Sunday, October 8, 2023

First post-COVID grocery day...

...when I had the day off and walked to the far pharmacy and grocery store in the (college town) that I now live in:

1) At the one local brewery where I stopped through to have a patio coffee and send out an important email, the one (Bosnian-American) (computer programmer) regular who I know suspects that I might have picked up COVID at the farmer's market, since even though it's outdoors, it was crowded, and my immune system was probably run down from working extra shifts and getting into a new and more intense workout routine right around then.

2) At the one (Mexican) ice cream place by the pharmacy, I got a two-scoop cone (avocado on top and pistachio on the bottom) and sat outside at their little table there and ate it and chilled, only to have just as I finish it the (younger) (Mexican) guy who had served me come outside trailed by the (shorter) (very indigenous-looking) woman with tied-back hair, and ask me as he holds a pad of paper what I want.

And, I'm confused at first, and then I show them the ice cream cone wrapper crumpled up in my hand, and I'm like "I already bought ice cream here" or something like that, and they both look confused for a second, then they recognize me (my not having a KN95 mask on may have been a contributing factor), and they turn to go back inside, him first, and then the woman.

So, as she walks past me, I put my hand by the side of my mouth very theatrically to block his sight, and I stage whisper very loudly, "Que loco" ('What a crazy guy'), at which she turns to me and looks me in the eye for a second and says in (heavily accented) (English), "I know," and then turns and promptly walks back inside.

3) As I'm lost in the grocery store baking aisle, I go to turn to two (early 20s) (black) women walking down the aisle towards me to ask them if they know where I can find some brown sugar, but I stop myself just in time.

No comments: