The little black birds hopped amongst the lower rack of the carts stacked in the corral. Jason walked to his car. He sniffled. The autumn breeze chilled his skin. He pulled his hands out of his pocket to light the cigarette hanging from his lips. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d shopped alone. They did everything together, but things change with the arrival of a new baby. Their time together was now strained and to the point. The soft and gentle words spoken over morning tea and the sweet kisses under the tree in their front yard were fading memories. “It shouldn’t be this way,” he thought. But then again the baby should have been his.