Monday, I was over in Sis-Town to withdraw Farmer H's reimbursement for his cash payments on flip house materials for the month of February. Since I was there, I stopped by Country Mart for the lottery machines, and a couple pieces of chicken for my supper, since Farmer H would be gone to the auction.
I was lucky to grab the second handicap parking space. No carts left out, so I had to hobble my way to the front door on the uneven sidewalk. Then I got a cart, and headed for the two lottery machines. Well! People were there ahead of me! That usually doesn't happen.
Because my knees are happier hobbling than standing, I went to the deli first, for some cold chicken already packaged. Then I got some bananas, though not the quality I get at 10Box. I picked up another jar of Kraft Mayonnaise. Looked for some fish batter for Farmer H. Then bread and Hawaiian Rolls. Of course there was a guy and a gal stocking the bread, right in front of what I wanted. I managed to get the rolls and some Nutty Oat, but had to give up on the cheap wheat sandwich bread.
Farmer H's Diet Mountain Dew was 50 cents off, so I got two. And some frozen fried rice. A little jar of Chinese duck sauce. A jar of Alfredo sauce. It's like I went down every aisle to get one item from each. Then the only checkout open was the one next to the portable hot food cart thingy. It's really narrow. You can't reach stuff down in the cart proper. I had to take out one of the sodas and balance it on my arm until I could pull in beside the conveyor.
On the way out, I stopped by the machines for my lottery tickets. I was at the last one, cashing in a $5 winner to get another $5 ticket, when a stringy-haired skinny lady walked by. It seemed like she wanted to use that machine, but too bad, so sad. I was there first! It's not like I was checking 20 draw tickets to see if they won something. I was just scanning one scratcher, and buying another.
Skinny Crackhead went to the other machine. Or so I thought. I wasn't watching her. Yet when I started wheeling my cart the 10 feet to the door, she was on my right shoulder. I held up. To give her time to go in front of me. But she didn't. She stayed right there. So I went on out the door and made my sharp left to go across the storefront to T-Hoe in the handicap parking area.
Skinny Crackhead was going the same way! That set off my self-preservation alarm. I am old. I am slow. I am not able to fight. I had my purse in the cart's child seat, with assorted scratchers sticking out. I held onto one of Pursey's straps with my hand. And kept looking over my shoulder at Skinny Crackhead. Just to let her know that I was onto her!
About halfway to T-Hoe, Skinny Crackheard finally went around me. She lit up a cigarette. How she managed that in the gusty winds is beyooooond me! But the smoke poured back into my face. Perhaps she was trying to blind or suffocate me.
THEN SHE TURNED INTO THE OPENING BETWEEN THE FIRST CAR AND T-HOE!
What in the Not-Heaven? Was she pretending that she was getting in T-Hoe? I clicked the clicker to unlock T-Hoe, and open the back hatch. Skinny Crackhead stepped closer to the first car. I set Pursey into T-Hoe's rear while I was unloading my grocery bags from the cart. No way was I letting Skinny Crackhead run by and grab Pursey! I also gave Skinny Crackhead the stinkeye. She had the good sense to turn and face that first car.
After I loaded the last bag, somebody came out of the store and went to that first car. Clicking open the locks, and allowing Skinny Crackhead to get in.
Whew! Situation narrowly avoided! I might be paranoid, with a wild imagination. But seriously. Who makes their passenger go out to the car in gale-force winds and 20-something wind-chill, without giving them the key...
4 comments:
"there was a guy and a gal stocking the beread right in front of what I wanted"
Me: "oh, excuse me, could you pass me one of the wheat sandwich loaves please?"
no missing out for me!
Paranoia and stinkeye is one way to guarantee your purse doesn't get stolen. I remember being followed around the store once until I took my purse and buried it under my groceries, while I stared right at him. Then I went to the kiosk and reported him with a description, they put out whatever call it was for that week and a security person followed him around the store.
River,
I don't like to be a bother. They had two of those tall carts with shelves, and their two bodies, taking up almost the entire shelf. I wormed my way in between the gal and the empty cart, to get a loaf of Nutty Oat Bread. A slight elbow to the cart allowed me to grab some fake Hawaiian Rolls. So I was only missing the generic brand whole wheat sandwich bread. It was on the bottom shelf in the middle of the area where they were standing with the other cart. I would have needed to bend down a couple times, picking up loaves and reading their expiration date. I didn't really want an impatient audience for that. They WERE actually working, not just killing time.
Heh, heh! You spoiled that guy's plans! If I had my cane in the cart, I could have stroked the handle while giving Crackhead the stinkeye, to let her know what lay in store for her!
I had an encounter at Stone Mountain, Ga. a few years ago. Just a couple of days earlier, I had seen an Oprah show about women’s safety and being aware of your surroundings. I was walking back to the parking lot alone as two older teen boys approached me and split, one going to my right and one to the left. Something felt wrong. As they passed, I whirled around and both of them had turned toward me…. I think to purse snatch or something. They both looked so surprised when I turned and they turned around and proceeded in their original direction. I think I dodged a bullet. You cannot be too careful.
Pudge450,
I agree that you stopped some shenanigans! I would rather be paranoid and watchful than an easy target. The slightest tap would topple me over. Not because I'm a mere wisp of a thing, heh, heh! But because my balance and reaction time are terrible. I try not to carry my purse anywhere except pushing it in my cart/walker at the grocery store. Somebody grabbing it would knock me down, and they'd be long gone before I could alert anybody to it, crawling around like a turtle, without my phone. This reminds me of another story...
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