Sunday’s groceries

I was heading out to the grocery store on Sunday afternoon when my neighbor snuck up on me as I was backing the car out of the garage.

I rolled down the window.

“Hi Brad. Going to the store?” she said.

I’m not a huge believer in coincidence so it has to be metaphysical. Or my next door neighbor is maybe a psychic? Or she has my house under surveillance.

“I am. You need anything, Rona?”

“Well, if you don’t mind I could some Half and Half?” she asked.

“It’s not a problem. A pint?”

“A quart if they have it.”

“Sounds good,” I said. “I’ll be back in about an hour.”

“Oh, and organic if they have it.”

“If they have it.”

“If they have it.”

+ + +

Turns out they didn’t have it. Or not where I thought it should be.

I saw someone stocking half gallons of milk through from the back room so I opened the door and stuck my head between the shelves and asked if they had it.

“Half and Half?” he said.

“Yes. A quart. And organic, if you have it.”

“Yeah, we have it.”

“Great,” I said and smiled.

He smiled back.

A somewhat awkward pause.

“Can you tell me where it is?”

“Sure. The organic Half and Half, way over there on the other side of the frozen aisle,” he said pointing to the middle of the store.

“Thanks,” I said.

He mumbled an acknowledgment and went back to filling the shelves.

+ + +

I pulled in the driveway where Rona was waiting for me. How she knew, I have no idea. I rolled down the window.

“You said you’d be about an hour,” she said in answer to the question I thought.

“Am I on time?” I asked.

“Oh that doesn’t matter. What is time anyway?”

I smiled and handed her a small bag with her Half and Half. “Here you go Rona, a quart of Half and Half.”

She took the bag and looked inside. “And organic! They had it.”

“They had it.”

“Let me run inside and get my purse, dear, and I’ll be right back. You don’t have anything melting in the back seat, do you? I don’t want your food to melt.”

“Oh, everything’s ok back there. And don’t get your purse. The Half and Half is on me,” I said.

She smiled. “You’re such sweetheart, Brad.”

I smiled. “You’re going to make me blush,” I said. “Enjoy the Half and Half, Rona.”

I watched her walk back into her house and then pulled into my garage. I grabbed my bag of groceries out of the back seat and felt a melting package of frozen butternut squash risotto starting to poke it’s way through the soft brown paper.

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For Ragtag Daily Prompt: HALFWAY