Monday, January 11, 2016

YOU’RE IN A GROCERY STORE: Flash fiction


            You’re in a grocery store. It’s a small one, not the hypermarkets they have in other countries. This is a small neighborhood store, like they used to have in the old days, when people shopped every day for the daily necessities of life: bread, milk, a cutlet, a can of tomato sauce, cheese.
            You’re looking for fat free/lactose free milk for your wife. She only drinks fat free for reasons of weight and lactose free for reasons of intolerance. But this is a small store and they don’t carry such fancy items. It is past eleven at night. You’re not about to go looking for fat free/lactose free milk at this time of night in this storm. But she needs her milk. She’s pregnant.
            Right. And that’s the other problem. She’s going to have another child. You’re going to have another mouth to fee. As if four weren’t enough. Not counting you and her. Why do you need a fifth child? Because she likes children. You know I like children, she always says. So what? Does that mean you gotta have a dozen? She stays home and you have to go out slaving away the best years of your life to feed and clothe all the children because she loves children.

            You walk up and down the aisles, the refrigerated section, but nothing. Should I buy regular milk you ask yourself. She’ll yell and call you names and then you’ll have to go out again and find the right milk. You better go find it now. Go to that big store that’s open 24 hours. Just take the car, drive and find it. Buy the right milk and go home. She’s waiting. She gets impatient when she waits. Go to the right store and get the right milk. Then go home to the kids and wife. Just go. Go home. But not before buying the right milk. Hurry. Your wife is waiting. And she can get very impatient. Especially when she’s pregnant. She gets so moody. One minute she’s fine and the next she’s crying and then yelling. Just go and buy the right milk and go home. Just do it. 

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