Chapter Text
“Careful getting out of the car baby.” Agatha says automatically as soon as she cuts the engine. It’s become a fixed mantra of hers ever since Nicky became ‘too big’ to need her help unbuckling.
Nicky sighs loudly, “I’m not a baby! I’m almost 8!”
Agatha can only nod to herself as her sweet little boy hops out of the car. She’s in awe of how much he has grown, as much as she can’t help but wonder where the last 7 years have gone. It seems like he was still a toddler yesterday, now he’s an independent little boy. Soon he won’t need her at all anymore.
“Okay big boy, hold mommy’s hand in the parking lot please. There’s lots of cars and you are still a short man.”
He latches on to her hand without protest, knowing the rules very well by now. His hand is still so small in hers, but when he starts explaining to her how to properly cross the street, like he always does, Agatha is again reminded that time goes too fast when it comes to her baby.
They navigate towards the farmer’s market that set up on the square. For an early Saturday morning, she’s surprised at how busy it seems.
They don’t come here, ever, but Wanda’s birthday is coming up soon and according to the all-knowing Google, this place has the best candlemaker in Westview.
And if she knows one thing about Wanda, that girl is a sucker for a good fall-scented block of wax.
“Mommy look!” Nicky is pointing left and right at pretty much every little market stand, still so easily impressed and in awe.
“Hmm, it’s all very cool, huh buddy?”
Nicky nods, “We need a pretty candle for miss Wanda, and then we can get one snack,” remembering the promise Agatha made to get him to put his shoes on earlier.
First-class parenting, Agatha. Bribing the kid into compliance.
“One snack,” She repeats, “So keep your eyes open for the best one. There might be pretzels.”
“Or donuts!”
Nicky launches into a monologue on what the better choice could be, while Agatha softly steers him through the crowd, making sure to make the appropriate noises of agreement occasionally.
It’s promising to be a beautiful day, the sun already bright in the sky and a slight chill in the air to remind them that it is almost October.
Agatha is enjoying this, the fresh air, the bustle of the little market and Nicky’s excited voice prattling on about pretzels. She makes a silent vow to bring him here more often.
She loves the age he is now, where she can take him out into the world with her, without having to worry about diaper changes or missing naps. She can take him to lunch, as long as there’s a kid’s menu, and she can trust him to entertain himself at a playground without having to endure the constant: mommy, mommy, look at me, look at me!
Agatha spots the candle stand after a short stroll, Nicky still going strong with a detailed explanation on which donuts he likes best and the ranking system he used.
It’s a little impressive.
“Alright baby boy, time to pick a good candle for Wanda.”
Nicky nods with determination, letting go of her hand to look around.
Agatha calls to him, just before he can reach out to the breakable little glass jars, ‘Remember, we look with our eyes, not our hands!”
He drops his hand instantly, flashing his most innocent grin.
Agatha could not love him more.
She’s taking her time browsing, reading the labels and ingredients carefully. It’s a wonderful little stand, with candles and essential oils filling every space. It smells amazing too.
“Hi there,” a gorgeous dark-skinned woman greets them, “Looking for something in particular?”
Before Agatha can respond, Nicky’s right there: “We need a pretty candle for miss Wanda. It’s her birthday soon, and then it’s mommy’s birthday and then it’s mine.”
The woman smiles down on him, endearment all over her face, “Well, you should get her the prettiest candle then. Did you have a scent in mind?”
The second part is clearly meant for Agatha, who takes over the conversation explaining Wanda’s love for fall and cozy candles.
The woman kindly points her in the direction of their gift sets, and Agatha must admit they are gorgeous.
She gets swept up in the conversation. The woman, Jennifer, has made every candle from scratch, her partner Alice is in charge of the oils. She talks about her products with such love, explaining their properties passionately.
In the end Agatha settles on a quaint little basket, filled with candles and oils that smell like warm spices and are supposed to calm and soothe. It’s perfect for Wanda, Agatha thinks, her friend can be a little… intense.
She reaches for her wallet when Jennifer reads out her total when she notices. Or rather, does not notice anything. Nicky is no longer standing next to her.
Her heart drops immediately, her mind goes blank. All reason flies out the window instantly, her boy is not there.
“Oh my.. Nicky.”
“Nono, no worries,” Jennifer interrupts her freak out swiftly, “He’s right across the street at the produce stand, with Rio.”
Agatha turns around quickly, her heart still thundering despite the situation being under control now. Nicky is indeed right there, chatting a million miles an hour with the vaguely amused lady behind the stand.
