Chapter 3 #2
“Hey! What’s with all the complaining? I could serve you guys stale, crusty donuts and coffee that tastes and looks like mud.”
“You could, but then we’d revolt,” Moe assured him.
“After the cheese ball fiasco, I had an idea,” I said as I walked past Garvey into the building.
“Let’s start a sign-up sheet for meeting snacks.
I love to eat because it gives my hands something to do when we get into an intense discussion, but I also love to cook.
I’d happily take the opportunity to share some things with the group. ”
“It has to be a voluntary donation,” Garvey insisted. “I am not going to require anyone to bring snacks. And if something happens and whoever signs up isn’t able to come through, I’ll keep some on hand.”
“That sounds like a good idea,” Moe said as she walked over to the side table where there were legal pads and a cup of pens that we used during meetings. “I’ll make a form for us to use while I’m working in the office tomorrow.”
“I’ll be the first one to volunteer,” I announced. “I’ll bring snacks for Monday’s meeting.”
“I can’t wait!” Garvey said with a grin as he pulled out his chair and got ready to start the meeting. “So, let’s chat.”
◆◆◆
“Are you sure you don’t mind picking me up on your way home?”
“I don’t mind at all. I just hate that you’ll have to hang out in the store for more than an hour before I can come get you,” Taylor said with a frown.
“Did you see that news story about the people who’d been living in the attic at Walmart for months?”
“No.”
“I could do that.”
Taylor laughed as I got out and assured me she’d call when she was on her way so I could check out and meet her outside. She pulled away as soon as I shut the door, and I took a deep breath as I looked around, happy to be able to do such a mundane task as shopping.
Most people dreaded the chaos of shopping, but for me, it was a dream.
After years of living a life measured in minutes and monitored by guards, the chance to spend time aimlessly wandering through countless aisles of everything from craft supplies to cookware sounded like absolute heaven.
I knew I’d have to keep myself in check so I didn’t spend too much.
I grabbed a shopping cart and strolled through the pharmacy section, grabbing a few things I needed before I took my time in the shampoo aisle and smelled almost every option on the shelves before I chose a new brand to try.
I did the same thing with lotion and then took way too long choosing nail polish.
Dammit! I was doing exactly what I said I shouldn’t and buying things I didn’t need instead of sticking to my list.
“This is how they suck you in,” I mumbled as I hurried toward the grocery side of the store.
I tried very hard not to look at the islands of products placed in the middle of the aisles, designed to catch your eye and get you to spend even more money.
One of the packages caught my attention anyway, and I was reaching for it before I shook my head and hurried off again.
Moe had shared a theory during a meeting a few weeks ago that the air systems in stores like this released a chemical that put people into a trance and caused them to lose track of time and become flippant with money.
I was starting to believe her when I stopped again to look at some unnecessary product I didn’t need.
Once I finally reached the grocery section, I paused to check my list so I could map out a path through the aisles. I had just started looking it over when I heard someone call my name.
“Hello!” I said, trying to ignore the butterflies in my stomach at the sight of Roscoe pushing a cart in my direction.
No butterflies. No stomach flips. No racing heart. Just no, Serana.
Dating wasn’t on the agenda for another seven months; I didn’t want to fall into anything before I had at least a year of freedom under my belt.
I had heard too many stories about women who met someone soon after their release - how the roller coaster of emotions that dating entails made it hard for them to maintain their sobriety.
So, before I even left prison, I made a vow to myself that I would look but not touch until at least one year from the day I was released. Maybe even longer if I thought I needed the time.
“How are you?” Roscoe asked as he pulled his cart up to mine.
“I’m great! How are you doing?”
“I’m frustrated. Even though I have a list of shit I need, I haven’t found half of it, yet my cart is already full,” Roscoe said with a smile as he glanced at the items in mine.
“I did the same thing! I came in here for groceries but walked through the doors at the other end and mindlessly spent twenty minutes wandering around.”
“I’m careful to park near the grocery entrance now. I learned my lesson once when I got to the checkout and realized I’d been in the store for three hours and added a couple hundred dollars worth of things I didn’t need to my cart.”
