After my uneventful shift, I decide to go to the grocery store to pick up some Ramen. In all honesty, Ramen is quite lacking in the nutrition area, but damn is it delicious!
My instincts tell me to not go to the Walmart that is across town; I simply don't think that I could ride that far with an empty stomach and a tired body. So instead, I end up choosing to take a visit to the lifeless Food Lion across the road from Olive Garden.
The crossing of the road is much easier than normal, considering that there's not nearly as much traffic as there usually is. This is quite enigmatic, but I decide to listen to my growling stomach and ignore it.
I quickly ride to the bike rack in the parking lot and chain up my transportation, almost toppling into the concrete in the process. Boy, I need more coordination.. and sleep. Yes, definitely sleep, I conclude in my head.
As I walk into the store I notice a man leaning on the wall. He's definitely not homeless, considering he's holding an iPhone and is wearing nice, crisp clothes. I decide to say hello(I'm trying to be more social), and begin to walk towards him.
"Hi, um, sir," I spit out awkwardly. Come on Piper, socializing isn't that hard, I remind myself.
He raises an eyebrow as he scans me,"Excuse me?" he replies.
"Are you waiting for someone? You seem anxious."
"Nope."
"Oh. That's cool." God, I'm so awkward, and why am I getting all flustered with this random stranger?
"I have to go," he says, walking away uncomfortably.
Ignoring the awkward friendly gesture I attempted at, I walk into the store and navigate my way to the Ramen. I see a bag of Doritos on the way and, reluctantly, decide against buying it. I finally spot the Ramen section and grab the huge pack of 12 and head over to the vegetable section. To (sort of) make up for the lack of sustenance, I usually buy some carrots and peas to put in the soup.
I put a few vegetables in a produce bag and head to the check-out area. A girl who looks about 25-ish smacks her chewing gum as I approach. She scans all of my items and I pay for all of my Ramen and vegetables and head out of the tiny store.
I blindly walk over to the bike rack and almost trip over a random slab of uneven concrete. I curse under my breath and try to compose myself when I realize that my bike is missing.
Fuck! How am I supposed to get home now?
I frantically look around when I see a figure walking away with a bike- My bike! I run over to him- or her-and furiously and grab on to one of the handlebars. Up close, I see that it's a young boy.
"Excuse me! What are you doing? That's not your bike!" I practically yell at him.
He looks up at me with large, scared eyes and then his lips start trembling as tears well up in his eyes.
I feel spark of sympathy and let go of the handlebar to put my hand on his shoulder, " Hey, what's wro-"
Suddenly, he has an evil little boy face and is kicking me furiously. "YOU MEANIE! YOU STOLE MY BIKE!"
"What the-"
I am interrupted again, but this time the little boy has started running away from me as fast as he can.
Before I even have time to process what just happened I realize that I left my grocery bag in front of the store. I quickly ride back on my bike and I exhale with relief to find my beautiful Ramen perfectly safe. I snatch it up and put it in the basket possessively.
I bike home and collapse on the couch and make myself some Ramen before finally going to bed.
