Give a short story or an anecdote?

Answer 1

A little story from real life about a mundane errand that turned into a memorable episode.

Once upon a time, long, long ago, when I was younger and full of vim, one of my best friends was a prolific cook and because she would generously share the products of her labor, I was never averse to helping her out. She's the only person I know who, after her children had grown and left home, still bought her groceries in industrial sized packages. One night, shortly after midnight, I received a call from her that she was preparing something special for the next day and had run out of some things, would I mind running an errand for her. Knowing that I would be richly rewarded with a share of the spoils, I told her that I would be able to do it. So, I took down the information and off I went to the 24 hour supermarket, about 20 minutes away.

The store was surprisingly busy for that time of night, there was a mix of folks of all types. When I finished selecting the required items and proceeded to the front of the store, there was just one register open and a line that stretched the entire width of the store. I got in line with the knowledge that my patience would be rewarded when I delivered the goods. I hadn't really noticed the man in front of me until he placed his items on the conveyer; he was slight, middle aged, with thinning hair, dressed in a white short sleeved shirt and tan pants, Besides the items he had in his basket, he carried something in a black plastic bag under his arm; something shaped exactly like the record albums of the time. It stayed under his arm. As soon as his turn came up, he began a tirade on how long he had to wait, who manages this store, I want the manager, this is no way to treat a customer, etc., etc. Mind you, it did take about a half hour in line, but not one of those ahead of him had yelled at the cashier. He carried on the whole time that the cashier rang his goods and the "bag boy" went off to look for the manager, leaving the cashier to listen to the tirade alone. By the time he had paid the cashier, the young man returned with the manager.

As my things were being rung up, the manager gently eased the irate fellow away from the register, I didn't notice where because I had my business to transact and say whatever I could to sooth the ruffled cashier and let her know that not everyone blamed her. Then, when she handed me my change and the young man handed me the bags, I was anxious to get to my next stop and headed toward my car. As I exited, I noticed the obnoxious fellow getting into a cab but didn't think of him again because I was on a mission.

When I arrived at my friend's house, she seemed surprised that it had taken me so long but was intent on completing her task; it was now almost 2 AM. She looked into the first bag for the item she needed, said, "This one must be yours.", and handed it to me. Since I hadn't purchased anything for myself, I looked into the bag and saw a package of two lamb chops, two large potatoes, and some miscellaneous items. I began to laugh until I couldn't get a breath; my friend thought I had lost it. I had to tell her the story and explained that this had to be Mr. Miserable's things. My thoughts turned back to the sight of him getting into the cab, shifting the package that he had carried under his arm. I would bet almost anything that because he had that other bag, he didn't notice that he didn't have the one with the groceries. I can't imagine his fury, after the scene in the store and having paid cab fare to and from the store to find that he didn't have his things. I don't want to imagine. His image is indelibly imprinted in my mind for the rest of my life.