Pick-Up on Aisle Five

I’m trying to find the dill and sea salt Triscuits when I hear the light crash of two grocery carts behind me. The man’s cane dangles on the handle, swaying from the collision. He looks a solid eighty-six. The young woman he’s hit doesn’t look a day over seventy-nine. She has a bounce in her white sneakers that was surely there before the crash. She’s ready when he questions her. Staring at the rows of crackers boxed in bright yellow, I stand and listen: 

“You’re shopping?”

“I am.”

“How’s it going?”

“I try a few different things every week. I don’t like eating the same things all the time.”

“You’re here with your husband?”

“No. No, he passed. I live with my daughter around the corner.”

“Oh, where?”

“In the Texas track.”

“I see. Would you want to get lunch sometime?”

“No, no. I am not ready for that. I’m getting a new frozen meal.”

“Okay. Good luck with all the shopping then.”

“Yes, yes, bye.”

I turn and catch her cheeks flushing pink as she glides down the aisle. I grab my dill and sea salt before following the man, who now seems an inch taller. Small interactions can have a powerful impact on a person’s day.  

Let’s make an impact. Let’s make a connection. Let’s have another pick-up on aisle five.