there was a woman in front of me at the target check-out this morning. she had short silver-pepper hair and a firm stocky build, supported by two artificial legs. the waistband of her black jersey sweatpants was crooked, and both of her ankles looked different. one was a metal contraption pushed into a white tennis shoe, the other was white plastic and it was also pushed into a white tennis shoe.
out the corner of her eye she saw me plop my brand new celery green garden boots on the belt, followed by a matching two gallon watering can. she cocked her head a bit to get a better look at my selections
and i said
"i've always wanted garden boots, and today is the day!"
"good for you!" she said, and then "look! they match your new watering can. since you will be so color coordinated, i guarantee everything will bloom perfectly."
"serious?"
"call me if i am wrong."
as her items were being scanned i continued to place all of the things i didn't come in here for on the counter... three new t-shirts, citronella candles, and a small box of fabric softner sheets.
i asked her
"have you heard that if you stuff a fabric softner sheet in your pocket when you are gardening, the bugs won't bother you?"
"does that work?"
"i have no idea. i'll find out this afternoon."
"in your new boots!"
i thought about her later as i poked tiny begonias into a brand new flowerbox. i had my boots on and a fabric softner sheet stuffed in my pocket. i wondered how she lost her legs. was she diabetic? had it been cancer? was she a soldier? born that way?
i wondered what her life was like and who she loved and what she knew and if she hurt and
then i noticed,
no bugs.
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