The Trip To Sears
Today is Josie's last day of school. She was giddy as hell when she came bobbing down the stairs and into the kitchen. Her dark brown hair was out and hung down her back. She wore her navy blue uniform skirt and white polo shirt.
"Morning, Dad," she greets cheerfully. I smile in her direction after tucking her turkey sandwich into a brown paper bag.
"Good morning, sugar," I reply, grabbing the bag of lunch from the counter and walking toward her.
"I'm really excited about today," she gushes, "Mrs. Smith is taking pictures and giving out candy and stuff." I nod as I adjust her food into her backpack.
"Cool," I say nonchalantly. She had no idea that I had a surprise for her class. I'm going to be the coolest dad to ever walk on God's green earth.
"Oh yeah," Josie exclaims, "Ashley's sleepover!"
"What about it?" I asked calmly. Who the hell was Ashley. . .
"We have to go buy a new sleeping bag, remember?" No, I didn't.
"Yeah, of course," I lie, "After school, alright?" Josie narrows her eyes at me and smirked.
"You're a bad liar, Dad." I laughed and gently nudged her with my elbow.
"Stop knowing me so well," I joked, "Get started on your breakfast." She sits down at the table and began to nip at her scrambled eggs.
"Can we go to Sears today?" I looked over my shoulder as I grabbed my black mug off of the counter.
"Why?" I questioned while taking a seat across from her. She simply shrugged and sipped on her orange juice.
"I don't know," she answered, "I just hate shopping at those stores you go to." She's referring to those Gucci-selling boutiques that cater to our every need. She hates them, obviously. Josie doesn't like people fussing over her.
"Okay," I relent, "If that's what you want." Yeah, I'm that easy. Josie could be spoiled, if she would allow that to happen. But she's too independent and stubborn.
"Thanks, Dad," Josie said politely, "I appreciate it." I nod and drink my tea. Josie and I engaged in another conversation about our plans for the day before we head out. It only takes fifteen minutes to reach her private school. As we pull up to the front, she leans over and places a kiss on my cheek before climbing out of my BMW. She adjusted the hem of her skirt and I hand her school bag over.
"I love you," I told her, "Be safe and I'll see you later."
"Okay," she said hurriedly, "I love you too, Dad." I smile and watch as she shuts the car door. She runs off to join a group of her friends and turns to give me a final wave. I raise my hand and watch as she slips inside the school doors. I drive off when I feel she's safe and turn on the radio to hear the traffic report.
So, that's my morning ritual. The highlight of my day. Now I'm off to work at the LA branch of Memphis Records. I'm meeting with a new artist named Greg Michaels. This kid is going to be the next Stevie or Luther. Yeah, he's just that good. But I don't look forward to the paper work and the bullshit following it. I really hate the business aspect of things, but it's unavoidable now.
I'm just looking forward to shopping with Josie.
-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-*-
So, my best dad in the world plan failed. Josie thinks I'm a rich show off now. I was surprised when she came into the car with a pout, not bothering to say hello. She told me that I embarrassed her. How do you embarrass a kid by ordering a truck load of ice cream for her and her friends? I thought it was a cool idea. Even the teachers got ice cream. I was getting thank you's like crazy when I picked her up.
But Josie said I made her look like a rich brat who dad bribes Dairy Queen. I apologized though and promised to never do it again. She actually accepted it and we were off to Sears. I was driving around in circles trying to find a spot and I finally did, right near the entrance too. Josie hopped out and I took her hand as we walked across the lot. She complained about me babying her, but I didn't care. Safety first, remember that.
Anyway, we get there and I browse around before realizing the bedroom stuff is upstairs. We get on the escalator and Josie laughs as the end of my suit almost gets caught in the stupid stair. I glare at her before stepping off the damn thing. She follows my lead as looked through piles of sleeping bags. Pink ones. Purples one. Green ones. So many cartoon characters. Josie squeals when I pick out a Hello Kitty one and I laugh as she grabs it and holds it to her chest.
"That was quick," I comment before we turn to head back down. I stop in my tracks when I see a ginormous stereo system calling my name. I can hear Josie groan as I pull her over toward the masterpiece.
"Daddy, you have a stereo." I ignore her comment and continue to drool.
