CHAPTER 29-2
667 Words
Inside the grocery store, Sam ogled the shelves while pushing the shopping cart and trying to keep an eye on his mother at the same time. He had a habit of bumping her backside when she stopped to read a label or consider an item. As they approached a display for instant soup that constricted the aisle to half its normal width, they found themselves blocked in by a shopper coming from the opposite direction. Sam made a point of pulling up to the display and allowing the young woman to go by, along with her screaming baby propped up in the cart and a toddler hanging from her pants.
The woman stopped and lifted the baby from the cart, and then turned around to respond to the tugging toddler below her knee. The screaming baby’s face reddened. Its scrunched-up face hung over his mother’s shoulder, three feet from Sam’s nose.
Sam leaned forward and said, “Oh, baby. Shhh. Hey, baby. Open your eyes.”
Somehow, the sound of his voice cut through the screaming, and the baby blinked releasing a flood of tears down his cheeks.
“Hi, there.” Sam smiled, and c****d his head back and forth playfully.
The baby whimpered and inhaled for another howl.
“No, no. Be a happy baby,” Sam prompted.
The infant sniffed a couple times and broke out in a wide smile, bobbing his head jerkily into his mother’s shoulder. After wiping the toddler’s nose, the mother straightened and looked relieved at Diana. “Sorry, got my hands full here.”
“I completely understand,” Diana said, nodding.
Once the woman had moved on, clearing the aisle, Sam steered around the display and walked up to his mother’s side.
“Did you use your ability on that baby?” Diana said.
“Yeah, I prompted him to not cry. I’m not sure how long it will last if he needs a diaper change or if he’s hungry. He could start up again in a few minutes.”
As they turned down the next aisle, Diana pointed to a can of beans, and Sam put it in the cart. “Are there any lasting aftereffects once you do that to people?”
“Aftereffects? No, most people shake it off after a few minutes.”
“Can you make people do whatever you want?”
“Pretty much, but it only lasts a few minutes, so if I prompt someone to do something they wouldn’t normally do, they revert back. I can’t change someone’s way of thinking permanently. It’s usually only helpful in temporary situations. For example, if someone is trying to punch me in the face, I can prompt them not to. That doesn’t mean they aren’t going to want to punch me in the face the next time they see me.”
“Have you ever used this ability on me?”
Sam gave her an odd look. “No, why would I?’
“I don’t know. Let’s say you wanted to go play basketball, and I wanted you to do some chores around the house. Could you prompt me to let you go play basketball?”
“Yes, but after a few minutes you would change your mind. And, over time, you’d figure out what I was doing. That probably wouldn’t be very smart.”
“So a person can become aware of what you are doing?”
“A person who knows I’m a prompter can figure it out easily enough. How long do you think the chores are going to go undone before you figure out what’s going on?”
“I guess that makes sense, but what keeps you from abusing this ability?”
“What do you mean?”
Diana grabbed a candy bar off the shelf and held it out. “What’s keeping you from walking up to the counter and prompting the clerk into thinking you had paid for it?”
Sam shrugged. “I don’t know. What’s keeping you from tucking it into a pocket and walking out with it?”
“My sense of right and wrong.”
“Me too.”
Diana blushed, wrapped an arm around Sam’s shoulders and pulled him to her. “How did you turn out to be such a great kid? I’m sorry.”
“No problem. You’re trying to figure out how to have a son, like Mara’s trying to figure out how to have a brother.”
“I guess you’ve got one up on both of us.” Diana tousled his hair.
“Yeah, but there’s still one thing I haven’t experienced yet.”
“What’s that?”
“Having a father.”
Going slightly pale, Diana forced a thin smile and said, “Lots to look forward to.” She waved a hand to the front of the store. “I think we have everything. Let’s head home.”
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- Writer
