed the pedal and took off, the hatch still up. A bottle of cooking oil flew out the back. 

"Daniel, get ready to close the back," Nertrina ordered. As she stopped for a brief wait to turn to depart the parking area, Daniel had climbed into the back and reached out to grab the door and bring it close. As he did so, he looked out to where they had just been. 

The elderly white woman was flustered, walking and pacing about. A couple of other people were joining her. One woman was on her phone. 

Daniel closed the door. 

The vehicle was beeping that not everyone was buckled in their seats. Nertrina drove like a mad woman. She was mad. Why did she have to explain herself to this confused woman. And have no one believe her, even tho she was the one who had the keys? She risked being accused of lifting them off the woman somehow. She decided it was easier to simply do what she would normally do than contend with anyone else. She wasn't there for them. She was there for herself and her children. 

Daniel climbed the seat back beside Dia. They continued along the road heading home. Nertrina looked in the mirror, half expecting to see flashing blues, but she never did. 

Gradually they made their way along familiar territory. They reached their neighborhood and pulled into their driveway. Nertrina stopped the car and finally caught her breath. She sat there, simply staring straight ahead. None of the children moved either. Finally Daniel opened his door. 

Nertrina exhaled. "Allright, yea," she said. "Let's get these things into the house." The kids each got out with the bags, then Nertrina said, "Daniel help me with these groceries in the back."

"What groceries? Her groceries?" 

"Yes, Daniel. I'm not leaving them in the car." 

"So we get free groceries?" 

"No, we don't get free groceries. I'll take them back to the store once I calm down and turn them over to the manager and tell him what happened."

She opened the hatch as she and the teen loaded their arms up with more bags. Then she closed the door and they carried them all inside. Her husband stood there to take the bags from her. 

"What's this Dia and Revon are telling me? Did you have fun at the market? You stole an old woman's car?"

"No, I didn't steal her car. I prevented her from taking mine, or whatever she planned. I was ready to leave, so I left."

"Who was she?"

"I don't know. Some of these are hers. We'll just take them back tomorrow or whenever I feel like it."

"I'll take them back tomorrow. You aren't going near that store." 

"Dan, you be careful if you do. Take the title to the car if you go back." 

"I'd go in my car, if I do." 

"Well, she's gettin' her groceries back. That bag is mine. Dia, put those away. That bag is hers." 

Now, Nertrina felt the rush overtake her. She put her hand to her forehead. 

"Go sit down, baby. The kids and I will finish these." 

"Just see to it we don't accidentally get any of her groceries. I won't be accused of stealing."

"No chance," Dan exclaimed, "here's her receipt, so we know what she bought."

"There's nothing on there, her name or nothing, so we . . . . "

"Go sit down, honey. You've had too much of an ordeal."

"It's just . . . . my children, . . . "

The big man walked over to her and hugged her. Dia and Daniel continued with the sorting out of items. 

Nertrina made her way into the living room and sat down on the couch. Her husband sat beside her, then Daniel got on his mother's side, while Dia sat on her father's side. 

Revon sat in the floor, staring at the tv. 

Nertrina sniffed, then said, "come here, baby." 

Revon got up and joined her and she held him close. She bumped the rectangular box he held in his hand.

"What is that you're eating, Revon?" she asked. 

it was the cookies.