1 gallon of water

1/2 dozen eggs

Store brand Vanilla bean ice cream

And toothpaste on sale

Patiently in stop and go traffic

On the way to the cashier

The sound of hollow beeping

Echoed in my ear

My tampons moved closer

Behind the

1 gallon of water

1/2 dozen eggs

Store brand Vanilla bean ice cream

And toothpaste on sale

Belonging to the young man

In black Dickies

With shrugged shoulders

A tense worry in his eyes

Yet he carried a soft demeanor

And stood about yay high.

“$8.80” she said coldly

Pushing his groceries aside

Slid his debit card

Declined

Slid his credit card

Declined

He became flustered

He shuffled between a $5 dollar bill

And 3 tattered old dollars

The cashier grew impatient.

The bag boy shook his pockets for

3 quarters and 5 coopers.

I pushed my tampons up closer.

“Just put it all together” I gestured.

“I got it”

I paid.

He bagged the eggs and ice cream in plastic together and moved out of the way.

I watched the bag boy double up on the water.

I half smiled at the cashier and I swung my tampons over my shoulder.

He hesitantly offered me $8

I kindly rejected and set him on his way with

1 gallon of water

1/2 dozen eggs

Store brand Vanilla bean ice cream

And toothpaste on sale for his mother.