Katherine adjusted the strap of her handbag as she and Irene wandered down the brightly lit aisles of the supermarket. It was her day off, and for once, she had decided to take it slow—no uniform, no customer smiles, no clattering plates. Just her and Irene, spending the afternoon together.
With a baby on the way, Katherine had decided it was finally time to start looking seriously at what she would need. Diapers, baby formulas, clothes, maybe even a stroller if she found something affordable. The reality of it all had begun to settle heavier on her chest, like a new gravity pulling her down.
They stood now in front of a shelf stacked with cans of baby formula. Irene leaned closer, squinting at the price tags with a dramatic gasp.
"Good lord," Irene muttered, pulling a can off the shelf and reading the label. "How does anyone afford to keep a baby alive? This tiny thing costs more than a decent dinner."
