At the Checkout Line

It was a typical Saturday morning for two women who were on their way to the supermarket with their mom. Mildred and Martha look forward to taking the car and driving to the big supermarket near their house although it was summer and they knew that on the drive home there would be a rain storm for sure. That’s the way it was in this city located in a tropical country.

Mildred was named after Charlie Chaplin’s first wife Mildred Harris. He mom simply adored him and enjoyed watching his movies over and over again. If she had given birth to a boy, he would have been called Charlie, but then again, she ended up having two girls.

Martha was named after the American journalist Martha Gellhorn. You see the mother enjoyed reading about people and when she read about Mrs. Gellhorn she fell in love with her life. However, if you looked at the mother, you’d think she could barely read at all. Life had been cruel to her and her body had aged quite a lot.

Mildred was older than Martha, however, Martha looked older. Because she had the same body shape as her mother, she shared he clothes. She wore her mother’s dresses which were made for older women. Mildred on the other hand, was thinner and liked to keep in shape.

People thought Martha was much prettier than Mildred but it was Mildred who was seen in the neighborhood getting friendly with the males. Martha had never been with a man although she would be celebrating her 31^st birthday in a few weeks. She worked as a clerk at a shoe store near her home and when she wasn’t at work she was at home watching TV and keeping her mother company.

Mildred was 3 years older than Martha, wore glasses and liked to wear miniskirts and really short shorts in the summer time. She was the only person in the family who drove and she worked as an editor for a local publisher. She worked a lot in the office and when she wasn’t at work, she was hanging out with her friends at the bars in the neighborhood. She loved to drink and make out. However, she didn’t want to get involved with anyone seriously. People used to say that she was too easy therefore it was not that she didn’t want a serious relationship, it was the opposite; no one wanted to marry her.

The mother was well aware of the situation of her two daughters. She loved them dearly and was very grateful to have them around despite not knowing what she could do to help them.

At the supermarket each of them filled that cart with what they needed for that week. The mother worried about getting the rice, beans, potatoes, meat and pasta while each of the girls got snacks and other things to their taste. Of course, Martha didn’t read the labels and was not worried about her health or her shape whereas Mildred read all the labels and only got low-cal, low-carbs, low-salt, and low-sugar goodies.

They had made it to the checkout counter before the downpour. While Martha and her mom were placing the items on the belt, Mildred had gone to the lingerie section to grab a pair of new panties; one never knows what can happen on a Saturday night.

-          “250 reais” said the checkout girl.

Martha placed her bank card in the slot and told the checkout girl that she was paying for half. Then Mildred paid for the other half. They never talked about how unfair this was or not. Sometimes Mildred tried to mention the fact on their way home from the supermarket. But after a few unsuccessful tries she just gave up. Nonetheless, what her mother did with her pension money always crossed her mind. Perhaps she would find out when the inheritance came about.

Google Images

(Written December 29, 2012 – all of this came to mind at the checkout counter at the supermarket this afternoon as I observed the three women in front of me.)

copyright ©2012 - Todos os direitos reservados a Meire Marion.