Grocery Store Line Up

I placed my groceries on the counter.

The tanned fellow behind me smiled and I stepped forward in the tight line a bit with wary silence.

“You like carrots I see.” he was so cheery and so thin. I had noticed how he put the package of french bread back on the shelf. He only had two steaks.

Finally I purchased my bread, veges and candy, feeling privileged. I imagined him living in the nearby Puna jungle, grilling his steaks on an open fire.

I returned to my comfortable cabin feeling fat and lonely. The Hawaii spirit still eludes me.