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Lost in the Candy Aisle, I Found Us
Sunday, March 22, 2015 by Maureen Lewicki

Categories: Grandma's heart / Uncategorized
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I met my husband and myself in the drug store this afternoon. Us in 15, 20 years, if the Lord grants us that much time.

They were both dressed to the "nines" as they probably would have described it.

His Panama hat sat jauntily on his head, and the crisp little handkerchief nested in the breast pocket of his sports jacket matched his slightly outdated tie.

She wore a skirt and jacket with smart accessories from another era and a practical purse.

 

They were standing in the narrow candy aisle looking quite lost. They must have been looking for aspirin and took a wrong turn but if you have to get lost in a drug store that is the best aisle to be in while you gather your thoughts and a bag or two of sweets.

"What about this stuff, need any of these things," asked the man, tapping the metal shelf bulging with candy.

"What are they," she asked, spinning around and reaching out to the bags.

"You know, good to eat." He had apparently forgotten the word but trusted her to conjure it up.

"Candy? Like what?"

"All kinds. Snickers. And those other things."

She asked him to find the candy he had eaten the other day, but it was her turn to grope for forgotten nouns.

"They have that bar they made years ago, that we like, with nuts? Like a Hershey bar but not," he offered.

Way to narrow it down.

He was silent as he surveyed the shelves. I realized then that he was losing his words and she was losing her sight.

Honestly, I had lingered in the aisle because that kind of slice of life makes my day but suddenly I felt sad and anxious and a little lost myself.

On another day I may have found that dapper couple endearing, but in that moment, at least, I did not. They made my heart sad.

Daniel and I are getting there; Supplying each other with words we can't find, reminding each other why we had stepped into the store in the first place, and enlisting each other's help for where the coupon went. OK, that last one has been me all my life. But the changes are there, and I am not too happy about it.

I slipped out of the aisle, anxious to catch up with Daniel.

I told myself that they have each other to fill in blanks, and lapses, and they seemed genuinely comfortable with each other's help and companionship. They shared a history. Not so completely bad, really.

We started our married life feeding each other cake.  Later we fed each other bits of sandwiches as we walked the floors with our babies. Lately we have begun to feed each other words, and reminders.  Perhaps their life together has been much the same.

I think I just met us," I said, as my husband and I reached the car.

And he knew who I meant. Immediately. He had noticed them, and he knew I would too.

We have a history. Not so completely bad at all, really.

 
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