Deli counter lady

Saturday mornings are always a fun time of the week. I get up to let the dogs out, have some sort of 'treat' for breakfast - eggs bendict or a donut or something to make the morning zing. Then there is the ritual of watching "The Practice" reruns and the walk with the dogs.

Today I gave a friend of mine a lift to work. Wait, let's stop a moment. What a great thing to say. I GAVE him a lift. I love being able to do that. After years of no car, and getting rides from him, it is nice to do him a favor.

So, I am dropping him off at work and I see that I am close to the grocery store - Shoppers - that I wrote about last week. The store that Jim and I would go to and was stacked to the roof with memories. I told myself that I could go in there now, now that I have done it once.

I went in and it was an odd feeling, a welcoming, a good warm feeling. I knew it was good that I had come.

I went to the deli counter where there used to be a nice woman that knew just what meats we wanted, joked with me about Jim waiting in the car and in general was like the oldtime neighborhood grocer. She wasn't there last time and I think that was good. It was rougher last time.

Today she was right there and smiling behind the counter. She looked at me and said "ohh! it's about time!" and I laughed. We were the only ones there so I told her about Jim passing and she said she remembered him well because he would sneak up behind me when I was intent on ordering and spook me. He did that, but honestly, I had forgotten it. Theres a memory reclaimed.

There were some other customers coming up so I moved on to continue shopping. I am in the milk section and feel these arms wrap around me and I turn and she is there giving me a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. She said she was sorry he is gone but to know he is with me. And to come back to see her. I told her thank you and I will. Then she left.

I stood in the milk section and had the stupidest grin on my face. Just a smile and some tearing in the eyes thinking about how wonderful people are. That she remembered us was one thing, but to search me out and give me a hug and some kind words just gave me such warmth. What a wonderful woman.

I thank her for the smile she gave me while I was in a place filled with the Jim and I memories that sometimes hurt. I thank her for the memory she shared that I had forgotten. I thank her for the openness to hug me in the middle of the milk section.