A Chapter In The Story

June 2014

STOP

The smell of hydrangeas drifted over my grocery cart. It wasn’t a busy day. Sundays at this particular grocery store sometimes felt like Walmart on a Cyber Monday. The rush was over, most of the good stuff was gone, and employees had not yet had time to restock the shelves. As I pushed my cart up to the checkout, I still wasn’t sure why I had even come. I had left my husband and 2 year old napping at home. This was a very common tradition for a Sunday afternoon. No plans and no need for plans; except for a nap. But this time, I couldn’t fall asleep. I tried for almost 45 minutes to rest and finally gave up. I decided I would go back to the grocery store and buy the hydrangea bushes I had eyed the week before. No need to wake up Ben. 

And here I was. Slowly pushing my cart up to the checkout, now questioning my decision to buy the flowers. Would Ben care that I was spending $60 on three hydrangea bushes that might not last the summer? I heard my self talk start up in my mind like it did quite frequently. 

“Some things are worth the risk.”

I moved forward towards the checkout. 

I pulled up behind possibly the most full grocery cart I had ever seen. It was so full of grocery’s that one more can of beans would most assuredly cause it all to crash to the floor like the end of a good Jenga game. A small, bent women was slowly pushing the cart forward while pulling a tank of oxygen behind her. The clear oxygen tubes draped over her shoulder and led up to her nostrils. The oxygen hissed in the background.

A serious faced teen, holding a food stamps card in one hand and cash in the other, stood just ahead of the older woman at the cash register. She motioned to the woman to move forward and then waved impatiently behind me. 

“You guys! Mamaw is running out of oxygen and someone else is getting in line! Get that other cart up here!” 

I looked behind me. Another cart, dangerously more full than the first, was parked just behind me and surrounded by 5 young children. My eyes widened a little and I moved my cart aside. 

“Are you all together?” I asked. A young girl about 8 or 9 years old, laughed, her eyes sparkling. 

“ Ya, we’re all together! We’re all one family! Us 6 kids and Mamaw. None of us look alike but we’re all together! We love coming to the grocery store! We always all come.” 

I smiled. I didn’t bother correcting her that I was asking about the two grocery carts and not her family situation. I found myself enjoying listening to her. 

A young boy with dark buzzed hair, deep skin, and a bubbling personality struck up a conversation with me.

He pointed at the flowers in my cart.  

“You just buying flowers? Those are pretty. Aren’t you going to buy food? All we ever buy is food. But we always buy the good stuff! We even need two carts! You seem nice since you let us go first!” 

His dark eyes glittered like he had just eaten a gallon of ice cream and my heart melted as such. 

I continued watching the family as I stood behind them. Trying not to laugh at the attempt to see who could empty the carts the fastest. The oldest teen at the front of the line looked like she was about to explode. She was simultaneously calculating the grocery bill and telling her siblings to calm down. 

“ Kids! Seriously! Chill. Mamaw needs to get home and you’re all about to give me a seizure!” 

Her hair was buzzed short and her clothes were masculine. She looked about 14 or 15 years old, yet carrying the responsibility of a weathered adult. 

“Shyanne.” The older woman who I had ascertained as “Mamaw” spoke with a thick French accent. 

“I pay. You do bags. You do good.” 

She lovingly touched her oldest granddaughters arm. 

The next moments consisted of a solid 7 minutes of the checkout beeping and me answering questions from 5 little kids I had just met. 

The youngest of them, probably 4 years old, had bright blue eyes and blond hair that hung to her shoulders. She smiled shyly at me while her older sister with sparkling eyes talked. 

“Do you live around here? I’m Tristan. This is Adrian, Angel, Elias and….this skinny mini is Mikaya. She poked her little blond sister and made her laugh. Our oldest sister is Shyanne. We live in my Mamaw’s trailer. Sundays are when we always shop. Not so crowded. We always take awhile to check out so this way not so many people have to wait. That was nice of you to let us go ahead of you. We all just got out of school for the summer so we are buying lots and lots of snacks for the whole month of June!” She laughed and laughed and her siblings laughed too. 

I looked at the frail, bent woman now paying for all her groceries. Her shoulders bent lower as she surveyed the total cost.

School’s out. 

This poor grandma was in charge of all these kids. Apparently all by herself. And on oxygen. My heart started to hurt. I looked back at the small tribe of smiling little humans. 

“You guys have some fun summer plans now that you don’t have school?”

The 6 year old with ice cream eyes spoke loudly while bouncing up and down. 

