Mandatory Motherhood: Short Stories

Favorite snack

Colgate looked on in worry as Chris was lifting a pallet of boxes in her magic. She had never seen Chris lift something that heavy before. “Um, you know we could just use that pallet jack thing, right? No need to stress yourself.”

Chris was prancing in place looking around the sales floor with her giant flashlight. “It’s not a problem Colgate. these chips they don’t weigh half as much as most of the stuff here.”

Colgate was sweating bullets while following behind Chris ready to yank her out of the way if she lost control or if her magic gave out. “They are just some potato chips right Chris? Is this really worth the hassle?”

Chris stopped and turned her head back to look directly at Colgate while shining the flashlight at her and blinding her. “Just potato chips? Just some potato chips?!” She sat the pallet down and tore a box open pulling out several bags and pointing at them while Colgate tried to protect her eyes with her forelegs. “These are the BEST potato chips from Japan! the pizza chips!”

Colgate used her magic to push the flashlight away and looked towards the black bag with a picture of a slice of pizza, a potato, and a potato chip. “Ok, I understand you are excited. But they can’t be worth all this excite-” She was interrupted by Chris stuffing a wad of the chips into her mouth.

Colgate was annoyed of having food shoved into her mouth but she didn’t want to waste food and began to chew as Chris started to regal her about the salty snack. “They aren’t just potato chips, they are made from potatoes grown in Hokkaido! Coated in a seasoned and zesty pizza sauce that has a hint of spice but only enough to light up the taste buds!” Colgate did notice the zesty and salty taste of a tomato-based sauce on the chips but there was something else she couldn’t place.

Colgate grabbed the open bag with her magic and ate some more as Chris continued. “But unlike most chips that use a dry powdered cheese flavoring, they coat every chip in melted cheese!” Colgate chewed in surprise, that was the missing texture and taste of actual cheese! She finished off one bag and started on another.

Chris gasped as she noticed something behind Colgate and ran past her. She ran back with several bottles. “I wish these were cold but they should still be good.” Before Colgate could swallow the chips and ask what it was she heard a cracking of a plastic seal and carbonated fizzing before a bottle was shoved into her mouth. Immediately her tastebuds were assaulted with something that tasted like carbonated orange juice.

Colgate almost choked at first but managed to swallow everything down and truly enjoy the drink. “You are right, this isn’t half bad Chris, what is it?”

Chris shined the light on a bottle she was caressing it looked similar to something she had seen Chris drink before, but was a different color and had characters similar to the potato chip bag on the label. “Orange Fanta from Japan.”

Colgate rolled her eyes. “You like any food from Japan I take it?”

Chris snorted at the remark. “No, I’ll try stuff but not spicy stuff, or wasabi.”

Colgate was about to ask about Wasabi just before a big bag was dropped on her back. She looked behind herself to see a happy Amore wagging her tail as Colgate braced herself to keep standing under the sudden impact of what she found to be a fifty-pound bag of dog food. “I hope we can find space for all this…”