Second Lovely

The next day, I was buzzing around the mall. I made Gora babysit his sister as punishment while I went out to shop for a small present for her. As focused as I was, I wasn't too proud of my position. While I had no problem taking Couro doll-shopping, searching for them alone was slightly humiliating. I could feel and see judgmental eyes watching me as I cluelessly inspected dolls for little girls. Still, Couro needed it and I reminded myself that the strangers watching me would never be relevant in my life. So, I fought on and carefully judged each doll, trying to find the chubbiest one I could find.
Two hours into my journey, I struggled to find a doll with skin that even matched hers. I was getting somewhat frustrated, and I heard a small, faint laughter behind me. Pausing, I waited for the source of the laughter to walk up to me.
"Are you alright?" A tall, thinly-framed woman chimed. Relatively attractive with glowing blue eyes and thin pink lips. She was dressed relatively casually but with certain accents such as an infinity scarf or statement hoop earrings. A strand of long black hair reached down to her upper thigh while the rest was bunched together loosely behind her head. "Excuse me, sir?" she called, helping me realize I'd gotten distracted staring. Shaking my head, I scoffed and blinked. She smiled, "I asked if you're alright."
Nodding, I put the doll down. "Yeah, just...yeah." For a minute, neither of us said anything, before I suddenly became worried of the impression I'd made on her. "I don't play with dolls though. It's for a girl. A child girl...yeah."
Looking over at the doll I put down, she asked, "A niece? Younger sister?"
"Um...my daughter." Again, she said nothing and a mini fit of paranoia fizzled inside of me. "I-I'm not married. Technically. We don't live together. Actually, we kinda do? No, that's not right. She...I mean, she's not like that. I'm--"
"Single?"
I opened my mouth, considering telling her about Kutu, before just murmuring, "...Yeah."
"Good to know." Searching her face, I desperately looked for a sign of interest or irritation. Both came up empty. "You've been going back and forth in this section for a while. Are you looking for something specific?"
"Uh, yeah. I need a chubby, African American doll."
Her lips curved into a frown, "Well...you won't find that here. Unless you'll settle for curvy." My shoulders dropped, somewhat defeated. "I used to collect dolls however," she piped in, "and I should own one just like that."
"Really?"
"Yeah," she nodded and we drifted out the store as she continued, "I know I sound like a sales clerk, I just...really know my dolls. A little something I pick up in grade school and I held onto it much longer than anyone really expected."
"Sounds interesting." Beside the store, I saw a Chinese place and headed towards it, "I need to pick up food."
Simply, she nodded and tailed, "Still, to this day, I could talk for hours about dolls."
"...Why don't you? I could listen," I blurted out. The woman beside me stopped, waiting for what I'd say next. "...But, I'd need a way to contact you later on. I really should get back to Couro and Gora."
To my surprise, she pulls out her phone and asks, "Your children?"
"A sixteen-year-old boy and an eight-year-old girl." I showed her a picture of the two at a town festival a year earlier. "Couro's who the doll's for."
"Are you trying to make it look like her?"
"Couro has certain issues with her body," I sighed as we reached the front of the line. Quickly, I made my order before turning to her and continuing, "She really likes dolls so I'm hoping this will help make a special connection for her." Watching her face, I saw it morph into something that looked like amazement.
"...You're so kind to them," she gasped. "I couldn't do that, not for something that needs so much."
"It's not hard, really," I shrugged. "Especially when you realize that you probably caused their issues."
"How could you cause something so serious?" On instinct, I almost told her. But then I bit my tongue and stared at a near by wall. "Elaborate."
"Well," I trickled out, "ever since she was four, Couro had always just naturally put on more weight than Gora and I. Worried, I had completely ignored the possible effects it would have on her and I took her to the doctor."
She shook her head, "That's a completely healthy thing to do."
"Not the way I handled it," I muttered, ashamed as I recalled my terrible in-moment decisions. "I must've put it in her head that...that fat was bad. And she's not fat, really. Couro's of a healthy weight she just has baby fat. But I had to go and try and be rid of it on the basis that Gora grew up different." Embarrassed to look up, I kept my head down and picked up my food.
"...That's a stretch. I get you feel guilty but, calm down. No one's blaming you." A small hand placed itself on my upper arm. "Whenever you're free, I'll come over with the doll and Couro will be more than okay."
I looked up at her, she smiled and handed me my phone. "Thank you." I looked at the contact and only saw 'doll date' as the name. "Also, I never got your name," I said, fighting a laugh.
"Nicki," she sang. "Nicolette Rouselle."
"Samba Miske." Planning to shake her hand, I lifted my arm. But before I could reach for her hands, she wrapped her arms around me and squeezed. As though nothing had happened, she let go, excitedly waved at me and then skipped away. Flustered, I called after her, "I'll text you, Nicki!"