"It's that lastest edition from Sharp," I turn and see some guy smiling at me, "Peter." He extends his hand to me and I shake it.
"So, Peter," I begin, "What's this thing about?"
"It's a Sharp Shelf System. Eight-hundred watts peak power. Five-disc changer. Dual cassette decks. CD and MP3 playback. Front and Rear speakers and a Standalone subwoofer." Whoa. I didn't even know what half those things were, but it sounded awesome. . .
"How much?" I asked.
"Usually, five hundread bucks," Peter told me, "But we have it on sale for three hundred and sixty."
"That's nice. . ." I breathe.
"Real nice," Peter agreed, "So, you want it? They're going fast." I think about it for a moment before turning to Josie.
"What do you- Josie?" I frantically look around but find no sign of her, "Josie!" I call louder, "Have you seen a little girl?" I asked, turning back to Peter. He shrugs and shakes his head.
"No, when I came up, you were alone." What the fuck? Where's Josephine? Panic begins to swell in the pit of my stomach as I begin to walk away. I look around every aisle I can find and call out to her. Nothing. Absolutely nothing. How did she walk off so fast? She knows better than to run off like that. I take my search downstairs and walk up to a cashier.
"Can you please make an announcement or something? I lost my daughter." I was so embarrassed saying. What kind of dad am I? The woman seems uneffected and bends over behind the desk. She raises up again and picks up the phone.
"What's her name?" she asked as she dialed some numbers.
"Josephine Timberlake." She nods and sighs, pressing her lips to the phone.
"Will Josephine Timberlake please come to the Jewelry Department. Josephine Timberlake, your father is waiting for you." Her voice echos throughout the store and some people turn and look at me. Oh that's great. I'm going to be on US Weekly. Justin Timberlake Abandons His Daughter. I thank her and step aside, leaning against a pillar as I look around for some sign of Josie. It feels like days go by before I finally see her skipping over to me from the escalator. She's being followed by some blonde haired woman who has a girl around Josie's age attached to her arm.
"Josephine," I scolded quietly when she walked up to me, "You can't go running off like that." She pouts and points to the woman that's behind her.
"I had to go to the bathroom and then I got lost when I went to find you again," she explained, "But then I saw Ashley and her mom so I stayed with them. She was looking for you." I looked up at this 'she' woman and extended my hand to her.
"Hi, I'm Justin," I greeted, "I swear, I don't lose her often." She laughs and I can see her smile. Nice.
"It's fine," she said, "I'm Melanie, by the way." The softness of her hands distracts me for a moment before I break her handshake.
"It's good to meet you," I said, "This must be the Ashley who's having a sleepover." Ashley giggles and nods her head, sending her blonde locks everywhere.
"Yes, Mr. Timberlake." I smile and turn back to Melanie.
"And you're her mom," I said, stating the obvious. She nods.
"Yes, I am," she confirms, "Josie told me you were big on meeting the supervising parents, so maybe we should set up a time to talk."
"Well, Josie and I were going to get something to eat later on at Roscoe's, so maybe I can swing by and pick you guys up." What the hell was I talking about. We didn't plan anything. I glance down at Josie and she looks at me suspiciously.
"Sure, that'll be great," Melanie told me, "Is seven good for you?" I nod without even thinking.
"Yeah, seven's excellent." Melanie smiles and we all stand there awkwardly, "Well, we better get going. I don't want to keep ya'll."
"Yeah, Ash and I were just shopping for the sleepover stuff."
"Can Josie shop with us?" Ashley blurts out to nobody in particular. I look at her before turning to her mother.
"If Mr. Timberlake doesn't mind, I don't see why not." Josie looks up at me hopefully, and being the sucker that I am. . .
"Sure, why not?" The girls cheer and Melanie offers me a soft smile.
"Next stop, Kaybee Toys!" Ashley cheers as Josie and her go into a fit of giggles. We stop to pay for the sleeping bag before heading out. I hold the door open for everybody and we get outside. We walk along the stretch of sidewalk and turn the corner. The girls run off ahead of us and leave me to fend for myself.
I look over at Melanie and she looks at me. I smile and she smiles back. Oh goodness, I feel like I'm back in the seventh grade. Why is this woman making me into such a dork?
"So," we say in unison. We laugh before the silence washes over us again. Well, this is going to be awkward. . .
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