Adventures in Real Parenting: Big Cats

Living out at the corner of no where and no place means that even something as mundane as a trip to a supermarket is a bit of an event. It's at least a 25 mile drive and a commitment of one hour. Golden Manor sits right smack dab at the middle of nowhere and noplace.

So when we needed milk and cat food last night, MathMan and I decided to divide and conquer our activities. He took Cupcake aka Resident Evil to her basketball game and I went with The Actor to the local Dollar General to pick up the few groceries we needed. MathMan wasn't going to be near a supermarket and there was no need to drive all the way into town just to pick up a couple of things. (Note to self - always remember to give The Dancer some cash when she goes to dance so she can stop at the store on her way home, if necessary.)

Even though this was just a short trip to the intersection of the main state highway and the long and winding road leading to our country estate, there was an element of Look Ma! They have things from China! The Actor and I wandered the aisles of the Dollar General, checking out the pots and pans, the off-brand foods, and Christmas decorations discounted seventy-five percent.

After a few minutes, we had our milk and cat food so it was time to go. We made our way to the front of the store to pay. The young man who worked there came to the counter and rang us up. While he did so, I wasn't paying much attention. Instead I was futzing around with my purse and talking to The Actor. I swiped my card and barely looked up as the young man handed me my receipt.

The Actor grabbed the bags and we started to walk away.

"Don't forget this one," the tall young man said. I turned to bag carousel and reached for the bag he pointed to. A flash of recognition hit me. I smiled and he smiled back at me . "Hey, how are you?" he asked in his soft baritone.

"Ffffffine," I stammered, smiled again and walked away.

The Actor was holding the door for me. After I walked through it, he caught up to me. "Who was that?" he wanted to know.

"Oh, that's the cute guy from the pizza place. I used to talk to him while I waited to pick up food. You know the hot guy with the mutton chops...." I was still smiling.

The Actor tossed the bags into the back seat and climbed into the car next to me. "I didn't even look at him until he told me not to forget the bag. I'm usually pay more attention to the person ringing me up," I said, chagrined for all kinds of reasons.

"Did you even say hello or thank you?" he chided me. I give The Spawn a lot of crap about speaking to people in public situations.

"I did. I always do, but I just didn't even look at the guy. That's rude. I always try to make eye contact," I added.

We were quiet for a moment as I turned left out of the lot and back onto the highway. The moon hung brightly in the sky, casting a glow over the usually very dark evening landscape. I chuckled to myself.

"What's so funny?"

I shook my head. The Actor asked again, "What?" He has a serious need to be in on the joke. He gets that from his mother.

"I was just thinking I'll have to go to the Dollar General more often, won't I?" I explained.

"Why?"

"Well, I mean, I missed my chance to cougar him that time, didn't I?" I looked at The Actor for confirmation.

An odd mixture of horror and disgust shadowed his face. His eyebrows were way, way up on his forehead. "Mom. Please do not ever say that sentence around me again."

I came to my senses. "Oh, right, yeah, sorry......"

I wonder what we'll need from the Dollar General this weekend.......