Grocery Store

The other day I went to the grocery store. Most of you are now probably saying, "so"? But for those that really know me that statement is a milestone. I hate to grocery shop and my husband loved to. He would do all the shopping and would go to the store at least once or twice a week. We had a standing date on Thursday nights to go to HEB Plus. (What a romantic!) I shop quickly, dropping things in the basket aisle by aisle, or I would simply skip an aisle if I vaguely thought I didn't need anything on it. When we went together, I would leave Al in the produce section, while I grabbed everything else we needed. I would get a few things, then drop them in the cart (which he insisted he be in charge of) and move on to get another handful. He would stay in the produce section for hours if I let him. Does anybody else tap watermelon and sniff cantaloupe to see if they're fresh? What is that anyway?

I remember exactly the last time Al went grocery shopping. It was October 22nd - the day his leg got infected and the last day our lives were normal. Later that night he went to the emergency room for the first time and was diagnosed six days later. Because I was so busy with him, we hired someone to take care of the house and to do the grocery shopping. So, calculating all that time, it has been over 5 months since I personally set foot into a grocery store. Because grocery shopping was such a personal experience for both of us, I had been dreading venturing inside a store on my own. But, I had moved and I had absolutely nothing to eat. I did well going into the store, but when I turned the first corner and saw the produce, I lost it. Consequently, I skipped the whole section and still have no fruits and vegetables.

I am not as good a shopper as Al was. By the end of my trip I had powered donuts, vanilla wafers, sea salt and vinegar potato chips, mixed nuts, toilet paper and diet coke. Oh well, fruits and vegtebles are overrated... maybe next time.