“Yes! We’re gonna go to the zoo, and the museum, and swimming, and ride our bikes around the trailer park at midnight!” 

An older boy about 8 wearing a ninja turtle shirt that was too big for him crossed his arms and scowled. 

“Shut up Elias. We’re gonna stay at the trailer park all summer and be bored!” 

“Adrian!” Tristan shushed him with a motherly look. 

“Yo!” Shyanne yelled from the bagging area. “How about some help bagging groceries. You all helped grab all this stuff off the shelves now you can help bag it all!” She winked at the quiet smiling dark haired girl next to her who had been helping the whole time. 

“Angel’s gonna get some extra Takis for helping.” 

There was a mad rush to help and I chuckled as I moved forward to pay for my flowers. I felt drawn to this sweet family I had just met, but I didn’t know why. Much like the feeling I had felt when I walked into the store. Questions started flooding my mind.

Why am I here? Why do I feel this way? Is there anything I could do to help this family out? They’re so adorable.”

I finished paying and started to wheel my cart away. I waved goodbye to the family and laughed as Shyanne smacked Elias playfully on the side of his head while he stuck his tongue out at her. Their Mamaw stood to the side leaning on her oxygen tank and gave orders on where to put things. They were all together all right. And in it together from what I could see. I wished I could do something. Anything to give that sweet Mamaw a break. She looked like she could snap in half at the slightest breath of wind. 

I stepped out into the sunny June air and was met with a gentle breeze. Again, the question plagued my mind as I pushed the cart toward my car. “What could I do?”

And then I felt something stop me. As if a gentle hand was placed on my shoulder and I felt the words deep in my soul. “Stop.” The words were quiet, yet loud enough that I stopped still in the middle of the parking lot. This wasn’t me. And then I felt it again, the words deep in my soul. “VBS.” 

I frowned. 

“What did that mean?”

And then I felt it again. Quieter this time, yet clearer.  

“Go inside and invite those kids to VBS.” 

I knew this wasn’t from me. God had spoken in a similar way to me before and I recognized that gentle feeling. Our church’s VBS was set to start tomorrow evening and I was beginning to feel that this was not an accident. I turned my cart around and pushed it back toward the door. 

 I laughed sarcastically to myself. 

“Well, this is going to be interesting and not look creepy at all.”

I started playing the words in my head. 

“Hi, I know you just met me, and I promise I’m not a stalker, but would your cute little grandkids like to come to my church’s VBS that starts in 22 hours?” I shook my head. 

This is exactly something God would ask me to do. 

Once back inside the store, I started towards the loud gaggle of laughter. Adrian was now smacking Elias playfully while holding Doritos just out of his reach. 

Elias spied me and yelled. 

“She’s back! The flower lady is back!” 

I laughed and approached the grandma and spoke quietly. 

“I know this is odd. And I know you don’t know me but I couldn’t help but understand that your grandkids just got out of school for the year. I’m not sure of your plans for the summer but my church’s Vacation Bible School starts up tomorrow and I wondered if you would let me take your grandkids each evening this week? I can just tell from observing that you have a lot on your plate and I felt like I could offer some help.” 

5 eager faces crowded around to hear what this stranger was whispering to their Mamaw. Shyanne looked warily in my direction from the other side of a grocery cart. 

Tears started to fill the older woman’s eyes and she spoke again in broken English. 

“I’m Christine. They are so energy and need some days to go. I think you are good. I will give my number. You call.” 

I pulled out my phone and took down her number. Repeating it back to her slowly to be sure I heard each heavily accented digit correctly. I tucked my phone away. 

“I’ll call you later tonight.” 

Christine nodded. 

“Yes. But wait two hours. We load the van, and unload the van, and get food away first.” 

I understood. I pushed my cart out the door and waved again. Tristan was busily filling in her siblings about what had just transpired. I could hear squeals of delight following me out the sliding door. 

I felt the gentle June breeze again.

“Well, God? Is this what you wanted? Not sure how this will work, but I guess you have a way of making things happen.” 

As I walked forward, I looked at my 5 passenger car in dismay. 

“Uh-oh. I’m going to need to borrow my mom’s van tomorrow”. I took out my phone to to make the call and saw I had missed a call from Ben. Claire must have woken up and we were going to take a walk to the park this afternoon. I pushed the call button and Ben answered. I could hear Claire playing in the background. 

I smiled, my voice was apologetic as I looked at the hydrangeas still in my cart. If only this was all I had to confess. 

“Hey Babe. I ran out to the store and am on my way back now. Maybe we should take the longer route to the park. We need to talk.”