Shopping
Peter Grandbois

Having abandoned her husband in the beer aisle, she places her youngest in the upper section of the cart with the bread and eggs. His legs stick out from beneath the handle. Her oldest squats in the main compartment, pulling items off the shelf until he's half covered in cookies and cereal. At the dairy cooler, she weights the oldest's arms with milk. "Faster," the youngest says, kicking her. She pins his legs down with two cartons of yogurt, then pushes the cart. The right front wheel squeaks incessantly. Hands pull cans from shelves, making a trail along the floor. She is almost done, her children nearly buried in string beans and sweet corn. The end-cap advertises a special on cream of mushroom. She tips a can into the cart, then another, and another, as shoppers move past. Alone, she looks for a new cart.

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