13. The Dusty Old Booster Seat
“-And so, it’s more like a private tutor slash babysitter thing,” Rippa told her chat. Thankfully, her fans and neutrals had successfully beaten down the groomer allegation, so Rippa was now confident enough to try putting a lid on it once and for all.
What she told her chat was, in a way, somewhat true, so she did not feel too bad about lying… was what Rippa was thinking, but her chat started to discuss among themselves whether Rippa would quit VTubing now that she had a lucrative job from a wealthy ojousama with a butler.
“Guys, I’m not gonna graduate,” Rippa assured them. She pondered for a second whether to tell them she was not getting paid, but then decided against it. That would only make her chat suspect she had some ulterior motive.
Rippa then realized Goggles had never offered a payment to begin with. From the very start, the whole thing had not been transactional, but instead hinged entirely on her decision.
She then wondered if Goggles had been overly optimistic and hopeful in how he had initiated the contact. Come to think of it, opening a portal out of the blue and hoping Rippa would come through and then decide to become friends with Buttons was kinda… wild. Or maybe Goggles had simply been that confident in Buttons’ charm that he never questioned the outcome?
‘Welp, the kid is alright,’ Rippa admitted. In fact, she was glad now that they were friends.
“Anyway, chat, I’ve recently had Chicken Makhni for the first time,” Rippa returned to her VTuber self, and pulled up some Indian cooking videos to react to.
***
“Can I take Buttons out? For lunch tomorrow, maybe?” Rippa asked Goggles across the coffee table. “Apparently, there’s a new Indian restaurant in the neighboring town.”
It was late morning. Rippa sat on a sofa in the beach lounge and watched Madam J.D. nudge the hammock into gentle swings. The child in question was taking her pre-lunch nap after having spent the morning playing at the beach.
“It’s not that far from my house. Only about a thirty-minute drive,” Rippa added, turning her head to face Goggles.
Goggles set his tea down on the table and returned the gaze. After a couple of seconds of silence, he smiled. Rippa, once again, was taking the initiative, after all, which he appreciated.
“She’s a bit of a handful,” Goggles warned, but did not object.
“Nah, it will be fine. Miss Pendrake can come, too, if you are worried.”
Goggles nodded. “So what is the plan?”
“I’m thinking of lunch at the new Indian place. And then maybe just walk around and hang out.”
Goggles seemed to be satisfied with that.
***
Around half past ten the next morning, Buttons and Miss Pendrake stepped out of a portal into the Rippa family’s living room. The kid was, once again, dressed as if she was ready to hike across the continent. Mom hugged Buttons and Miss Pendrake, and everyone was ready to go… until Rippa led the two aliens to her pickup truck in the driveway. Opening the front passenger door for Buttons, she realized a glaring flaw in the whole arrangement.
“Shit,” she slapped her forehead.
“What’s wrong?” Mom came up to Rippa, looked at the truck, then back at Buttons, and slapped her forehead, too. “Shit.”
Rippa was thinking fast. “Should I call an Uber? I’m sure I can call one with it.”
“No, wait.” Mom rushed to the garage. “I think we still have it.”
Fifteen minutes later, Mom emerged from the garage with a booster seat so dusty it looked white. She went back into the kitchen and then came back with a wet towel to wipe the seat clean of the dust that had accumulated over the years.
“Why didn’t you guys throw it away?” Rippa asked, running her hand over the thing with a bit of nostalgia.
“Well, we thought we might need it when you bring us a grandkid,” answered Mom, busy wiping and scrubbing the seat clean. “Oh god, I hope I remember how to install it.” She stood up and handed the towel over to Rippa, and made a quick phone call to Dad at work.
After a few minutes, she ended the call. “OK, I mixed it up with the infant seat. This one isn’t that complicated.”
“You kept that one, too?”
Mom didn’t answer. Instead, she examined Rippa’s job of cleaning the booster seat. Satisfied, she gestured for Rippa to carry it to the truck.
Rippa was about to put the thing in the front passenger seat, but Mom bonked her on the head.
“Child goes in the back seat, Filippa.”
“OK,” Rippa rubbed her head and moved the seat to the back.
“Hello,” Goggles’ voice startled the two.
They turned around to find Goggles emerging from the house.
“Just came by to see if everything is alright,” he explained.
Mom and Rippa said hello, and resumed setting up the booster seat, but Rippa didn’t actually know what she was doing, so she stepped back and watched her mom handle it. It didn’t look as complicated as she had feared.
Meanwhile, Goggles walked around Rippa’s truck. He lightly kicked the tires as if checking the air pressure, peered inside, and tapped the hood with his palm.
“OK, it’s ready,” Mom announced, straightening her back.
She helped Buttons climb into the truck and buckled the kid up. Miss Pendrake tiptoed and peered over Mom’s shoulder to study how things were done.
“Buttons,” Goggles spoke over Mom’s other shoulder, “behave. And remain human.”
Buttons nodded.
Goggles then put a hand on Miss Pendrake’s shoulder. “And no Caliburn.”
Miss Pendrake, too, nodded.
Rippa, in the meantime, started her truck. She immediately recognized something was up.
‘What the…’
The engine sounded different. No splutter, no gurgling, and none of the usual bone-shaking vibration. The tank was miraculously full, and the ‘check engine’ warning was gone.
‘Did he…’ Rippa turned around.
Goggles just winked and stepped back alongside Mom.