Page 13 of Something More

“Thanks, buddy.” I licked my lips after biting into the strawberry goodness. My mom’s homemade jam was the best. “I was thinking we’d go grocery shopping today. You can pick out some snacks, and then we’ll finish unpacking. Maybe Grandpa can come hang the TV tonight.” I brushed crumbs off my lap as I stood up. “We only have a few weeks until school starts here, too. We need to get you some new clothes.”

Jack’s lip twisted at the thought of shopping for clothes. If he had it his way, he’d live in basketball shorts and tees. “Fine,” he grumbled.

“Go get dressed, and we’ll head out in a bit.” I gathered our plates and carried them into the kitchen.

*****

Sunny Brook was about a twenty minute drive from everything. If you went north, you could get to the small downtown area of Myers. There were exactly three traffic lights, a post office, bank, and a few different stores. Myers was a town that looked like it was stuck in a time warp. Nothing has really changed since my childhood, and in a way, it’s very comforting.

If you go south, you find a small plaza on the outskirts of Roan. This is where the local Piggly Wiggly is located. It’s in a strip mall that also contains a Kmart, a Subway, and a laundromat. When I was a kid, we’d make weekly trips to the Piggly Wiggly. Mom would give us each a dollar to troll the bulk candy aisle and choose a treat. That small bag with four or five pieces of candy, it really depended on what we chose, was like finding buried treasure.

“Are we there yet?” Jack stared out the window. It was only about a five minute drive to the store from our old house. This living in the middle of nowhere was going to take an adjustment for him.

“Almost, buddy.” I made the final turn and pulled into the parking lot.

“There sure is a lot of nothing around here.” His lips pursed together as I laughed.

“Sometimes that nice,” I chimed in as I opened my door and climbed out. Jack followed, and we made our way into the Kmart. “Let’s grab some clothes for school, and then we’ll get food,” I reasoned.

“Ok.” He sighed as we entered the store. When I say nothing has changed, I mean nothing has changed. The same red and white tile floor met me right inside, and the spinning blue light announcing a special was right there. I shook my head as I laughed to myself.

“What’s so funny?” Jack looked confused.

“Nothing. Just feel like I’m ten again.” I led him over to the boys’ section and started thumbing through the racks.

We spent about an hour grabbing shorts and shirts, and a new pair of sneakers before checking out. After tossing the bags in the car, we walked to the Piggly Wiggly. “Go grab a buggy.” I pointed to the line of shopping carts. Jack happily skipped over and tugged a cart free.

“Can I push?” He grinned.

“Just don’t run over my feet,” I warned as I led us over to the produce section. We didn’t really need any fresh vegetables; Mom always had a garden in the summer. I grabbed some lemons for fresh lemonade, and then started perusing the other aisles. Coffee, sugar, rice, pasta, milk, bread, flour, and many other staple items made their way into the cart. Of course, I let Jack pick out junk food and his favorite cereal and soda. I tossed some of my favorite items from my childhood into the cart as well. I knew Jack would love them if he tried them. Cherry Lemon Sundrop was a favorite of mine, and the local BBQ joint always served them.

“Are we done yet?” Jack peered over the mound of groceries. I kept piling things in, hoping they wouldn’t spill out onto the floor. You don’t realize how much you need until you have nothing.

“Almost, buddy.” I laughed lightly as he stood on his tiptoes to look over the top of the groceries. When we rounded the corner to the last aisle, I smiled as I was hit with a wave of nostalgia. Both sides were lined with clean plastic bins to dispense every type of candy known to man. Taffy, hard candies, gummies, sour candies, licorice, gum, chocolates, and my favorite, the old-fashioned penny candy. I grabbed a bag and handed it to Jack. “Pick out what you want but keep it below five dollars.”

“Really?” His eyes went wide.

“Really.” I nodded. “My mom used to let me shop here each time we came. Cost has gone up, so I’m giving you a bigger budget.”

“Thanks.” He bounced on his toes before surveying all the choices. I stood there giving him time as he wandered up and down the aisle, looking at his options. He’d start to scoop from one, then think better of it and switch to something else. By the time he’d made his choices, he had a bit of everything. A giant red licorice twist was peeking out of the top of the bag. “I’m eating this first.” He pointed to it as I took over pushing the cart and we made our way to the checkout.

After ringing up the candy, I carefully tucked the bag in my purse so Jack could help me unload the buggy. We placed items on the conveyor belt taking turns, and then Jack moved the buggy so the bag boy could load the cart back up. I couldn’t believe that the store still had bag boys, but most looked like high school kids.

After I paid, we pushed the buggy out to my car. Jack held the buggy so it wouldn’t roll away, and I loaded the bags into the back. “Can I take it back?” He pointed to the cart return.

“Sure, but watch for cars.” I kept an eye on him as he worked his way across the parking lot, and then came back. We climbed in, and I began the drive home. The sun was high in the sky now, and it was feeling like a super-hot day.

*****

When we reached the house, Jack helped carry the grocery bags in, then went to play. I spent the better part of the afternoon unpacking, and then Hank stopped by. “Thought you might want some help with that.” He pointed to the basketball hoop that was still in pieces in the yard.

“That would be great.” I sighed. I was exhausted, but still had so much to do.

“I’ll get Jeff to help me. It’s a half day today since it’s Saturday.” He smiled. “Need help with anything else?” He peered around me inside the door.

“Dad’s going to hang the flat screen, but I think I can get everything else.” I waved him off. The help would be great, but being around him just made things weird. I was still battling with the fact that I found him attractive, and my heart wasn’t ready for that yet. Parts of me were still grieving the loss of Alex.

“I can do that for you.” He stepped inside, and I backed away. “That is, if you’re ok with it.” His eyes softened and I felt guilty for making him feel this way.

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