“I always see you at the grocery store,” she said surprised, “but aren’t you supposed to be in hibernation?” She asked with the most genuine smile I’d seen in months.
“A man’s got to eat.” I said looking through the produce department.
“Can you believe they took out all the lettuce?” I asked looking down at the bags of cubed turkey and cheese in my little basket. As tasty as steak, sushi, and wings are the body needs a rest every once in a while. Hibernation is a perfect time for a reset.
“I just want a salad.”
In my opinion nothing beats a basic mixture of iceberg lettuce, roasted turkey, cheese, and a balsamic/French dressing combo. After the stress and overeating of the holidays simple was the way to go.
“Well 50 people did get sick from e. Coli,” she shrugged.
“Oh shit. That’s right. It’s been all over the news.” I still wanted a salad. I had been thinking about it all day. “What happened to salvage what you can then throw out the rest? There had to be some good there.”
“Speaking of news, I usually see you here every few months...at least a couple of times during the summer. Did you move?”
“I’ve just been busy with a new job and I’ve been doing a bit more reflecting than usual the past year. Fifty is right around the corner.’
“I thought you were in class with Jess.”
“No. I was between Jess and Ben. How are they by the way?”
“Everybody’s fine. Jess, her twins just started junior year in college and Ben’s daughter is getting married in April.”
“God save the queen! Really? I remember when they were little kids.”
“My oldest,” she said taking out her phone, “is about to start college.” She showed me a picture of her beautiful young doppelgänger. “So, you seeing anyone?”
“No,” I said. “I was doing some sporadic dating but when the #MeToo movement hit I did some reassessing. I took the time to contact all of the women I know and still talk to, and even those I don’t to see if I was ‘that guy.’
“Some conversations were face to face. Some were via email. Some were via text. There were a few lost friendships and messy breakups but nothing crazy or completely destructive.”
“Wow,” she said wide eyed. “Just wow.”
“Yeah. I know. Sorry to lay such heavy shit on you. This is hibernation. It’s a complete deconstruction and rebuilding of the self to better connect with the people and the world around me.”
“I feel like I need a drink,” she said shaking her head.
I stepped back and took a deep breath.
“Have I ever made you feel uncomfortable or pressured in any way?”
She pursed her lips and looked into the distance. I took another deep breath and tried to remember if things ever got crazy.
“Not the conversation you thought you’d have in the produce aisle on a Saturday afternoon, is it?”
Her eyes softened and she smiled.
“I was trying to think about the one thing you always do and that’s it. You always know how to break the tension.
“I can honestly say I’ve never felt uncomfortable or pressured by you. I’ve known you since I was 13 years old. You’ve always been good to the family. You were there for Jess when Trevor died and you always remember our birthdays.”
“March 31st,” I said.
She smiled that big genuine smile again.
“Good to see you.”
“Good to see you, too. Catch you in a few months. Maybe next time it will be in the cereal aisle. Change of pace from the produce aisle. Best of luck with the lettuce.” She said waving as she disappeared around the corner.
“Holy shit,” I said catching a glimpse of something out of the corner of my eye. Buried amongst the cabbage was a head of lettuce. There was a little bit of rust near the root.
I would salvage what I could then throw out the rest. There had to be some good there.
No comments:
Post a Comment