“Watch out, she’s going to run over you!” the hardware clerk warned Howard in mock fear as I tried to corral the motorized cart in Walmart today. When I surveyed the vast expanse of store space Howard wanted to cover from pharmacy to hardware, I gave in and had him get me the cart. Despite some jerky starts, I was soon sailing down the aisles with the greatest of ease! Shopping had never been like this!
I dislike shopping at Walmart because it’s so big, but especially today, when my knee was hurting under the splint. Besides the first-aid item I picked up, I had no further transactions; I was following along on “man” business behind my husband’s cart. He was looking for some hose clamps. He said something about radiator hose clamps, so first I followed him to the automotive department.
He actually wanted something bigger for his purposes, so he was directed to plumbing. Navigating there proved a little more difficult, since we reached that aisle by going down the main thoroughfare in the back. Today is July 2, and the store was so packed with shoppers pushing carts full of everything from swim paraphernalia to fix-it supplies to cook-out gear, we almost needed a traffic director. I had only a few narrow escapes.
Howard was getting a kick out of my driving. It was fun, gliding effortlessly past the intense, focused shoppers with no concerns of my own, except trying not to bump into them. I reminded him we had just seen Cars 2, last night, and he could call me Lightning McQueen. He insisted on calling me Mater, though. I liked the voice of Holly, so I wanted to be her, instead. (The so-so movie was not a good idea, since I couldn’t get comfortable and finally had to take off my splint in the dark!)
We have been trying to get fish to survive in our backyard pool, so our last stop was the aquariums. The loud “beep beep” as I backed up to get a better angle on the sharp turn announced my driving skills to one and all as I maneuvered into a side aisle while my husband discussed the merits of this or that fish with the sales associate.
At last I drove my vehicle to the check out and noticed an older man sitting on a bench watching me. “Ma’am, are you through with that?” he asked eagerly, indicating my cart. Relinquishing my ride, I said it was all his, and he gratefully clambered aboard. I knew the feeling. Walmart was so much more doable on wheels!
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