A Question of Chips (Indonesia)

[Kyle Kirkland]

It may have been the relatively young age demographic, it may have been the abundance of posters on the streetlamps protesting against everything from organ harvesting to late night curfews, or it may have been the group of kids dashing past in Pikachu onesies. Whatever it may be it was pretty damn obvious that this was a community of students. Kyle was thankful that that he had decided to pay his call in jeans and a t-shirt rather than in anything professional looking, as it meant that he didn't stand out too much.

The samples for the medical school had been dropped off with only a moderate amount of trouble (getting lost on his way out and having to escape the building through an inconspicuous window) and now that his arms were free Kyle had decided now would be a good time to pick up a few groceries. Well, more than a few, he basically needed to restock the pantry after Wes had come round to visit (Did that kid’s stomach even have bottom or was it just an endless vacuum built to consume his entire larder?) So he pulled a trolley out, popped Matilda into the child’s seat, and set off down the aisle.

Bread, baked beans, some sausages, it all found its way into his trolley. In one aisle he found a pair of little pink sunglasses in the shape of stars and he put them on Matilda, just for a laugh. The Koala glared back at him (looking every inch the furry diva that she was) but she did not remove them. At last he came to the most important part of the shop, the snack section. Kyle was a fan of snacks. As he spent most of his waking hours on the go they provided him with most of his fuel, sitting down meals was an idealistic notion as far as he was concerned. Muesli bars (with yogurt on them) dried fruits and pretzels were a given. Oh and here were the chips! Kyle picked up a packet of pringels and then hesitated. Should he get barbeque flavour, onion flavour, Or should he just go for plain? He stood in the isle for a few moments, pondering this thought.

[Deleted]

terima kasih banyak! The dormitory, unsurprisingly, was really noisy. Ada had heard rumors about how rowdy college students can be, but she never thought they could turn the whole building into a giant boombox. People were running around in the hallways, shouting to each other. Sometimes they barged into the bedrooms, surprising its occupants and drag them to join the rambunctious crowd. After an unfamiliar senior had tried to pull her out, Ada locked the door and tried to be as silent as possible so everyone would think her room was empty. Telling them to turn down the music seemed impossible. Evacuating the area was much more effective. She made her way out via the window, which wouldn't be possible to do if her room wasn't in the first floor. Ada brought her wallet and jacket with her, slightly unsure on where she's going to go to now she's outside. The absence of people going in and out of the campus building had created a silent, peaceful atmosphere. Unless Ada had some research to do, being there would be pointless. The library must had been closed once lecture hours was over. Far before her was a grocery store. It seemed like the most plausible place to go to; full of food and people. With a thought of refilling her snacks stock, Ada walked to the store. The student took a basket and headed to the beverage aisle. Bottled tea, iced coffee, ready-to-drink chocolate flavored milk were her fuel in late midnight studying. Once the exam week started, she would run out of them pretty fast so stocking them a lot is good. She didn't posses enough strength to carry them to the dorm - even four bottles and two cartons of milk already felt heavy. So instead carrying the basket in her hand, Ada hugged it and went to snacks aisle. Rows of shelves full of colorfully packed snacks greeted her sight. Ada had to resist and urge to take one of each type of snacks; she didn't have enough money to pay for everything anyway. She stopped in front of the potato chips, ready to pick up a cheese flavored cheese when her eyes saw something. On the top row, there was a huge bag of expensive chips. Ada had seen it often every time she went here, but this was the first time she saw a "50% OFF" sticker on said chips. Maybe that's because its expired date was near, but that didn't stop her to put down the basket and stretched her arm as high as possible. "J-just a bit more..." Ada stood on her toes and jumped a little, but still her fingers barely brushed past the second row. If only she was taller...

MADE BY MINNIE OF BACK TO NEVERLAND

[Kyle Kirkland]

"There is only one thing we can do here" Kyle spoke to Matilda in a mock serious tone "We must make a compromise" three packets of chips went into the trolley "And that should do it". Matilda said nothing, she did not eat chips, only hot chips on occasion.

As he turned around to head to the checkout he noticed another person had joined him in the aisle, a young woman with her arms wrapped around her basket like it was a crate. When she came a little closer Kyle saw that the basket contained bottles and cartons of various drinks, it must have been heavy, but the funny way she was carrying them probably made things a bit easier.

She stopped almost exactly in the spot that he had been standing before, right before the chips. Kyle watched as she made a grab for a large packet on the top row. He knew the brand well enough, although he wasn't really mad on them himself, and he knew that they did not get discounted all that often. But here they were, 50% off and placed on the highest shelf as if they shopkeepers were embarrassed about it.

The girl, who looked distinctly Polynesian, made a jump for them and (not surprisingly) her reach fell woefully short. Perhaps he should? Kyle made a step forward then paused. What if... Oh really what could go wrong? He swallowed his nervousness down and approached the girl. "Need a hand?" He asked.

Without waiting for a reply he reached up and grabbed the chips casually flexing his biceps as he did so and dropped them into her basket. "It's silly how they make these shelves so high that half the people can't reach them. I'm sure it's a marketing ploy of some sort but still. I'm Kyle by the way." He held out his hand and smiled "Can I get anything else for you while I'm here. I'm pretty good at reaching for things."

