Soup

5

It was late in the week when Simon ventured into the supermarket he’d avoided for the last three. He hadn’t gotten around to making that butternut squash and sage soup yet. He picked up a hand basket as he passed the stack and headed straight to the produce section.

After bagging a few shallots he headed over to pick up some fresh sage. Just as Simon reached the refrigerated case, the produce manager shuffled up next to him.

“Hello Mister Broadnax. How are you?”

“I’m well Mister Carter. How are you?”

“I’m good, good. You hadn’t been seen in the store much lately. We’re used to seeing you at least once a week. Just wanted to make sure there were no after effects from the spill you took.”

The muscles at the corner of his mouth battled to lift his lips into to a grin but Simon was able to subdue it. Of course they had missed him from the store. He was pretty certain that Mister Carter and the general manager had expected to be served with papers for a pending lawsuit.

Simon watched as the produce manager dabbed sweat from one of his grey haired temples- even as they stood inside a well air conditioned building, in front of a refrigerated vegetable cooler. The misters came on. Simon turned and watched as the tiny water droplets fell from the nozzles. Caught between water and light, atmosphere broke and rainbows hung suspended. It made him think of Augusta and her talk of being fortunate. He knew he was the fortunate one; she’d ended up being his pot of gold at the end of his broken rainbow.

“Mister Broadnax?” Mister Carter asked, still nervous as he once again dabbed sweat from his temples.

Simon sighed, “Yes Mister Carter. What is it you wanted exactly?”

The man visibly shrunk as he took a step back. His mouth opening and closing like a fish as he searched for his ability to speak. “I-I…I just wanted to see how you’ve been.”

“Well as you can see I’m well,” Simon paused as he ran a hand over his face, “albeit tired and cranky from a stressful day at work.”

The stout man nodded as his ran a hand through the hair at the top of his head that had so far managed to stay blond. “Of course, of course I can relate. Hope you enjoy the rest of your evening.”

“You too Mister Carter.” Simon said with a smile.

He watched as the produce manager shuffled away and was about to return his attention back to shopping for the night’s dinner. That was when he caught eyes with Damon. The store employee stared at Simon with his usual expression of boredom. A muscle in his jaw twitched as he stared back. Simon set the hand basket on the floor as he continued to maintain eye contact with the young man. His hands free, they flexed then curled into fists. Simon turned then walked until he was out of the store.