“Are you sure your pension check is cleared?” Clara asked. “I can look at your bank ledger if you need help with the expenses.”
“Well, now, Clara, a person still needs a friendly word with her groceries.”
Clara let out a short breath and looked down the street.
“Just don’t say I didn’t warn you when the heating bills start coming in November,” she said.
She marched back down the steps to her car.
The street went quiet again after she drove away.
I realized I had left my small container of honey sitting on Arthur’s counter in my rush to get home before her.
I drove back to the SuperMart and walked through the lobby.
The draft from the automatic doors was cold against my neck.
Arthur was not at his register, and the light above Lane Four was dark.
The yellow tape stretched across the entrance of the lane, fluttering gently in the breeze from the doors.
I stood there by the shopping carts, staring at the plastic barrier.