'I'm pretty good at reaching for things? Smooth Kyle, real smooth.'

[Deleted]

terima kasih banyak! After trying and failing several times, Ada pulled her arm down and massaged her shoulder. Might as well asked a staff for help before she embarrassed herself. Luckily this aisle was empty so no one saw her ridiculous efforts to reach said potato chip-- "Need a hand?" --well, this place actually wasn't empty. There was a person here; a man, around four or five years older than Ada, and he offered help. Before she responded to his offer, the man already took the chips from the shelf and dropped it into her basket. The student bit her lip, a tad embarrassed knowing that he must had been seeing her failed attempts. Such behavior wouldn't be tolerable if she was with her grandparents. Ada blinked, then smiled politely. "Isn't this the normal height?" she asked him, referring to the shelves. "Since I normally can't reach the top shelf, anyway..." The Indonesian woman was self-conscious about her height, but didn't mind telling people about it. "Maybe they only want someone purchased the chips before it expired." Much to her surprise, the kind stranger offered his hand and introduced himself as Kyle. Usually she didn't give her name to a stranger she just met, but he had helped her. And it's just a name anyway. She shook his hand briefly, nodding. "My name is Ada." Her eyes glanced at her basket. She already took almost all the things she wanted. "Ah, yes. The chocolate bar over there and the chocolate cookies with peanut butter filling next to it." Ada used her gaze to pinpoint them. Both were on the top shelf, close to a shopping cart that Ada assumed was Kyle's. "Thank you for your help," she slowly took the basket and hugged it again. There was a kid sitting on the cart's child seat. Ada only saw the kid's back; he or she was covered in an animal hoodie complete with the ears and claws at the end of the sleeves. The claws were strangely looked too real, but she was observing from a distance so she could be wrong. Ada turned to Kyle and asked, "are you shopping with your kid? That's a really cute hoodie." She only spoke for the sake of not turning the atmosphere into awkwardness, but she was honest about the hoodie; it was indeed cute.

MADE BY MINNIE OF BACK TO NEVERLAND

[Kyle Kirkland]

“My name is Ada”

“Ada” Kyle repeated the name. It was mercifully short which meant that the pronunciation wasn’t difficult. “Nice to meet you Ada, I’m called Kyle myself” they shook hands and the Australian started to relax a bit. It was silly but he had always felt that a handshake was a good sign.

The woman pointed to a few other items of food that were just out of her reach and Kyle grabbed them easily, taking an additional packet of sweet biscuits for his own trolley as he did so. He wasn’t much of a sugar fan himself, being a savoury kind of guy, but his cousin would probably like them.

 
“Ah, you’re welcome” he replied when he was thanked “Glad I could help.” Just then Ada noticed Matilda, still sitting quietly in the child’s seat. He had forgotten she was there.

"Are you shopping with your kid? That's a really cute hoodie."

Err… How was he going to explain this?

“Well she isn’t exactly my kid, though I do look after her. She’s a koala. Say hi Matilda.” Kyle picked Matilda up and removed the pink sunglasses from her face so Ada could see her dense brown eyes. “She has some trouble gripping things with her claws which made it hard for her to live in the wild. And a stint in the zoo didn’t work out so she lives with me now.” That was the shortened version of her story that he most often told people, the real tale was much more dramatic but very long.

“Would you like to hold her? She’s fine with being cuddled.” He offered the koala to Ada so she could take her in the same way you might pass over a baby. Matilda blinked but as usual said nothing. At the moment she looked as cute as a button, though that was because her sass only really showed when it was just the two of them.

[Deleted]

terima kasih banyak! “Well she isn’t exactly my kid, though I do look after her. She’s a koala. Say hi Matilda.” Ada's lips parted open in surprise as Kyle took the koala from the cart. Was koala even allowed to be owned as pet? Was koala even allowed to be brought to public places? Wouldn't the koala get scared seeing this unfamiliar place? And who put that sunglasses on her? This man, Kyle, definitely the one who did that. She put a hand on her mouth, stifling a giggle as Kyle removed it from the koala. "H-hi, Matilda..." Ada waved at her, her lips curling up in a smile. The koala was cuter without sunglasses. Matilda just stared back at her. “She has some trouble gripping things with her claws which made it hard for her to live in the wild. And a stint in the zoo didn’t work out so she lives with me now.” "Oh. Poor girl..." Ada carefully placed her basket on the floor. "You're really kind for taking her to live with you. But... is it allowed? Having koala as a pet?" Not many wild animals like koala can survive living close to humans. But suddenly he held Matilda closer to her, offering to cuddle his pet. "I can...? Won't she afraid of strangers?" Ada actually afraid the koala would panic and scratch her while she's in her arms. Or that she might dropped her and injure Matilda instead. Hopefully this koala wasn't heavy. Hesitating, Ada patted Matilda's arms. Her fur was quite soft, like a doll. She seem didn't mind being touched, so the student slowly took her from Kyle's hands and held her at her chest. "She's so warm..." Ada held her like this for a full minute before returning her to Kyle. "Well, I better go soon before it gets too late," she picked up her basket. "It's nice to meet you Kyle. And Matilda too." Ada nodded politely before turning to walk to the register.

MADE BY MINNIE OF BACK TO NEVERLAND