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 his is the last
time I have to buy extra food, she was thinking as she pulled into the
grocery store parking lot. It was as crowded as ever. She was always afraid
that she would not be able to find her car again in the huge expanse of
vehicles. Inside the store, she got her cart and joined the throng. Going
up the first aisle, she saw a tiny shape halfway along, standing stationary.
The stream of shoppers bent slightly around him, but nobody noticed him
except Edna.
No question, it was one of them. Were
they looking for her? She ducked her head quickly as she realized that
he was aware of her look. She dared not stop, though she had to pass within
inches of him. They could not recognize her. But they would know that
she was the only one in the store that would recognize them. Any
sign of awareness on her part would give her away.
There was one of them in each aisle.
They were bundled up from head to toe and kept their heads down and Edna
knew they were watching anyone that looked at them, slowed down, speeded
up or went the wrong way. Did they know she was in the store? Were they
watching the house? Henry had told her that, with their poor eyesight,
they could not recognize her car unless they saw the license plate.
Nobody else took the slightest interest
in the little people. Twice she saw women push them aside to get at the
products behind them. Edna found it difficult conceal her awareness. She
believed she was safe in the middle of the crowd, but it was intensely
difficult not to look and make sure.
Her mistake was in paying by check.
She realized this as soon as she saw the cashier punching her social security
number into the register. She wanted to grab her cart and run, but managed
to wait the few moments necessary to make a slow and inconspicuous exit.
Looking back as she went out the automatic doors, she saw one of ‘them’
was indeed there, staring up at the register numbers and then looking
towards the lady that had followed her in line. That lady weighed about
three hundred pounds, so, unfortunately, even someone with terrible eyesight
would be able to tell it wasn't Edna.
 enreeee! Where
are you?” Everything looked normal but she was spooked. He would
know if anyone had showed up at the house while she was gone. The dogs
were quiet and both cats were sitting on the deck looking at her. She
waited a few moments and then went ahead and unloaded her groceries. There
was no sign of Henry. Had he left ahead of schedule? Without him, she
felt totally defenseless. If the Blues showed up, she was a dead duck.
She ate a silent lunch and went upstairs
to lie down for a while. She was tense and uneasy. Then she heard Henry's
familiar sounds. The freezer lid slammed shut and she heard the rip of
an ice cream wrapper.
“Where have you been? Didn't you hear
me yelling?”
“I heard you.”
“And?”
“And what?” He sounded irritated
and tired.
“There were Blues all over the store
today. I think they were looking for me. What's going on?”
He was quiet for so long, she thought
he had gone out the door without answering her.
“Henry?”
“I'm thinking! Just give me a minute!”
“What's wrong?”
“Oscar and I are having a disagreement.
I will be staying here for a while longer than planned.”
“Oh, no, no, no. This three months
has been an eternity. You can't just stay here forever. I want my life
back.”
“Your life is never going to be the
same. You can forget that.”
“Henry, what is going on? All this
time, you said three months. I've been counting the days. I really, really
want my privacy back.”
“W-w-w-ell th-that's j-j-just
too bad!” He banged out the front door, slamming it behind him.
cont. on page twenty-eight
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