FIONA

Chapter Eleven: The Trip To The Grocery Store

The bakery department was filled with sweet aromas of the cakes, donuts, bagels, croissants, and muffins. Gathered around the counter were different kinds of cakes, but there wasn't any coffee cake laid out.

"May I help you, please," asked a smiling, pudgy woman who stood behind the counter with a hairnet on.

"Yes. I'm interested in purchasing some coffee cake, but I don't see any out here. Do you have any more in the back?" Fiona asked, looking at the cakes behind the glass case.

"I'm sorry. We sold the last one five minutes ago. But we do have pumpkin and lemon cakes available if you'd like."

"I'll take some lemon, thank you," Fiona replied, adjusting the shoulder strap of her purse.

While she waited for the woman to return with the lemon cake, Fiona's phone buzzed. "Blaine. Hi. I've been looking forward to your call ever since we last spoke. Yeah, I'm looking forward to our date this coming Saturday night. Seven? Actually, I'm working until five. Depending on how the traffic is, I'd need at least between forty-five minutes to an hour to get home. How about if you picked me up at seven-thirty? Great. Thank you so much for your understanding. No, I won't forget. I'll definitely show you a few of my pieces, as well. How about when you bring me home from our date. You can come in for some coffee. We can talk some more, and I can show the pieces then. You would? Oh, I'm so glad. See you later. I'll be thinking of you too. Bye."

The woman came to the counter placing the lemon cake on top of it. "I'm so sorry for the wait. But it took me a while to find the lemon cake. This is the last one. Would you like to pay for it here or up front?"

"I'll pay for it up front. I have some more shopping I'd like to do, first," Fiona replied, and headed to the other side of the store to the health and beauty department.

Walking through the aisle with hair equipment and accessories, she stopped to examine some scrunchies. "Hmm. Such a variety of beautiful colors. But, nah. Maybe I'll go with a barrette for my hair. Shall I go with the simulated diamonds, or should I get one with colorful stripes? I don't think so. I'll buy some headbands, instead," she said, putting the barrettes and the scrunchies back.

There was a woman further down from her looking at crimpers and curling irons. The scent of her perfume tickled Fiona's nose, causing her to sneeze. She also began coughing uncontrollably. Her throat was like sandpaper inside.

Running out of the aisle, she headed to the back of the store where she took some gulps of water to cool the irritation. By then, her eyes watered from having coughed so hard.

Her arm muscles carried within them a fire spreading throughout her body. The hard coughing caused a sensation similar to a bolt of electricity going through her body.

Wiping drops of water away from her lips with her hand, and holding the cake and the headbands in the other hand; she proceeded to the front of the store, getting into the checkout line.

She glanced at the periodicals on the stand nearby. A woman cut in front of her, grabbing a copy of the National Enquirer, and a People magazine. Then, she went to the back of the line.

How and why would people actually buy such fluff? Clearly, it's nothing but lies in those papers and magazines. The problem is some people in this world have the National Enquirer as the Gospel truth. Honestly. A man born half human and half goat. Really? That's something only found in mythology, and folklore. Yet, the head honchos at the National Enquirer and other such papers do and say anything just to make a quick buck. I can't stand dishonesty. It's not an authentic journalistic paper. Fiona thought to herself, setting the lemon cake and the headbands down on the conveyor belt.

Standing directly behind her was a mother scolding her three small children, because they took some potato chips from the shelves. "You kids put those back. I told you you're not getting any chips. You'll spoil your dinner."

"Then, I want a candy bar," the children said in unison.

"No. You're not getting anything. You can have the cherry flavored sparkling water when you get into the car if you wanted something sweet. It's better for you than a candy bar, because there's no sugar in it. It's flavored with artificial sweetener," she yelled, grabbing the chocolate bars out of their hands and putting them back on the shelves.