Fafa

Caroline Rizzo

The Priceless Checkout

Grabbing a shopping cart, I entered through the automatic doors of a supermarket. Standing before me were seventeen varying aisles. I took a right and proceeded to the first one. These first few rows, innocent and full of joy, brought a smile to my face. I saw no hurt, no pain, and no evil. These aisles were a bit empty, but what consumed their shelves were pictures of memorable experiences that molded me, a young, loving little girl.

As I began to fill my cart with the content of these rows, I made my way to the next aisle. I started to notice a change in the speed of my cart. Almost untouched by my hands, the cart seemed to be moving faster. At this point, the innocent little girl that I saw in the beginning aisles was a memory. These new products I was putting into my cart contained freedom and a new defining sense of responsibility. The innocent girl that I saw began to slowly fade as I was becoming more exposed to this supermarket. I felt pain for the first time as the store was no longer what I used to know.

As I continued to shop, the supermarket began to get brighter. The whole supermarket was becoming clearer in my eyes. I peered down an aisle and saw a cheerful woman. As I glanced at her face I noticed this employee had a bright smile. Her soft, loving, and maternal expression gave me the notion that if I ever needed any help she would be right there to guide me. I also saw a manager who had a strikingly familiar face to my own. He was stocking the shelves and I noticed that almost everything I needed, he was putting up. He glanced at me from his work and gave me a warm smile that made me feel his love. I moved onto the next aisle with a sense of a new found confidence that there would always be someone in this supermarket to help me with any questions I may have.

I passed through the next few aisles rather quickly. These shelves were full of new hobbies, sports,...