It was a crazy Sunday in the supermarket the weekend before Thanksgiving. I have been notified that I may very well be on jury duty on the Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving...so I have had to reevaluate my free time and meal planning for the coming week.
As I entered the market and grabbed a small shopping basket for a few last minute items to make a little birthday cake for DIL, I could feel the tension and energy sucking the oxygen from my space around me. When I scooted past the produce section, I saw there were people everywhere. Mostly couples, perhaps on their way home from church...although not in fancy dress, comparing lists and pointing here and there with their heads close in conversation.
"Where is the condensed milk?" asks one lady with a small child to a woman putting price tags on something.
"Where are the sanitary wipes?" one husband looks up from the list and asks his wife who is perusing the cereal aisle.
"Can you tell me where I can find ginger snaps?" asks one man of the store clerk who is stuffing even more boxes of cream cheese onto the refrigerator shelf.
I sighed and try to get through my list as fast as possible skipping most of the aisles and heading for checkout. EVERY SINGLE CASH REGISTER is BUSY and has at least two groups of customers with full carts waiting in line. EGAD! Now the tension and energy have peaked and my ears are starting to ring. Then I notice that one of the aisles without a light has only one large cart waiting to unload its bounty and I scoot quickly behind. Soon someone is behind me!
"It is OK, Rod, but I am not a big fan of green beans." says the male voice behind me.
"Well, I never made it but it has .....like...fried onions on top...I think you use cream of mushroom soup.."
"Well, I guess I could try it if it wasn't too soupy."
"It is sort of a traditional dish, I think."
Curiouser and curiouser as I want to know what two men look like who talk in detail about a green bean casserole. I put on my best grandma smile and turn to look at them as I unload my last item and put the basket under the counter.
They were in their late 30's or early 40's and dressed in sweater vests like they had just returned from church. They smiled back and appeared to be embarrased that I had overheard their conversation.
The talk continued although they seemed a little awkward with each other.
Finally as I was sliding my credit card, one of the men stopped at the end of the aisle and grabbed a CD from a Christmas display. "Wow...Barbara Streisand...nice."
The other guy laughed..."Barbara Steisand?"
"Well, I like her music!"
"Really?"
"Well...yeah...I guess I wouldn't listen to her everyday." The other man laughed.
I may be wrong...but I think that it is this couple's first Thanksgiving together. What do you think?
I'd guess so too, hope their green bean casserole turns out.
ReplyDeleteThanks for reminding me to get to the grocery store. Might be worth getting out of bed early to get it done.
ReplyDeleteYes - first Thanksgiving together.
Definitely their first Thanksgiving. And if that's the green bean casserole made with onion soup I suggest they not bother. Yuck!
ReplyDeleteProbably their first Thanksgiving and even more likely their first and last green bean casserole. ;)
ReplyDeleteIn an era when we have all kinds of fresh vegetables, I do not understand why people still make green bean casserole????
ReplyDeleteI'm cooking Thanksgiving dinner and I was back at the grocery store today for my second cart full and my second reduced price turkey,this one for Christmas. There was a lot more holiday shopping today. Time to get those frozen turkeys into the refrigerator for thawing.
Does sound a bit like a getting to know you chat, doesn't it? Did give me a chuckle!
ReplyDeleteDid they by chance call each other Cam and Mitchell?
ReplyDeleteWell, i guess they are lucky it wasn't me -- being from the South, where we talk to each other in grocery lines, i probably would have shared our family recipe with them!
ReplyDeleteIt is always fun to listen in on conversations in a crowd and try to guess the story--even more fun when you get bits and pieces of several different conversations going on. Yes, I have an easy time amusing myself.
ReplyDeletePerhaps their third date? LOL
ReplyDeleteNo more shopping; eat out of the pantry. :)
I bet it is! Ah, the days before you know - or think you know - everything about the other one. I hope you don't get picked for jury duty!!
ReplyDeleteOur next door neighbor gave us a turkey as thanks for walking their dog every evening. He said the perfect recipe is: one cup rum and one cup butter; cover with a cloth and slow roast it at about 300, basting frequently. So that is what I will do.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great story! And I love your header photo.
ReplyDeleteA great story! And, Green bean casserole can be made with fresh beans, sliced mushrooms, cream and home fried onions. It's definitely good, but it does not bring back memories of home, childhood, or mom or grandma. Just saying. My daughter wanted Rice Krispie treats on the dessert buffet at her wedding and green bean casserole on her very healthy Thanksgiving table in honor of her grandma. Once in a lifetime or once a year. To each his own.
ReplyDeleteRYN: You looked perfectly find when we met you. :) If you think your wardrobe is out of touch, get a Vogue and window shop. My wardrobe consists of sweats and denim lately. I'm off to LA and a visit with the uppercrust this weekend, and I cannot afford to even look at her version of casual. I'll fake it with black on black with a fun scarf...if I can find the black in my dark closet. I did find the perfect jacket this week, and it's 2 sizes too small. I bought it....perhaps 1940's, and hope I can have it altered. That will perk up my wardrobe problems. Hope yours are easier to solve.
ReplyDeleteI like the sound of your supermarket. And love the way you have spun a tale out of frustration. Blessings from Freda at Dalamory www.freda.org.uk
ReplyDeleteCute! I like being that once removed fly on the wall.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great story. Maybe they were teasing, maybe not.
ReplyDeleteInterestingly, I'd started drafting a story about my hatred of busy shopping centres but put it on hold because it was too bitter.
Stores here have been on crazy line time since before thanks Day- so I skipped groceries 2 weeks in a row n used the convenience store nearby for only a couple things. I don't have time to wait an hour!
ReplyDeleteBeen hungry n trying to eat out of the freezer-
Yep sounds like a new couple to me too- Plenty around here these days.