Watch Your Step

Photo credit: Robsalot (that's me!)

She loved going to the grocery store with her parents. Of course, they would always stop by the meat counter first, which was kinda boring, but there was a tank full of lobsters nearby that were pretty fun to watch as they crawled on top of each other, their claws bound in colorful rubber bands.

Once the lobsters were thoroughly inspected she’d move on to the cereal aisle to contemplate just how much sugar her parents would let her get away with at breakfast this week. The decision was always tough, there were so many to consider, and she had to have her arguments ready by the time her parents caught back up with her.

After the cereal compromises had been made she’d swing by the Brach’s candy display, if she had a quarter to deposit in the little receptacle for a piece of taffy. Then the final stop, her favorite, beyond the dairy cases, and past the rows of vegetables (yuck!) was the bakery. Every kid knew that there was always a free cookie waiting for them at the bakery. It used to be you actually had to ask the lady wearing the white apron behind the counter for a cookie (and sometimes she made you go get your mom to say it was okay), but now they put them out on a little tray with a sign that read “kids, please take ONE.”

It was mid-October and she had gone to the grocery with just her Dad, who was in a hurry to get home to watch some baseball game. As usual, her Dad headed for the meat counter while she veered off to the cereal aisle by way of the lobster tank. She was standing there, contemplating the corn pops when suddenly someone pulled the floor out from under her feet. BAM, she hit the ground hard, and by the time she got back up the lights had gone out. She didn’t even have a moment to think, she just started to run, or at least she tried to, but the floor had somehow turned to liquid. She found herself scrambling like those cartoon characters with feet spinning in circles, going nowhere, as the yellow and red checkered tile undulated in waves down the aisle. She couldn’t keep her balance and fell again, cereal rained down on top of her.

By the time the ground decided to regain its normal, solid, consistency, almost every box of cereal had fallen from the shelves. She dug herself out and immediately heard her Dad’s voice, loud, bellowing her name in a tone she’d never heard before. She ran for him and once he had her in his arms, and was sure she was okay, they slowly picked their way out of the store.

They called it “The Big One”, but all she knew was she didn’t really like going grocery shopping anymore. That was 30 years ago, and even now she still refuses to step foot inside a Safeway.