Microplastics

The chattering of people fills the crowded building as you turn out of the aisle and yet again nearly bump into another shopper. Behind you, your boyfriend stands, looking as tired and ominous as ever. He had said he wanted to try your cooking so you took him to the store to get ingredients, of course you failed to predict the amount of shoppers there’d be. The crowd is likely here to prepare for the snowstorm tomorrow, but you had thought they’d be done shopping by now.
You apologize to the man in front of you as you make your way to the pantry aisle to grab some noodles. Since you had plenty of time due to the storm heading your way, you decided you’d make him chicken Alfredo. You had already grabbed the cheese and cream, the rest of the ingredients you had at home. Now you just need the noodles and you can finally go home.
“C’mon Lovecraft, we just need the noodles then you can go home and sleep.” You say as you give Lovecraft’s sleeve a tug as he loosely follows you, not apologizing when he bumps shoulders with someone.
You avoid people as you walk down the aisle, making it to the noodles.. or where they should be. How can a store be out of noodles!? Noodles are everywhere and always way overstocked!
You glance over to the registers in the front of the store and grimace. The line for the register practically wraps around the whole store. There’s no way you can do this again at another store. You could always make noodles, you have all the time in the world, but in all honesty you do not want to do all that work.
The worst part, how are you supposed to explain to Lovecraft what you said to him earlier wasn’t true? One of the things he loves the most is his sleep, maybe even more than you, won’t he be upset if he’s not able to as quickly as he wanted to?
“Lovecraft, come, let’s go check out.” You give his sleeve another tug, this time slightly more gentle, to get his attention. You’ll explain the problem in the car, hopefully he’ll understand.
You start speed walking to the registers to hopefully not get caught behind anymore people before you’re jolted to a stop by the person you’re holding onto no longer moving.
“Lovecraft?” You glance behind him and see him stopped and staring at one of the end caps of an aisle. On it are multiple octopus plushies of all colors. “Love, we gotta go before we get stuck behind more people. We’ll never make it out at this point.” You explain as you once again tug his sleeve.
To your dismay, he ignores you and instead walks over to the plushies, grabbing a green octopus and handing it to you. “Really? We’re here for ingredients, not overpriced toys.” You sigh as you add the plush to your basket.
“It’s like you”, he says as he lets you start dragging him again.
“Like me? Are you calling me smelly and like a fish?” You dramatically place a hand over your heart in mock offense as you speak.
“It’s an octopus, a mollusk.” He quickly corrects like anyone besides him knows that.
“I don’t know what that is. It lives in the water, so it’s a fish.”
“There are plenty of animals that live in the water that aren’t fish. For example, jellyfish, which are scyphozoa, dolphins, which are odontoceti, alligators, which are-”
“Are we really going to talk about fish-not-fish for the next hour? Two hours? I get it, octopuses aren’t fish.” You exclaim tiredly as you tug him to the shortest looking line
“Octopi-”
“For the love of-”

It took you over 45 minutes, but you eventually made it out of the store, somehow still alive. You’re exasperated after the long wait and all the fish facts that had been dropped onto you unwillingly, but you still have to go to another store to get the noodles. You considered multiple times if you should just give up and try again after the storm, but you did promise Lovecraft a home cooked meal tonight..
“Hey Lovecraft?” You look in his direction after starting the car. He’s sitting straight up and staring out of the car window. When he hears his name, his gaze travels to you. He doesn’t respond but you can tell he’s listening.
“Listen.. we can’t go home yet.. we need noodles.. I’m sorry.”
You’re expecting a frown, begging, or annoyance, but all he does is nod and go back to staring out the window. Well.. you think that’s good. You drive to the nearest store to your house, which is slightly less busy than the last. You invite Lovecraft to stay in the car but he insists on going in, which is strange considering his dislikes for things like this.
You scramble to the pantry aisle and luckily they still have some noodles left. It’s not what you normally would’ve used, but it’s the best you can do right now. You have a small celebration before tugging Lovecraft’s sleeve to alert him it’s time to check out. To your dismay, you tug nothing. You glance over your shoulder, expecting to just have missed him, but then start to panic as you realize he’s not there.
You hurry to the end of the aisles to quickly walk through them, scanning them for the tall male while also alerting quite a few people. You walk through all the aisles before turning back around. You probably missed him, there’s no way he’d wander far off from you in a place like this. You back towards the aisle you came from and then start to actually freak out when you realize you didn’t miss him, he’s actually not there.
You rush to the bakery section. Not there. The clothing section? Not in men’s or women’s. Kids sections? Nothing. Bathroom? It’s probably not okay for you to check. By the flowers? No wa- wait. Is that him?
You’re panting when you get to the stores built in flower shop.
“Lovecraft! Where have you been!? I’ve been looking for you all over! Do you know how freaked out I was!?” You cried out frantically as you grabbed his sleeve tightly.
“These flowers are pretty, like you.” He responded calmly like nothing had happened. How can he be so calm!? Last time you lost him it took you three hours to find him!
“Put them down, we have to check out, I got the noodles,” You give his sleeve a tug to make sure he’s paying attention. You can tell he is, but he doesn’t put the flowers away. “Love, you’ve already gotten a gift today. Flowers are expensive, are you sure you really want them?” It’s not like you were low on money or anything, you just liked to not spend excessive amounts on things you don’t need.
“Please?”
It’s never an option to reject him when he asks so nicely. You have extra money in your account, it can’t hurt to spend a few more dollars on some flowers, and it’ll make him happy, which will make you happy. Is there really any way you can reject him?
“Fine.. but this is the last thing you get today, got it?” It’s impossible to deny him really.
He nods enthusiastically and holds the flowers close as you drag him to the nice lady at the register.
The checking out and leaving the building goes as normally, only taking about 15 minutes this time. You open Lovecraft’s door for him and help him buckle up before getting in on your side.
When you open the door you’re met with a surprise. Flowers in your face as Lovecraft holds them out to you. It takes you a second to recognize what he’s trying to do before you start to feel warm. He’s gotten you a gift. Suddenly, all the panic and earlier frustration you’d had means nothing and you’re feeling warm instead. You gently take the flowers as you get in. You set them on the center console beside you as you buckle up.
“Thank you Love, that was very sweet.” You grab his arm and pull him down slightly so you can place a kiss on his cheek. This is the easiest way to show your appreciation for him. He may not know a lot about humans, but he certainly knows what kisses mean.
“Let’s go home and you can sleep, how’s that sound?”
He returns a nod at your question with a happy hum as he places a hand on your thigh while you drive.
The ride home is quiet, but it’s warm. It’s comforting after all the loudness of the day and you can’t help but start to appreciate how the day went.