A scene [1]

I had just picked up two blocks of cheese--both of them cheddar: one mild, one sharp--when I felt a tap at my shoulder and turned around.

"Hey," she said. It was Sarah. We made brief eye contact second until I looked down at my shoes.

"Hi Sarah. Hey, this is unexpected. It's been a while, huh? How funny."

She smiled. "What's so funny?"

"Well, just that there you are, and here I am; both here shopping at the same Safeway. I guess I just never thought I'd see you."

"I guess that's funny." She was holding one of those blue supermarket baskets by its handle; it swung down by her knees. In it was a single loaf of bread, a half-drunk 20 oz. bottle of diet cola and a bag of chocolate chips.

"That's some serious shopping."

"Yeah, you know how it is--there really isn't that much you need, but you end up here anyway."

"Yeah." I was still holding the blocks of cheese. "So I take it you moved?"

"Yeah, I'm about three blocks down now, the Grandview. Third floor."

I knew the Grandview--a little old hole of a hotel that they fixed up nice and new with a slick white facade.

"That's a nice place. So why'd you move, are you still working for--"

"I'm doing real estate," she said. "Connelly Brothers Realtors, it's called. I manage the office, things like that."

"You've moved up--good for you." I didn't believe her when she said office manager; she was probably just their secretary, having to wash out garbage bins, bring them lunch and coffee, all the fun stuff. My cheeses were starting to get warm.

"So what about you?"

"Working? Yeah--can't seem to escape it."

"Have you finished writing your book yet, that one about--"

"Oh no, no. I dropped that--it wasn't really getting me anywhere." (As if I needed to tell her that.) "I've been doing this stuff with computers, you know, designing logos and things, marketing, I don't know. It's fun I guess. I like it."

"That's good. I'm glad for you." Her mouth perked slightly at each end, creating a sort of false smile, with v-shaped smile lines that framed her lips--those lips that were barely familiar to me but still so easy to recall.

I let my eyes wander randomly around the store, as if looking for something I still needed, and I latched them onto an aisle endcap filled with cereal boxes.

"Hey, well, I better get going," I said.

"Me too," she said.

"Good luck with your real estate business."

"It's not really my business--"

"I know, I know. I just meant, good luck with everything."

"You too, with your computers and stuff. And I think you should start writing again. You had potential there."

"Thanks. I'll think about it."

"Alright. See you later."

"See you. Take care of yourself."

I slid the two cheeses into my blue basket.