This choice: you come help me with some errands I need to run • Go Back...Chapter #4you come help me with some errands I need to run by: DragonFish   “Come help me with some errands I need to run,” his mom said cheerfully, holding up her car keys.
Cameron frowned. “Do I have to?”
“Yes,” Helen replied with a bright smile that made it clear he didn’t have a choice. “You’ve been cooped up all morning. A little time outside won’t kill you.”
“It’s like a hundred degrees,” he mumbled.
“Then we’ll stay indoors. Air conditioning, shopping, maybe grab a treat. Come on, it’ll be nice.”
With a resigned sigh, Cameron followed her out the door.
The errands started the usual way, post office, pharmacy, and dropping off a donation box at the thrift store. His mom chatted easily with everyone she met, while Cameron trailed behind like a reluctant sidekick, holding bags and giving one-word answers.
But when Helen parked in front of the mall, he perked up slightly. “Wait... this counts as errands?”
“Of course,” she said. “I have returns to make and maybe a few things to pick up. Besides, it’s been forever since we went anywhere together.”
Cameron wasn’t sure what to say to that. His mom looked happy, almost nostalgic, as she locked the car and straightened her skirt. “You used to love coming to the mall with me when you were little.”
“Yeah, when I was five,” he muttered.
Helen laughed. “And you got a pretzel every time. Maybe we can keep that tradition going.”
That earned a small smirk from him. “We’ll see.”
Inside, the cool air hit them like a blessing. The chatter of weekend shoppers filled the corridors as they made their way past storefronts. Helen moved with purpose through a couple of stops, returning a blouse at Serenity Boutique, picking up moisturizer from the pharmacy counter, glancing at shoes she didn’t really need but wanted to admire anyway.
Cameron tagged along, mostly zoning out and checking his phone while she browsed. He nearly walked straight into a mannequin wearing a sundress and got an amused eye-roll from his mom.
After their second lap around the central court, Helen stopped suddenly, looking up at the glowing directory sign. “You know,” she said thoughtfully, “we’ve done all my boring errands… maybe we should do something fun.”
Cameron blinked. “Fun?”
“Yeah!” She smiled warmly. “Something the two of us can enjoy. Just a little treat before we head home.”
He hesitated. “Like what?”
“Oh, plenty of things! Let’s see…” She scanned the nearby storefronts, her eyes glinting with playful mischief.  indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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