a Mom story

My mom could walk into a grocery store, select sale items of interest, and instantly plan the week's menus around those items, picking up the other needed ingredients for the dishes as she walked the aisles.  Sure, Mom made lists, too - with four kids, there wasn't time to waste on extra trips to the store.  But that on-the-fly menu planning was quite a skill, and we're not talking a limited number of recipes. 

When Mom and I went to the store together, often we split the list - she'd tell me to get certain items  while she sought other items.  One time, I had the cart when we split up;  we planned to meet in one of the aisles further along containing stuff on Mom's part of the list.  I found my items, put them in the cart, and started pushing the cart along.  I kept peering down the aisles where I expected to find Mom, but she wasn't there, or in the next one, or in the next one ...

Mom was efficient, so I kept looking down aisles, assuming she was continuing with the shopping and I would eventually find her.  But soon I ran out of aisles - we didn't have a pet so she wouldn't be in the pet food aisle (yes, I checked anyway), and we didn't buy beer (though Dad did sometimes), so she wouldn't be in that aisle either (also checked).

Nothing for it but to turn around and look through the aisles again while back-tracking through the store in the other direction.  Look - nope - look - nope - look -nope.

And then, at the middle break in an aisle, I glimpsed Mom, heading out of sight around a display.

"Mom???"

I turned down the aisle to catch up with her, but when I got to the mid point, she wasn't there.  I look down the next aisle in one direction, and then the other .. and I see Mom again, around the end of the aisle.

"Mom? I'm here, Mom."

Once more I see her stepping out of sight ... deliberately.   She was trying to elude me for as long as possible.

I burst out laughing, and so did she.

My mom taught me a lot of things, intentionally and unintentionally, good things and some bad.  I'm grateful she taught me how to play.