“He knows he’s not supposed to run of like that! And talking to a stranger!” Agatha is still reeling from her 15 seconds of deadly fear.
Jennifer smiles the soft smile of understanding, “All kids know that, but has it ever stopped them? Rio’s okay, she watches our kids all the time. She’s great with them.”
Agatha quickly pays for Wanda’s gift and sets a firm pace towards her wayward son.
“Do you haaaaaaave…. pumpkins!” Nicky asks the lady, clearly not the first question he’s asked her as she tries to do her job while keeping him entertained.
She shakes her head with a smile, “It’s a little too early for pumpkins, hombrecito. They still need a few weeks.”
“But it’s almost Halloween!”
The lady laughs, “They’ll be ready for Halloween, don’t worry. Do you like to eat pumpkins?”
Nicky looks offended, “You can’t eat pumpkins! We make scary faces with them!”
As cute as their interaction is, Agatha’s heart has not quite calmed down yet and she knows she needs to be a parent in this moment.
“Nicholas Harkness!” she interrupts loudly, putting on her most stern of voices.
Her son looks guilty, and the other woman’s eyes widen slightly.
“Ooooh boy, looks like you didn’t get that permission to come over here after all?”
Nicky is suddenly very interested in the ground while Agatha glares at him, “Look at me Nicholas. Look. At. Me.”
He looks up, a tear already forming in his big brown eyes.
“You know you are not supposed to walk away from me without telling me!”
The lady at the stands shakes her head at him, “You sure messed up kid, you scared the living daylights out of your mom. Go tell her you’re sorry.”
Agatha is quietly thankful for the support. She’s not used to having other adults back her up when she needs to scold Nicholas. Sometimes Wanda is around when Nicky misbehaves, but she is way too soft and prefers to just stay out of it in the moment.
Nicky rushes over to her, presses his face into her stomach a little too hard, “I’m sorry mommy!”
He looks properly chastised, and Agatha knows this will have to do, though she’ll remind him tonight of the lesson learned, “Don’t cry baby, but do not run off again. I was terrified.”
He sniffles, no doubt wiping his face on her shirt and nods, “I’ll be good mommy.”
“I know baby,” she brushes her hand through his hair, “Now what are you doing here? I thought you didn’t like vegetables?”
Nicky forgets his tears, and his volume control, instantly, “This is miss Rio! She is a farmer lady!”
Rio smiles and nods at her in greeting, “You don’t like vegetables huh?”
Nicky blushes under his mock glare, “I like some vegetables!”
Agatha laughs, “Just not the ones that don’t come on pizza.”
“Mommy, miss Rio says that she has sweet potatoes. Do you like sweet potatoes?”
“Hmm, I do like those, yes.”
“Can I pick those for my snack? Pleaaaaaase?
Rio snorts a little his question, “Oye papito, sweet potatoes are like regular potatoes, you need to cook them before you can eat them.”
“Oh…” Nicky thinks for a second, “What’s a papito?”
“It’s like when I call you sweetheart, but in Spanish,” Agatha explains softly, “We can buy some sweet potatoes for dinner tonight, and you can have your pretzel for the car ride home?”
Nicky agrees quickly and turns to Rio expectantly.
“Well come here then, you’re going to pick them out yourself.”
Agatha watches quietly as Rio makes a big show of teaching him how to choose the perfect sweet potato from the crate. Jennifer was right about her being good with kids, the woman is wonderfully sweet to him.
Rio is young, Agatha notices, or at least she looks young. Her dark, dark eyes make her look intense and strict, but the chubbiness in her cheeks softens face impossibly. She’s beautiful, Agatha muses, with her tan skin and jet-black hair. Not a soul on earth would disagree with her on that.
She’s playful too, juggling sweet potatoes with a wide grin while Nicky cheers her on loudly. She seems like a joy to be around.
“Now promise me you’ll try them,” Rio warns softly, “I want to hear exactly what you think next week.”
Nicholas even pinky promises to try the vegetables tonight, though Agatha will not get her hopes up about it. As soon as he realizes that it is an actual vegetable, his promise will be firmly forgotten.
“Guess we’ll have to come back next week, then.” Agatha remarks, though she fully intended to already. She hands Nicky her wallet, “Now you pay the nice lady, and say thank you.”
Nicholas proudly and loudly displays his counting skills to Rio, who makes sure to tell him how impressive and smart he is when she hands him his produce.
“Bye miss Rio!” Nicky yells at Agatha’s prompting. It’s time to go search for those pretzels.
Rio waves back, just as wildly as Nicky, and Agatha has to laugh, “Bye papito! See you next week!”