In Sibiu, we went to a grocery store called Carrefour Express. When Kenric stood in line to pay, I stood near the counter where people transfer the things they brought into their own grocery bag or basket. Again, we had forgotten to print out the price tags (bar code) for our fresh produce. So, Kenric went back to weigh the grapes, key in the grape codes, and affix the printed label onto the bag of grapes. That gave me more time to people-watch.
Standing in line was a little girl I had noticed earlier. She came in with her grandmother, went straight for the stack of rolling shopping baskets, and proceeded down the aisle dragging the basket. Her grandmother followed about two steps behind with her walking cane. The little girl was carrying a small duffel bag containing a ball on her back. She’s maybe seven years old.
The Checkout Helper
Now, at the checkout lane, she’s quite the helper again; lifting things out of the basket onto the conveyor belt, sometimes requiring both hands. Once the things were scanned, she collected them, and placed them back into the emptied basket. She dragged the basket towards where I was standing, and gave me the biggest smile. I must have smiled back. How could anyone have not?
She took off her bag, opened it, and her grandmother started piling things into the bag on top of the ball. She was almost tossing them into the bag because it looked like she couldn’t bend over too much. “What a waste of usable space”, I thought. Then, I realized the little girl was just standing there, holding the bag open, and smiling at me. I slowly reached over, took her bag, and started to take the groceries out. Her grandmother, upon seeing that, started to put the other groceries on the counter instead. She also put some into her own bag.
Pack the Grocery Bag Nicely
After I had taken the ball out and made room in the bag, I started stacking the groceries in the bag nicely. She immediately caught on. As she put each new item that I handed her nicely into her bag, I would go, “Mmm…hmm” and she would smile. Those who worked with me know “Mmm…hmm” is my weird grunt of approval. This Little Smartie was such a joy to work with. This kind of micromanaging, I like. The twinkle in her eyes tells me she will look for ways to organize her groceries efficiently from now on.
I helped her put her duffel bag back on, and when I handed her the ball to hold, she caught it like we were playing ball. Her grandmother smilingly looked on, and said, “Merci”. We waved goodbye. By then, Kenric brought our stuff, and I started helping him. I looked over at the exit, and she was looking back at me. She immediately smiled and waved, and my heart melted again.
I take many photos, but for some odd reason, I do not have a photo even of the grocery store. The closest thing I have is a picture of the tower next to it. I also have many photos of other children in Sibiu. Perhaps this precious encounter with the girl and her grocery bag was meant to be experienced only by me.
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