The Fighter

Chapter 1: Annoy Sophie Day

"Sophie, can you go order the cold cuts?" My mother said, her eyes scanning the grocery shelves, one hand on our carriage filled to max-capacity with food.   

I folded my arms, knowing that there was nothing simple about ordering cold cuts in a grocery store like Food Wealth. Mentally cringing, I thought of all the obnoxious people that would be on the line that day... double coupon day.  

"Do I have to?" I whined, my eyes being grasped by her angry glare. Immediately, I looked away, biting my lip. I, instead, focused on the various cans of soup on the shelves, wondering if I should try the "creamy deliciousness" that is clam chowder.  

"Please." She forced out, turning the word into a command, pushing her blonde bangs out of her face.  

"Alright." I said. "But this is the last time." I walked heavily down the aisle to the cold cut display, weaving in and out of grocery carts, wondering how those people drive cars if they can't even manage to refrain from hitting me.  

I took my place in the line, just before many others followed behind me. Immediately, I was immersed in loud, pointless conversations, which I was in no mood to tolerate.  

"Mary! Mary! Get me those bacon bits that I like!" Said a greasy man in a white tank top, grey chest hairs exploding from the neckline. My nose crinkled in disgust. I turned to observe the lady running from shelf to shelf, enabling the man with bacon bits. She lifted a container. "No! The other one!" The man's words forcing me to turn angrily away from him, as they came out with his exaggerated chomping.   

Cringing, I phased out the man and a woman with a nasally voice filled the apparent annoyance void in my life right about then. It was as if it were Annoy Sophie Day, and every one took time to note the big red circles on their calendars.   

"Honey, no, no, you can't have that." She said, ripping a bag of gummy worms from the sticky hands of a young boy. She began studying her newly manicured, mint green nails and the boy grabbed for the bag again, slobbering all over it.  

This lady is a terrible mother.  

"Charles, no, I said put that down." She commanded, pulling the slimy bag out of his hands and placing it back on the rack to contaminate all of the other gummy worms so that some other poor and unsuspecting child would buy them and ingest his germs.  

I literally gagged upon recounting all of the times I bought those gummy worms, or should I say, slobber worms?  

Charles expertly began an extremely loud tantrum, his mother totally ignoring his cries, which only became impossibly louder as seconds inched by.  

I kissed up to the heavens when the old woman in front of me finished her order and slowly hobbled away. Really, if I was in any worse of a mood, I would have yelled "Praise the Lord!" and ran around screaming like a crazy person.  

Examining the display case, and placing my hands on the cool glass, I opened my mouth to place my order, but all hope of sound coming out of my mouth was gone as I focused on the guy wiping the slicer.   

It was as if the back of his head triggered something in my memory and I couldn't figure out what... I mean it was only the back of someone's head. I was acting insane.  

Brown, tousled hair...  

The guy finished wiping the slicer and turned in my direction. "Can I hel-" He stopped in his tracks once his eyes met mine and we both held stricken expressions on our faces.  

I squinted, the tips of my fingers tingling, an indescribable feeling rising in the pit of my stomach, but before I could figure out why, the guy whipped around again.