It's fun being near city events until suddenly it isn't. There are things I want and need to do on Sunday. Plotting escape from the neighborhood is now added to the list.
In preparation for the road issues on Sunday, groceries were
procured Saturday. Anything to avoid starvation. In addition to avoiding the Sunday traffic situation, there was the
incentive of not missing out on a coupon at Hannaford for $10 off a $25 order
that expires Monday, when I’ll be working all day then at Finnish class after
work. When I have food, any other activities fall into the luxury activity category.
Hannaford started out with a serene feeling. The parking lot was more than half empty. The produce department was quiet and the absence of shoppers was matched by what felt like an absence of produce. Or at least, a lot less of everything than is usually there. The department felt spacious, with plenty of room to maneuver carts.
All quiet in the beer and wine aisle. |
Halfway through the store, the blissful peace and tranquility was shattered. A little girl with her hair in a fountain pony tail atop her head, accompanied by a very pregnant woman and a man, was screaming at the top of her toddler lungs. For several aisles, we passed each other, often with the momentarily quiet kid breaking free from an adult hand and running down the aisle screaming. She would shriek extra bloody hell when the man caught her and tried to keep her from running again.
When we all hit the frozen
food section, one aisle over, another child joined the wailing. As I turned the corner, I
spotted a little girl in a stroller, in full volume wailing, perhaps in
solidarity with the first shrieking kid.
The volume was high. These little kids have some stadium volume capabilities. It felt like an experimental, repetitive soundscape experience, perhaps inspired by the compositions of Philip Glass and
I couldn’t wait to escape it, which was a luxury available to me. I felt for
the other shoppers, but especially the parents involved, because they had no
escape. The wailing toddler banshees would be going home with them, while my
destination was a quiet car and a quiet home, for which I was grateful.
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