“Oh, shoot!” Tina gasps, checking her watch. “I’m late!”
“Late? Late for what?” Leah asks.
“One last thing to test, and then we’ll check out,” Tina says, ignoring Leah’s question. She grabs a few packages of pacifiers and pops them into Leah’s mouth. When Leah points out the one she thinks is best, Tina puts it back into Leah’s mouth. Leah nods to confirm, but Tina forgets to take it out.
Hurrying, Tina doesn’t let Leah change into her old clothes or get out of the stroller. They go through the checkout and head to the car. There’s a car seat in case of emergencies, and to her shock, Leah gets buckled into it.
They’re speeding down the road when Leah finally is able to remove the pacifier.
“Tina, you left me dressed up like a baby!” she points out furiously. Tina’s eyes widen.
“Oh, no, I did!”
“And you put me in a car seat!”
“I’m so sorry, Leah! I was in such a rush, I acted on instinct. Someone wearing a diaper and sucking on a pacifier gets put in a car seat.”
“Well, I’m going to get out of the seat.”
“No, please don’t. It’s not safe to unbuckle while the car is moving. I promise, this is the only time you’ll be stuck in a car seat. And once we arrive, you can change into your other clothes.”
“One problem.”
“Yes?”
“Where are my clothes?”
“Oh, no!” Tina groans loudly. “We left them at the store!”
“Tina!”
“Look, just put up with this for a little longer. I’ll make it worth your while.”
“Nothing’s worth being seen in public dressed as a baby.”
“I’ll say you’re my niece, Hailey,” Tina suggests. Leah sighs. She doesn’t really have a choice now.
“Fine.”
“Oh, thank you for being so cooperative, Leah, I really appreciate it.”
“Now, what exactly are you running late for?” Leah asks.