Odyssey of the City of Lights

Odyssey of the City of Lights - Book 1 - Chapter 17

As I followed Aaron into the store, I stared slack-jawed as he grabbed a shopping cart that looked surprisingly normal. I mean, it was almost identical to the ones back in my village. Puzzled, I asked, "Why is the cart so... ordinary?"

Aaron chuckled, pushing the cart ahead. "I don't know. Not everything needs to be futuristic or upgraded. This design is good enough and functional. The only thing it could do better is follow me around automatically, but honestly, that's just overkill for a grocery run."

I nodded. Can't fault his logic.

As Aaron walked off, I made sure not to lose sight of him as the sea of people moved all around us.

Aaron guided us through the store, "Let's hit the autochef aisle first for dinners, then we'll pick up some packed lunches to save money and finish with fresh stuff," he suggested. I shrugged and nodded in agreement, still adjusting to the overwhelming array of choices surrounding us and the noisy stampede of people who magically didn't run each other over.

Looking around, I didn't recognize any of the things I saw. Back home, we had meat, grains, tubers, and a small selection of sauces and spices. That was it. Here, each aisle had more options than at the store back home.

Inwardly, I sighed.

"You paying attention, Eli," Aaron called out, pulling me from my thoughts.

I nodded, following his gestures.

As Aaron enthusiastically pointed out various options in the autochef aisle, the colorful packaging, and unfamiliar names left me feeling completely out of my depth. Aaron seemed to sense my confusion and tried to help by offering comparisons.

"Here, this one's similar to what my mom made for dinner the other night," he said, picking up a packet. My eyes lit up as I remembered the flavor and vaguely recognized the image on the package. I nodded.

Aaron held up another packet. "And this is like what we had at the restaurant. The Asian Fusion one with my friends." I peered at the packaging, trying not to drool at the memory, and nodded again. He added those and a few more to the basket, counting how much he needed till the weekend.

As we moved along the aisle, Aaron must have realized I had no idea what we were looking at. He asked, "Wait, you have no idea what an autochef is?"

I shook my head. "No, not really."

He explained, "You just pop these in the autochef, and in about 15 minutes, you have a meal. Not as good as you can make from scratch, and a bit more expensive but a lot easier both in cooking and cleaning side."

I nodded, "Are you sure these things are safe to eat?" I asked, my voice tinged with doubt.

Aaron laughed. "Of course they are! I've been eating them for years, and I'm still alive, right? You have eaten a few of these already, too," he said with a grin.

"True," I admitted, realizing the autochef was the box Aaron made my meals in the last few days. "It's just... so different from what I'm used to."

As we reached the end of the aisle, Aaron asked, "So, what do you think about packed lunches?"

I shook my head, admitting my unfamiliarity. "I'm not sure. We never had these back home. Our mom's just packed our lunches every day."

Aaron contemplated the options before us, his gaze drifting from one aisle to another. "Well, you can choose between sandwiches with lunch meat or prepackaged lunches. The latter is a bit more expensive, but it's still way cheaper than eating out every day. Plus, you just throw it into a lunchbox, press a button, and you have hot food instead of cold food."