Weirdness

I think we've established that people are weird and weird things happen. Nevertheless, I want to introduce a couple weird people I encountered last week (other than myself and my friend Michelle).

On Sunday morning after church (it was around 10:45), I decided to go to the grocery store to get a few things I was out of and buy my friend some flowers--her senior project presentation was that afternoon.

Columbia has three different grocery stores not including Wal-mart and the two discount stores on the North side of town. The first and nicest store is Hy-Vee. Hy-Vee has an excellent produce section, a Starbucs, and a clean atmosphere (not to mention the free samples). While I like Hy-Vee, it is also the most expensive (although it was recently argued that Shnucks is actually more expensive than Hy-Vee).

While Hy-Vee is slowly taking over Columbia (they just built a new store on Nifong- it is the epitome of food heaven--and they're building another one by the Wal-mart on Broadway....its funny how all 3 Hy-Vee's are all by the 3 Wal-Marts), Shnucks still remains a prominent player. I don't shop there very often but it has a down to earth feel that I like, and its right on my way to my friend's house in case I need to stop and pick something up for dinner.

The third option of grocery stores in Columbia is Gerbes. Gerbes has three locations: Nifong, Paris, and Broadway. Although I've never been to the one on Paris, I've been told that the one on Broadway is close behind in 2nd place for shadiest grocery store in Columbia. Fortunately for me, I live right across the street from Broadway Gerbes and happen to like it for several reasons:

1. Its cheaper than Hy-Vee

2. Its run by the same company as Kroger, which means I can use my Plus card at both locations

3. I get a little nostalgic every time I walk in. It reminds me of the old grocery store I went to when I was little--the Kroger on Parkway back in Tennessee: same smell, similar setup, same dismal lighting, and same strange people.

I didn't notice the strange people until I got a little older and started making Kroger runs for my mom when she forgot an important ingredient for our family dinners--hamburger buns for grill night, flour for the cookies, Italian dressing for the salad, baked beans for BBQ night--giving my 16-year-old self a reason to drive. In fact, much like the Gerbes on Broadway, my parents now prefer to go to the newer Kroger at the other end of Highland. "Its nicer and safer," they say.

Anyway....back to the weirdness. I parked my car last Sunday morning, dressed in a plaid dress and brown boots (the dress either makes me look like a 2nd grader or a 2nd grade teacher...I can't decide, but I like it and I'll say I'm somewhere in between).

I'm walking up to the door and dropping my keys into my blue mailbox purse when I look up and feel my facial muscles tense as I try to keep the chock from creeping across my face.

A tall (like 8 feet tall!) skinny (almost skeletal) man (I'm using a lot of parentheses in this post) with long, stringy hair under a beat up cowboy hat was walking out of Gerbes. He had on faded, light-wash blue jeans, some sort of boots, a long, used to be black trench coat, and no shirt. He swaggered out the door, moving with a snake-like smoothness, hair brushing from side to side with each step. His lips remained pursed, and he kept his eyes focused on the horizon. No Gerbes grocery bag was in his hand so I can't imagine what he had gotten in the store--maybe a pack of cigarettes? Either way, this man was strange, and he made me laugh.

"Hmmm....maybe this store is a little weird," I thought. "But i like it nonetheless!"

**Yes...I said I was going to write about a couple weird encounters, but that was before I decided to give you a short history of grocery stores in Columbia. The running UPS man will have to wait for another post = )