The Monster: Chapter 5
Wilma looked a little bit sheepish walking around the grocery store in her pajamas. Jen tried to tell herself this was a small victory, a weak consolation for all the sound defeats. She had been forced to resort to bribes in the form of ice cream for dessert in order to get Wilma to come to the store with her.
There was a disagreement over breakfast cereal, and a compromise over ice cream, but for the most part the grocery shopping went surprisingly well. Suspiciously well, Jen thought.
Her hunch became a reality when they were in the checkout line. Understanding that she had a captive audience, Wilma laid it on thick.
“She’s not my real mommy,” she said for everyone to hear. “My real mommy is nice.”
The elderly lady in front of them turned around and looked at Jen with curiosity and suspicion.
“I’m her stepmother,” Jen felt compelled to say. Her cheeks were burning. She braced for what might come next.
“My real mommy says my fake mommy is a home breaker,” Wilma declared in a loud and solemn voice. “My fake mommy is mean. She doesn’t feed me and she doesn’t take me to school. She wants my Daddy’s money.”
The elderly lady turned away, but Jen caught her expression of disgust.
When it was their turn in line, Wilma was ready to place the coup de grace.
“All my fake mommy does is sit and drink wine,” she confided to the cashier.
The cashier bagged the purchases in silence.