shopping on a sunday

My first mistake was going for groceries early Sunday afternoon. Logic told me otherwise, but I thought, 'how bad could it be?' Naturally it was crowded, but that was to be expected. And naturally the deli counter was packed, but again, this is what I expected. I grabbed a number and leaned up against a cheese display to wait. 20 minutes later, I was one number away. So it only figures that this is when someone I know walks up and starts talking to me. Not 20 minutes before when I had nothing but time, but now, when my senses had to be on full alert for when they called my number. Trying to listen to my friend talk while keeping an ear out for my number didn't work. I missed my opportunity. So rather than jumping up at 27, which was my number, I had to wait for 28.

28 was called, I struggled to the counter, only to be met by the real number 28, who happened to be some 70 year old guy. I tried to explain that I missed my number only to have him rant about how he was 28, and that is what they called, and why would they call his number if they meant to call 27?! The lady behind the counter took my order while he was ranting.
He eventually cooled off and, by this time, I guess he saw me as a compatriot of sorts, so he started to tell me about this lady who, just a few minutes ago, grabbed the last can of crabmeat from him. He continued by telling me how he told her to wait there while he went to get the manager. Not to help, mind you, but to 'tell' on her for taking his canned crab. Just like the kindergartener that tells the teacher on you for eating glue. By this time, while waiting for the lady to slowly slice my cheddar cheese, I wasn't really paying attention to my new friend. I heard him say something about this lady's friend jumping into the fray and how he told them both that he would gladly tell the manager on both of them, but I can't be sure because by now I had my cheese and was doing my best to fade into the pasta aisle and disappear. I'm not sure what the end result was, but I doubt that he got his crab or that he got the ladies kicked out of the supermarket. Banning people for buying things just doesn't seem to make good business sense.

So 40 minutes and much brushing, bumping, waiting later, I was finally headed out only to meet more pleasant folks on the road. I'm waiting for the light to turn green and am stuck behind a long line of cars. To my right is another shopping plaza, and rather than block the entrance I'm sitting back a little to let other cars make a left and enter into the plaza. Well, the guy behind me starts laying on his horn, making rather unfriendly gestures and motioning that he wants to get into the plaza and can't get around me. So I inch up a little bit. Now the lady who wants to make a left and get into the plaza starts honking her horn at me. So I've got horns blaring behind me and horns blaring in front of me as I'm carefully trying to inch up just enough so the idiot behind me and the idiot in front of me can both squeeze through and get into the shopping center. I manage to find just the right spot and, of course, they both hit the gas and speed toward the entrance. Then they both slam on their brakes, inches from each other at this point, and exchange more horn honking and some more hand signals. I quickly slid around them and drove through the light, which had thankfully turned green.

All on a Sunday. The day of rest, silent reflection and prayer. And next Sunday, I'm planning on having a pizza delivered.