“How?”
“It started as a suggestion from Pru, but everyone is on board with it, especially Erin. Oh, if you ever have an idea, but don’t think it will work, talk it over with Erin, that’s how most of her operations came to fruition, through a thought. This building I just mentioned is a community pantry.” She pulled out another list and handed it over to him. “This is a list of things that will be purchased today to be stored in the pantry. This is from Erin, in addition to her normal list. We are supposed to have a hard winter, and with this extra stuff, if we can’t make it to the store, we’ll have it stored in the pantry. Also, there is a restaurant sized walk-in cooler and freezer. It’s latein the season, but just last week, Erin sent three cows to slaughter. We already have our meat for the winter. Or we will when it’s done being processed.”
“But she sent them in case we get snowed in. I’m assuming that’s in case we get snowed in and use what’s in our homes. The extra will be stored in this big freezer?”
“Correct. Did anyone tell you that we work as a family?”
“Yes, Manny mentioned it, and I can see how that would work.” He nodded and they headed into the grocery store, but just before the arrived at the service counter, he took Lois aside. “What’s up with Ryan not eating peas at his house?”
Lois laughed, and gripped his forearm. “It’s cute actually. You’ll learn, but everyone both men and women have a story. You know Marcia’s, correct?”
“Yes, I was literally right there beside her and we hit that mountain together.”
“Okay, well, Pru was in the Air Force, her helicopter crashed, she was the only survivor, but she didn’t walk away without any injuries. She has TBI. Some days she’s perfectly fine, others she spaces out, and yet others she’s full of energy. She hates peas. I mean if she sees them, she gags. One day, Ryan was on a special mission and saw her in the store getting her groceries. She was packing a produce bag with pea pods. As he talked to her, he filled a bag with asparagus, and another one with broccoli. He putthose in her cart and took the pea pods for himself. She never realized it. Another time, she opened a can of veggies, and started gagging. Ryan saw they were peas, and quickly set them outside. Her TBI makes her slightly forgetful at times.”
“Oh, wow.”
“Oh, and Erin hates green beans and anything with them in it. She has soup on her list, and there is only one specific type we can buy.”
“Let me guess, the others have green beans in them.”
“Yes, come spring, when I start canning, I have several recipes that I can make up for soups and stuff that won’t have those particular items in them. Oh, and this isn’t as big as the others, but I do believe that Naomi isn’t a fan of pumpkin. I’ll have to look into that further.”
“I bet the soups would be cheaper and healthier for everyone if you made them.”
“They will be.” Lois reached up and patted his cheek. “You’ll learn. Because of Marcia, I know a little of your story, and maybe you can help me out in the spring if you are able to bend without falling over.”
“That’s my goal,” he said with a grin, and they headed to the service counter to get their first item on the list.
Several hours later, after putting the last cart of groceries in the back of the SUV, Tony returned the cart to the rack in the parking lot, and climbed intothe vehicle. He looked at Lois with a shocked expression.
“Holy hell.” He didn’t know what else to say to convey the shock of what he had just experienced with the older lady.
“I know, right?” Lois laughed as she reached for the key to start the vehicle. “Hungry?”
“Starving, but I didn’t see any fast-food joints.”
“There aren’t any. If you want something to eat, we can go to Maggie’s Diner, which has everything, or we can swing by Kora’s.”
“Which is?”
“A bakery.”
“Do they have sandwiches?”
“I believe so.”
“What do you want?”
“Kora’s,” Lois said with a laugh. “I called and placed an order this morning for some donuts and muffins.”
“Ah, sneaky.”
“Yep,” they laughed together as they headed toward downtown, which wasn’t excessively big, and Lois pointed out all the things of interest. When they arrived at Kora’s she parked and he hopped out and rushed around to open her door. Once inside, he paused and closed his eyes to take in all the smells. They stepped up to the counter and when the woman behind there sawthem, she grinned.
“Do you want your order now, Lois, or are you going to get something to eat first?”
“We’ll have something to eat. I’d like a cup of your Chai tea, and an egg salad sandwich on a croissant.” Lois turned to Tony with a raised brow. He quickly ordered, but insisted on him paying. They took their drinks to the table, and waited for the sandwiches.