“I have a feeling I’m about to learn that same lesson.” I motioned toward the shampoo and fingernail polish in my cart before I explained, “I came in for groceries, but there’s at least fifty bucks of crap in my cart already.”
“Is this your weekly shopping excursion, or are you here for something specific?” Roscoe asked as he took a few steps back and parked his cart nose to nose with mine so other shoppers could get past us.
“Both, I guess. I signed up to make snacks for a meeting tomorrow, but I need to get a few staples too.” I looked at the items in his cart and asked, “Are you cooking for a family?”
Roscoe laughed before he said, “No. Freezer meal prep is a way of life with my erratic schedule. It’s better to just have something on hand instead of getting into the habit of eating out.”
“That’s very grown-up of you. I could live on chicken nuggets and french fries.”
“You don’t like to cook?”
“I love to bake, but I’m not as good at cooking,” I explained.
“I’m the opposite. I’m not much of a baker, but cooking is my hobby.”
“That’s refreshing.”
“What do you mean?”
“Cooking isn’t something a lot of men enjoy, or at least not the men in my family.”
“My dad is a great cook. I got into cooking by working with him in the kitchen. He can make some great desserts, but baking isn’t his specialty either.”
“Does he try?”
Roscoe laughed before he told me, “He’s been trying to make croissants for ages. Even though they taste good, they’re not exactly right. That just irritates the hell out of him.”
“Croissants are truly a chore, but I love to make them because they’re so delicious.”
“He’s tried them over and over, but he just ends up filling the house with smoke and then destroying the smoke alarm.”
Without thinking, I offered, “I could give him some tips that might help.”
“He’d appreciate that, as would the rest of us.”
I smiled because Roscoe seemed nice enough to choke down whatever his dad made just so he wouldn’t hurt his feelings. I wasn’t sure why I thought that exactly; I just got the vibe that he was generally a good person.
My intuition about people was usually spot on - even though you wouldn’t know it by looking at the mistakes in my dating past.
I glanced down at my watch and saw that we’d been chatting for almost thirty minutes, and grimaced before I said, “My ride will be here soon, so I need to get my shopping done.”
“I’ve still got to find a few things too. Why don’t we shop together?”
I was enjoying his company just as much as I had at the dance studio and the restaurant afterward. With a smile, I agreed, “I’d like that!”
We wandered up and down the aisles, discussing different recipes and bouncing ideas off each other, until my phone dinged with an incoming text that let me know Taylor was on her way.
“My friend will be here to pick me up in just a few minutes, so I need to go check out.”
“I’ve never had this much fun grocery shopping before. We should do it again.”
“Same time next Sunday?” I asked.
“If my schedule allows, I’d love to. Can I have your number so we can make a plan?”
“Sure!” I said eagerly as he pulled out his phone. Once I gave him my number, my phone dinged again, and I saw that he’d sent me a text. I replied with an emoji and then saved his number in my phone. “I’ve gotta go, but I’ll text you later.”
“I look forward to it.”
Once we’d said our goodbyes, I hustled toward the front of the store and then waited for an open register in self-checkout before I went outside to look for Taylor.
Once my bags were in the back seat, I got into the front quickly since we were blocking traffic.
I laughed when she said, “I’ve never had someone so happy to see me before. That place must have been a madhouse”
“It wasn’t that bad.”
“Then why are you so giddy?” Taylor asked as she narrowed her eyes.
“I ran into Roscoe, and . . .”
“The hot doctor? No way!”
“We did our shopping together.”
“When are you going to see him again?”
“We’re going to meet up next Sunday and do it again.”
“Wow. His idea of a first date is definitely setting the bar low - which might not be a bad thing, since nearly anything else would be a step up.”
“It’s not a date.”
“Good, because that would just be sad.”
“I’m not going to date yet, remember?”
“Come on! It worked for Farrah. She met her Prince Charming at the gym, and now look at her!”
“As much as I think he fits the description of Prince Charming, he’s not the one for me.”
“How can you be so sure? Give the man a chance.”
“I can’t. It’s either friends or nothing. No dating until I’ve been out for a year.”
“That’s not a hard and fast rule, Serana. Give yourself some grace.”
“The last time I did that, I ended up addicted. I’m not going to allow that to happen again, even if the addiction involves a tall blond man with a sexy voice.”