She was aware of little-known facts like the knowledge that kiwi skin was not only edible, but nutritious and that bananas were considered berries but strawberries technically weren't. She knew how to pick out the sweetest, juiciest, and ripest watermelon from observing its exterior and weighing it against others'. She relished in her knowledge, but it was a shame so few others were aware of such things. Tress doubted their interest on the subject was as great as hers.
However, when she happened to glance up from the various types and colors of apples on display, the ginger-haired woman noticed a tall young man who seemed a bit uncertain about what to get - or maybe just uncertain in general. She walked over to him curiously, her basket of produce hanging from her arm, and asked, "Are you 'aving some trouble?"
He lost it. He had the grocery list and he lost it. Suddenly he didn't feel like a grown man of twenty something - engaged with the most caring, loving and accepting fiancee - and with a kid ( a cat). But an anxious 13 year old with his shoulders tensed as if expecting to be scolded for a minimal mistake. Not much had changed when he looked anxious. He had the furrowed brows of a man in frustration and the aura of a dark grey cloudy over his head.
Seriously- it should not be this bad. It was a small mishap- it happens. But perhaps other stressful things mounted on his head on top of this one. His active brain thinking too much he wasn't doing anything. Should he retrace his steps? Should he recall to his best ability what the list had? Should he calm Ginyami? The last one was tempting as the others mere voice had an ability to soothe his anxiety. Still... he didnt want to look incompetent... not even being able to think his way through grocery shopping...
His thoughts stilled at the unfamiliar voice. " o-oh uh.. me?" He had to be sure. " o-oh.. uh... s-sorry Im just .. thinking .. sorry - did I bother you?"
"Ah, nah, you hoven't batherd me ot oll," Tress assured the young man, wondering if she had been the one to bother him. He seemed quite preoccupied and not in the best of moods because of it. His furrowed brows gave him an intimidating countenance, but Tress chose to take into account the gentle, yet hesitant and perhaps insecure tone of voice with which he spoke to her. "But yeoh, Ee wos talkeng to you. You seem...leeke you could do weth o bet af help. You lost anytheng, then?" She thought he seemed to have been looking for something, but couldn't have been sure. "Ee con help you look far et ef you leeke."
" Uh .. its.. its a really silly thing to lose and - uh.. im not even sure where it might be.. at home or on the shelves or on the floor or the parking lot- " he stopped himself before he let the anxiety express take over. " Sorry .. a shopping list.. its .. on a small paper, it has a cat symbol.. at the lower part of the page.. b- but you dont have to help me look for it! It.. it looks like you're busy with your own grocery shopping?"
"Evrihone loses thengs samteemes. Dahn't beat yarself up ahver et," the ginger-haired woman told him. "Nah need to opologeeze. Os far helpeng you look, Ee dan't meend takeng o break frahm mee awn shahppeng to help. We'll feend et foster thot way." Looking to the young man, she asked, "Do you remember where you lost sow et? Ar whot colar et es?"
"O-oh you're so kind.." Sara thanks, giving the woman a slight respectful bow. " O-oh its just.. light brown? A-and .. uh .. I went to a couple of aisles.. I.. i stopped a bit whenever the uh.. I see a cat on a product packaging.. I .. I think while I was at the pets section I stil had it .. but when I got here I.. I don't know maybe I didn't .. actually bring it and i'm mistaken.. "
The ginger-haired woman listened earnestly, but she couldn't help the small smile that crept onto her lips when the young man admitted that he stopped whenever he saw a cat on product packaging. She tried to recompose herself and nodded seriously as he mentioned he thought he was at the pets section while he still had his list. Then, though, he seemed to second-guess himself. "Well, whee doan't wih go beck to de pats saction ond just chack to meeke sure? You never know. Et's better to check ond meeke certain than assumeond bih wroang."
Sara took a deep breath, steadying himself. Also taking the time to really ensure he understood what the woman was saying, before nodding. "T-thank you.. yes.. good idea.. you're right...okay...". When they made the short trip to the pets section, Sara panic spiked a little more. What if it wasn't here in the end? What if he had waster the kind lady's time? What if -. Many 'worse' case scenarios flooded him so much that some small part of him pushed himself to retrace himself and focus on the task at hand as a last attempt as finding some ground. "I ... started out here.. then I stopped.. here, the .. cat on the packaging looks like mine... so..." He stood by an aisle that showed a black kitten as the face for a kitten food product. "And... then I might've looked at other products ...I stayed here for a long while I think...uh..." His eyes furrowed trying his hardest to remember exactly what he did, unnaware of the edge of a paper peeking out from under the lowest shelf, almost hidden by the shadows by Tress' shoe.
Tress listened patiently and nodded as the muscular young man spoke, following along physically and mentally as they went back to the pets section. She smiled again at the mention of why he had stopped in front of the packaging with the black kitten on the front, but continued to listen and look around for the list, wondering idly if the anxious fellow's cat was also still a kitten. Eventually, her chartreuse eyes travelled across the edge of the paper that peeked out near her shoe on the lowest shelf. She squinted at it for a second before readjusting her glasses on her face and bending over to get a better look.
