Old Habits Die Soft

Chapter 11
The Mall

Chapter Description: Ben races to catch up to Eden.

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Ben raced around his house, gathering supplies; he didn’t know how long he’d need to be out of the house for. She obviously knew where he lived, so his own house might not be safe, he thought. He poured himself a glass of water from a pitcher on the counter that Eden had left out and gulped it down quickly. He didn’t want to be tricked into drinking anything if he ran into Mrs. Heben again. Better to be safe than sorry.

Eden was at the mall, he guessed. He got in the car and drove down the main arterial until the bright Macys sign greeted him from the highway. He was close! He parked the car carelessly, and, as he was walking towards the entrance, spotted Eden’s Toyota in the parking lot. She was still here, he thought to himself. Perfect! There was still time to set everything straight.

He ran into the department store, peering around clothing racks and trying to find any hint of his girlfriend. He finally exited the Macys and walked into the main walkway of the mall. There were dozens of stores, but which one was she in?! He had called her cell phone earlier after trying Chris’, but she didn’t pick up. She was probably too busy chatting with friends to notice the buzzing from inside her purse. Damn it!

Then he saw her. It wasn’t Eden. It was Mrs. Heben. She was pushing a twin baby stroller which contained a tiny infant, easily less than a year old, sitting next to an empty seat. His empty seat. She carried a diaper bag over her shoulder. The baby had thin blonde hair and was clad in only a diaper and a t-shirt which read “BABY LOVES MOMMY” on it in childish handwriting. He was clutching a small red rattle which he banged against the restraints of the stroller as she pushed him along at a steady pace. Could that be Chris? It couldn’t be. It couldn’t be, he repeated to himself. He was too late. He had to find Eden before she forced him into the same fate!

He tried to block the image of himself as a drooling baby out of his brain. But he couldn’t push the thoughts of himself standing at the railing of his crib, a messy load in his diaper, crying for his mommy to change him. He was out of college, for god’s sake. He didn’t want to be a little naked baby again, stuck in an endless cycle of diaper changes, bottle feedings and being bathed by his friend’s mother in the sink! His heart was racing, pounding in his chest as he turned on his heels and sprinted in the opposite direction.

As he ran, he had to hike up his jeans which kept slipping. He ran and ran until he finally saw her. There she was! Eden was standing with her friend, Clara, from work and a few of his female co-workers from the library! He was saved!