Today was the day, grocery shopping with Grandma Kerci. I had been awake before sunrise unable to contain my excitement. All through the early morning I had listened to the sound of the clock in my bed room. “Tick-tock, tick-tock” the clock sing happily pleased with my fidgeting. Finally, about ten o’clock Grandma Kerci called Grandpa Sherman and me down for breakfast. I zipped down the hall fully dressed. I had even put my boots by the door the night before. My mother never let me go on shopping trips with her more importantly, this shopping trip was with Grandma. We would be buying all the fixing for a chocolate cake and plants for the garden grandma had started in the spring.
Summer time with my grandparents always brought new adventure. Last summer, one Sunday after church, Grandpa Sherman and I dropped Grandma Kerci off at home to start lunch and hurried back to town to the florist to buy flowers for Grandma and Grandpa’s anniversary. I had never been to a flower shop before, but it was a lovely place. The entire shop was decorated with colorful abstract painting and examples for different bouquets. I felt like I had stumbled a pound a secret garden hidden from sight by a crafty brick building. The shop smelled heavenly. Light scents of all types of flowers danced in air, a party for the senses, when the orchestra was done preforming it would play across your nose as thank you for the response that they were only able to see. When we returned home, Grandma Kerci had fixed ham sandwiches, ice cold lemonade, and there were homemade pickles, too. Before she could rush us off to the table Grandpa Sherman pulled the flowers from behind his back. Grandma covered her mouth over joyed, and I could see tears in her eyes. Grandpa held her hand and smiled, saying “Happy anniversary darling.” I chimed, in reminding grandpa that I had helped pick them out. Grandma smiled at me and picked me in me a bear hug. After what felt like lifetime of heart felt hugging packed into fifteen minutes, Grandma Kerci put me down and disappeared around the corner. Grandpa Shaman and I looked at each other, puzzled. When she returned she held something wrapped in brown tissue paper and a picnic basket. In the brown paper there was a new gold pocket watch for Grandpa. Grandma said that since she was so happy we, would all go down to the lake and have lunch. With that, we pilled in grandpa’s old rusted pick-up-truck and it “pupped and sputted” down to the lake. Who knows what adventure awaited me at the market place.
I wolfed down a breakfast of sunny-side-up eggs, flapjacks with maple syrup, and Grandpa’s Hickory smoked bacon. Grandma hurried off to put down her apron, and I headed for the door to grab my boots. She laughed when she looked me over. I looked down to see that the shirt I had on under my jumper was inside-out and one of the buckles had come loss. To add to the clownish sight, my hair was matted down to my head. Grandma said that I “was a lookin right rough there.” She sent me to my room to change and brush my hair. Once I looked all prim and proper, we were off. I hopped in the back seat of Grandma Kerci’s old Cadillac and we sped down the old dirt road into town. We arrived at the market place just a little before noon. I had never seen so many people and fresh fruits and vegetables. There were fresh cheeses, milk and spices, too. People running different produce stands called out to costumers trying to persuade them that their produces was the best investment. I helped Grandma Kerci stock up on oranges, lemons, apples, leafy greens, and most importantly, the ingredients for our chocolate cake.
After that, we headed over to the plants to get some tomatoes plants and watermelon, cantaloupe seed. The woman selling the plants looked strange. She wore big hoop earrings and a dusty poncho, which had most likely been bright red and orange at some point in time. The colors now faded to match her age. Her face held deep wrinkles. At first her eyes appeared lifeless, but when I looked closer they smoldered and subsided in to pools of silver light. I watched her as she moved from here to there whispering to herself- her voice a low, raspy wheeze. Finally, she handed grandma Kerci two tomato plants and a bag of watermelon and cantaloupe seeds. Grandma Kerci handed the plants to me, paid the lady, and then we made our way back to the Cadillac. As we turned to leave I was pretty sure I heard the lady laugh a witchy sort of laugh. I looked back to see her smile slightly. She caught my gaze and the more she looked at me the more I felt drawn to her almost hypnotized. She turned swiftly as another costumer called, and the life that had been slowly drained from me returned.
