"if it's good news, it must be someone else's"

Wednesday, October 3, 2007

413. while waiting on a grocery store check-out line

the woman in front of me on a grocery store, express check-out line had a conundrum of sorts.
she had a four pack of paper towels, a jar of mint jelly, and a small bottle of elmer’s glue.
the total was $10.32.
she only had a ten, and no intention to use a credit card.
something had to go.
the surprise solution, she discarded the paper towels ... and the mint jelly!
why discard both?
and why keep the glue?
i was ‘larry david’ close to asking her to explain her thought process to me.
smartly, i feigned disinterest for fear she might glue my mouth shut—she struck me as the type.

as a point of clarity, reading the latest celebrity alien abduction headline, locating the eye glass repair kits, and conjuring up stories about the people in line based on their purchases, are the three normal ways i keep myself entertained while on line at the market.

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