Some Things Make Me Wonder

I was shopping for some miscellaneous items and things for my lunch. I'd waited until late, since it was such a beautiful day; and I determined grocery shoppers would have completed their business so they could enjoy the last of a day with an azure sky, high temperatures in the mid seventies, and  a feel to the air that can only be described as wonderful.

When I finished, I looked at the checkout aisles, saw all had at least one person, and settled on one with one customer. There were two clerks helping the customer count a pile of change. Normally, I would have gone on to another aisle, but the situation was too unique to pass up, and I knew I could find something to write about, if I spent some time just observing.

The customer was buying a large pumpkin. Considering her size, it was a task to carry it. I'd say she was about eight years old. Her curly, dark blonde hair was unkempt; probably from the wind, or just needed brushing. She was wearing leopard skin capri stretch pants and a dark blue peasant blouse. Her horn rimmed glasses were almost too big for her face.

She turned every once in awhile to look behind; not to see who I was; it was more of a glance by someone looking for someone else. She returned my smile, when she finally looked at me, and quickly returned to watching the clerks delve through the piles of dime, nickles and pennies.

The eventually had enough change. One clerk completed the sale, and the other helped the young lady push the remaining change back into the zippered purse she had hung around her neck. When finished, she carefully spent some time making sure the zipper was completely closed, grabbed her pumpkin, and was gone.

The clerk gave me an apologetic look, so I commented: "You have to admire her for having the confidence to buy the pumpkin by herself." She smiled, told me how much I owed them for the small amount of groceries, and I was soon headed for my truck.

I looked around the parking lot, but the girl was gone. Whether she climbed into a waiting car, or disappeared into the local neighborhood, I'll never know. I do know such things make me wonder: Where were her parents? Were they outside waiting? If not, did they know their daughter was spending her money on a pumpkin? Does she even have a parent?

A girl that age alone is an oddity today. Considering how she was dressed, with the colors not really matching, and the need of a trim for her unkempt hair,  I'd wager she spends a lot of time on her own; wading through her youth with too many responsibilities she doesn't quite understand. Still, I admire her tenaciousness and ability to function with what she has. Hopefully, her experiences will lead to success; and she'll have the opportunity to laugh about her purchase of a pumpkin; way back in 2014. If not, and this is the only record of a unique experience on a beautiful Autumn afternoon, may it be enough. She deserves that much at least.