"Ehs des et?" she asked after stooping to fish out the paper by its edge from the bottom shelf. She held it up for the tan-skinned young man to see. "Sihms leek you ded ee good jahb rih-treeseng yar stahps ef et ehs."
Sara paused for a moment, slowly registering what ended up being in his field of vision. Held up by the kind lady, was a familiar sheet of paper. With familiar words. And familiar hand-writing. He smiled so instantaneously he had to use one hand to quickly cover a part of his mouth. " Y-yes yes it is... " he sighed in relief, the other hand offering to take it off her hands. " Oh.. gosh I can't thank you enough, I can not believe I... didn't see it the first time. I'm so sorry for the extra trouble. Is there a way for me to repay you? I could pay for your groceries today if you'd like.."
"What ahr you covereng det preddih smeeahle far?" Tress asked, grinning when she saw Sara's face light up at the sight of the paper. It looked like that had been the list he had been searching for after all. She handed it over and shook her head. "Naht et ahll. Doan't worrih ahbaout et. Dihs dengs hoppahn ond Ee'm just glod Ee could halp. Looks leek et was en ee pleece deht was preddih hahrd to spaht, ectuollih. Ee wonder haow et gat tucked daown dahr." Scratching her head, she quickly waved away his offer to pay for her groceries. "Doan't bih sehlih! Et was notheng. Just tree to teek et ihsih ond bih keender to yarsalf en de future, awkee? Ef ya're too behsih worrih-eng ahbaout dengs, someteems deht con kip you frahm yar gawls." She winked. "Ond meebih naxt teem et meet bih bahdder to seeve ee lehst ahn yar foan enstahd of ee peeper saw et doesn't gat lahst saw ihsahlih. Just ee daht."
"O-oh it's just.. habit but.. I'm just.. so relieved.. thank you.. I was panicking so much earlier...I don't know how I could've found it without your help.." he explains sheepishly.
At the lady's advice that he should stop worrying too much and be kinder to himself, his cheeks reddened slightly out of embarrassment but nodded in gratitude. While he had improved a lot, it was evident that there was space for him to practice to calm first before panicking.
It was just a little embarrassing that he's been told the same thing so much. "O-oh my phone..?" Sara's hand instinctively reached to his back pocket, sighing out in relief to feel it still. It would be worse if it turned out he lost his phone too wouldn't it.
"You're right.. yes.. phones are a lot less likely to go missing like this. Thank you.. Miss...". His smile disappeared realising with shame that he hasn't even bothered to ask who her name was!
"I'I'm sorry I was completely caught up with the paper I forgot... uh.. My name is Sara.. Kohana Sara.. , and you are..?"
"It's habit to hide your smile?" the ginger-haired woman inquired. "What a shame. I hope you're able to show your smile more in the future. It's very lovely."
Nodding as he mentioned his phone, she added, "Even if you lose that one, at least you're more likely to find it by having someone call your number or by using that 'find my phone' feature."
"Tress J. Gervene," Tress introduced herself with another smile. "A pleasure to meet you, Sara. I should be getting on with my own grocery shopping, but would you like to exchange numbers in case you ever need help again? You seem like a sweet guy."
Saras cheeks reddened as he looked shyly at the ground. "Ahahah... you're so kind.. I mean it, thank you.. Y-yours is very nice too." He complimented back, "E-earlier. I- I promise I'm not trying to flirt it's just - uh - agreed - smiles are .. great for.. overall.. everyone..." May the ground swallow him whole now. "I'll keep that in mind," he says, trying to kick the shyness out of him and focus on his gratitude for the kind lady instead.
He nodded along with her suggestion. "Y-youre right. Thank you.. I appreciate the suggestion."
"O-oh yeah that would be great. You've been so nice to me too. You didn't have to stop your own grocery to help me but you did... even when I was panicking too much... I'm not going to forget that." He smiled slightly - briefly - though keeping in mind for his hand to focus on taking out his phone and handing it to her, the screen showed a contacts list for her to imput.
Tress listened before laughing aloud. "Thank you. Yes, I agree; smiles are great overall for everyone," she chuckled. "And you're very welcome."
"Oh, it was nothing. I would have liked the help if someone had noticed I had been in trouble myself," Tress explained. "So I thought it was only fair to help you."
The woman smiled back and accepted his phone, putting in her name and number in his contacts before handing it back. "There. You can call or text me with your name so I can see your number and then I can put you on my phone as well."
Readjusting her bag, she said, "I hope we run into each other again soon, Sara. Maybe we can even do a grocery run together sometime."
"Y-yes" he nodded, smiling slightly. He would have to look up what a grocery run meant later. Surely not running away from groceries? Regardless, Sara was far too happy to have his day saved by a kind woman like Tress. "That sounds good, thank you. It's nice to meet you, and.. and once again thank you. I hope to see you again".
Flowykid
((The End))
