“All right, Aspen, we’re all done, time to check out,” Tina says. Leah doesn’t respond. Tina looks at her stepdaughter. Leah is fast asleep in the cart, a thin line of drool trailing down her chin. “Aw!” Quickly, Tina takes a picture of “Aspen” sleeping in the grocery cart. “Okay, I won’t wake you up,” she whispers.
The line at checkout is long, but Leah manages to stay asleep while they wait. A few customers coo at Leah. Tina loves how much attention she’s getting and beams at every compliment. One of Leah’s friends even stops by, chats with Tina, and comments on “Aspen”. Leah will be glad to hear that her disguise worked.
Finally, they check out. The cashier gives Tina a dinosaur sticker, which she puts on the front of Leah’s overalls. She pushes the cart out of the store and over to the car. At the car, she loads up the groceries, then gently lifts Leah from the cart. At the distinctive crinkle from Leah’s diaper, muscle memory kicks in, and Tina checks the diaper. It’s still clean. Satisfied, Tina buckles Leah into the car seat.
Leah sleeps through the whole process. In fact, she’s begun snoring by the time they hit the road. With her stepdaughter unable to protest against it, Tina decides to do some more errands, with Leah still disguised as “Aspen”.