His Lovable Klutz (Completed)

Segment Fifteen.

♥ Shopping Spree ♥

      The grocery store was bustling with activity, the scent of fresh produce mingling with the cool, air-conditioned atmosphere. The store itself was massive, with wide aisles that seemed to stretch endlessly in every direction. Coby grabbed a shopping cart from the entrance and began her journey, wheeling it down the first aisle.

      The fruits section was a vibrant display of colors, with neatly arranged apples, oranges, bananas, and berries in every shade of red, orange, and blue. The apples were polished to a shine, their red and green skins glistening under the bright overhead lights. The oranges were stacked in perfect pyramids, and the bananas hung in bunches, ready to be plucked from their stems.

      Coby moved past the fruits, her eyes scanning the rows of vegetables. The vegetables were just as meticulously arranged as the fruits, with heads of lettuce and cabbage lined up like soldiers in formation. The carrots were bundled together with bright green tops still attached, and the tomatoes were plump and juicy, sitting in their baskets like little red jewels. There were also piles of potatoes, onions, and garlic, each variety in its own designated bin, all of them perfectly organized.

      As she continued to roam the store, Coby's cart began to fill up with a variety of food items. She tossed in a couple of heads of broccoli, some bell peppers—green, red, and yellow—and a bunch of spinach. She grabbed a carton of eggs and placed it carefully in the cart, then added a gallon of milk, some yogurt, and a block of cheddar cheese.

      She found herself lingering in the snacks aisle, her eyes darting between a bag of Lay's potato chips and a box of Oreos.

      "Should I? Shouldn't I?" she muttered to herself, tapping her chin as if the decision required deep philosophical thought. She reached for the chips, then hesitated, her hand hovering over the bag. "No, I shouldn't," she told herself sternly, only to grab the Oreos instead. "But maybe just these…" She tossed the Oreos into the cart, followed by the chips. "Okay, just a little treat," she justified.

      Coby continued her shopping spree, picking up several packs of steaks, neatly wrapped in plastic and labeled with their weight and price. She added some ground beef, a few packs of chicken breasts, and a selection of fresh herbs—parsley, cilantro, and thyme. She grabbed a few bottles of fruit juice, cranberry and orange, and a couple of bottles of sparkling water. On her way to the frozen foods section, she tossed in some bags of frozen vegetables and a tub of vanilla ice cream for good measure.

      As her cart grew heavier and more difficult to push, Coby finally made her way to the checkout counter. The line was short, but she still found herself fidgeting impatiently as she waited for her turn. When it finally came, she began unloading her items onto the conveyor belt, trying to stack them neatly, though the cart was so full that everything kept tumbling out in a chaotic mess.

      The sales clerk, a young woman with a bored expression, began scanning Coby's items. She paused, staring at Coby as she clumsily attempted to organize the groceries on the belt. First, a can of chili rolled off the belt and clattered to the floor. Coby quickly bent down to grab it, only to knock over a carton of eggs in the process. The eggs miraculously didn't break, but they wobbled dangerously close to the edge of the belt.

      "Oops, sorry!" Coby blurted out, scrambling to catch the carton just before it tipped over. The sales clerk raised an eyebrow but said nothing, her gaze following Coby's every awkward move.

      Coby tried to regain some composure as she handed over her debit card. "Just put it all on this," she said with a nervous laugh. The clerk nodded, still wearing the same bored expression, and ran the card through the reader.