The Electric Horsewoman

A brief and funny account of using an electric cart in a grocery store.

I’ve had to use an electric cart in the grocery store a few times in the past for various health reasons which I won’t bore you with with which I won’t bore you. (Helpful hint: never end a sentence with a preposition like “with” or “at” because it makes you sound uneducated…but I digress...)  I had to use the electric cart again today.   Now, in the past, I would keep my head down and try not to make eye contact because I was so filled with embarrassment.  These carts were for old people, not me.  But I hurt bad enough that it was that or go hungry, plus I had a man to feed. 

 

Today was like that…ride or go hungry.  So I rode and, this time, I didn’t feel at all embarrassed.  I’m not sure why that is…I mean I didn’t make a conscious decision to not be embarrassed…I just wasn’t.  I hurt so I rode, and it was that simple.

 

People are much nicer to you when you ride.  They move out of your way or offer to reach something for you on an upper shelf if you need it.  If you put it in reverse, it makes a beeping sound and everyone scatters.  And if you accidentally run it into a corner and knock off eleven boxes of key lime tea cookies they pick them up for you and put them in your cart back on the shelf.

 

Now here’s the really good part.  The store will let you ride it all the way to your car after checking out.  Yep, that’s right, out the door and to the car.  A nice person will accompany you and then put the groceries in your car for you and ride it back into the store. 

 

Today, I told my kind helper, an African American who must have been in her 40s and looked very tired, that she should ride it around the outer parking lot a couple of times because the sun was shining and it was in the 70s and no one would know.  She looked at me with big round eyes and her mouth shaped into an “o.”  And then she slowly smiled and I smiled back.  I don’t know if she did it.  Probably not because she wouldn’t want to risk her job but I hope she did it anyway.  The cool thing is, we made a momentary connection.  She knew I needed help and I knew she needed a break.  That was nice.

 

P.S.  I could also have used their online ordering, but on this particular day I had to pick up medicine so I had to go to the pharmacy in person…plus getting out of the house is good.  If I hadn’t, I never would have met my kind helper. Kindness, happiness, caring, and love…it’s all good.

Copywrite©2012

All rights reserved.

Barbara L. Brown

Author's Note

Awards:
A Comedy Contest - 10th Place

Reviews

[Samuel Dickens]

I find this much better and more of a "story" than your shortened version. The addition of the nice "helper" is a good touch.

[BLBrown]

Many thanks!! Yes, I agree. The shortened version was for a contest with 79 words or something like that. I actually don't care for it and will probably delete it at some point. Thanks for reading my work!

[Archia]

A nice story with a nice end. I do wonder if she did end up going for a ride, I agree with you, I hope she did. I enjoyed reading your story, it was a nice true, oh what's the word. A nice true something let's just say.