Leroy Adkins is an underperformer. He barely graduated. He barely got a job, and he hardly socializes in his day-to-day life.
Zachary Turner has been sick for as long as he can remember, and as he grows older the crushing realization that he never...
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When Leroy and Zachary got to the grocery store parking lot, Leroy helped Zach out of the front seat and then went ahead to help him set up his chair. The older man had thanked him, setting it in before rolling himself towards the grocery store entrance. Leroy walked behind him, taking in the swarm of people going in and out, holding on to bags of food.
"I'm going to get the meat first," Leroy announced when he was able to get a coin cart. Zachary nodded at him, picking up a basket from the stack.
"I'm not to get the frozen dinners first, I'll meet up with you in the fruit aisle after," Zach said, holding on to the basket on his lap before Leroy nodded and made his way to the freezers. I picked up a couple of packets of meat, some fish, and after some contemplation, his sister's favorite shrimp. When he made his way to the fruits and vegetable section, Zachary was already there inspecting an onion in his hand.
"Did you find everything alright?" Leroy asked, and Zach just nodded, not saying anything.
At first, Leroy thought Zach was just tired and proceeded to pick up vegetables himself, but slowly, and, surely, it dawned on him that someone was lingering around them a bit too much. There was a lady that walked by several times, not picking anything, and anytime Leroy would look up at her she was staring directly at Zachary. He would make eye contact with her, and then she would blink, looking away before speed-walking out of their peripheral vision and somehow making her way back to the vegetable aisle again.
It got so annoying that Leroy finally butted in and said something.
"Hey, can we help you?" he asked, making the lady's eyes move to him for the first time. The woman stared at him, not saying anything, her eyes then moved back to Zachary—again.
"Can we help you? Why are you staring at him?" Leroy repeated and the lady looked back at him again, before rubbing the back of her neck.
"I was just curious," she mumbled.
"Curious about what?" Leroy asked, but the woman didn't answer, she turned around and walked away—almost jogging as if she was being chased.
"What was that about?" Leroy asked, looking over at Zach who has been inaudible throughout the whole fiasco. "Do you know her?"
Leroy asked, and Zach just shook his head, getting a clear bag to add some carrots to. "No, people just do that sometimes."
"What?"
"They see me in a wheelchair, and they see me stand up—like I did to look at the top shelf when picking out frozen meals, and they just let their curiosity get the better of them—"
"She basically stalked you in a grocery store because you stood up. That's not just curiosity, what the hell?" Leroy said, and Zach seemed to think about it for a bit before sighing.
