I hate shopping for one person almost as much as I hate cooking for one. Other than the staples I never buy more than a week's worth of food, who knows, I might croak, and I go out to eat at least once a week. It's my treat for having made through another week without hurting anyone. For most of my items I always go to the same store, it took me long enough to know where things are in this store, why would I want to start over? The neighbor lady runs all over town for the BOGO offers or milk on sale for twenty cents less, she spends more on fuel running around than if she shopped in one place.
Unlike so many people these days I am aware of what's around me, I don't have my face buried in a damn phone. Smart phones, one of the best and one of the worst inventions of the 20
th
century. Being middle aged I remember the days when you held your head high and took in your surroundings, anymore, people are afraid to look you in the eye or smile. Might offend someone ... fuck off.
I'd noticed the same car on the outer limits of the lot three weeks in a row, not beat up or run down looking, maybe 10 years old, it had out of state plates.
Curiosity got the better of me as I detoured from my normal parking area and walked past the car, the back and passenger seat was piled with clothes and what looked to be personal items, the drivers seat laid back as though someone had slept in it. Walking into the store I scanned each store employee I saw, wondering if one of them might fit the profile of somebody who sleeps in their car.
Not being able to find the brand of popcorn I liked I went looking for purple hair. This girl knew where everything was, I mean everything. I found her on one of those step ladder type platform things they use for the upper shelves, walking toward her she smiled as she looked up and saw me.
"Good morning purple hair, your pest is back seeking input, you're my favorite person in this store." I said.
"You aren't a pest sir. What can I help you with?"
She was a breath of fresh air in my world, I'm a big hulking son of a bitch and people usually cower or walk away from me, not purple hair, she wasn't intimidated at all. I've always been tall, and like my old man I've always been what ma called *big boned*, in other words I was bulky. As I increased in age, I increased in body stature as well. Once the football and power lifting coaches were through with me, I also added bulk to the package. I never was a scrapper or fighter per se, at 6'4" and 285 pounds my size alone was usually enough intimidation to make anybody step back and think.
After showing me where the popcorn had been moved to (I hate reset's, might make things better for the store, sure screws it up for the customers) I thanked her and went on my way. Putting items away at home I thought of purple hair and how quickly she'd learned that store, I'd only seen her there about six weeks. A light bulb went on in my head, what if it's purple hair who's living in their car, I wouldn't be surprised.
Purple hair was at least 5'8", not heavy but not slender either, she has what I refer to as a stout body, what ma would have called good breeding stock. From what I can tell she seldom wears a bra and while the store smock covers that fact, if you watch carefully when she walks there's no doubt at all those girls are free. A narrow waist, cute ass, and long legs. Other than her purple hair the most prominent thing about her were the numerous piercings in her ears, a ring looking thing in her eyebrow, the little diamond looking thing in the corner of her lower lip and the stainless tongue stud. Not to mention the spider tatt across her neck and I wasn't sure what might be beneath her clothing.
Surprisingly she carries the look off quite well, I've seen others with multiple piercings that look like nothing more than somebody with a tackle box on their face. Her clothes are always clean, she doesn't smell, her hair may be purple but is always washed as well as her exposed body parts, I wondered, could she possibly be that clean and still live in her car? Being nosy and with nothing to do in particular I drove to the store after supper, wondering if she might be there. As I pulled into the lot, I noticed the car was gone, I was nearly out of apples, not wanting to waste the trip I went in to find the kind I like.
Walking back to my truck I noticed the car was back in the spot I'd seen it prior. What the hell? I had to go look, as I approached, I could see it was definitely purple hair. She lowered the window as she saw me, smiling she asked what I was doing at the store in the evening, I always shopped on Tuesday morning. I found myself thinking she's very observant. I explained that I'd noticed the car several weeks in a row and was curious who might be living in it.
"It's me, just purple hair. Don't have enough money saved for an apartment, so this has to do."
I chose to attempt being friendly, considering how big I am and that I'm an ex-con it was a huge step for me, "I was getting ready to have a frozen yogurt at Wild Honey, would you like to join me? My treat."
"That would probably be okay, you don't seem like a rapist or pervert."
Over a yogurt we got to know each other a little more. I'm 43, never been married, no I didn't have a live in girlfriend, no I'm not a serial killer, and I'm not married because I hadn't found the right one yet. She was 23, had lived in Lincoln, Nebraska, she'd left because her former boyfriend was a control freak and wouldn't leave her alone. She was able to get a transfer to this store a thousand miles away and she was saving for an apartment.
I enquired how she stayed so clean living in her car.
"I shower at the Y three times a week, the laundromat is a block from where I'm sleeping and I freshen up in the store before my shift. With the store being open 24 hours I have a bathroom available when I need it. The manager is aware of my situation and is okay with it for another two weeks, I'll have to figure something out by then."
Our small talk continued as we drove back to her car, parting I asked if she might tell me what her name was. Abagail, most people called her Abby, I told her mine was Leo. The more I thought about her dilemma the more I wondered if I should invite her to live in my home. I had four bedrooms, two of the extra's had beds and were open, then the questions of 'what if' began rolling through my head.
I don't really know her. What if she's a thief, what if she isn't who she says she is, can I learn to live with another person after all these years, I'm pretty set in my ways, especially a young woman who I definitely find attractive in an odd sort of way. Should I charge her rent? No, that would defeat the goal of finding a place of her own. Most women are afraid of me, she doesn't seem to be at all, I try to be polite, but I seem to come off as gruff most of the time. As I dozed off I had as many questions as when I started wondering.
I spent the next few days mulling this over and over in my mind, reaching the conclusion I'd invite her over for supper and talk somewhere other than a restaurant or the parking lot. Very early Monday I made my way to the store. Her car was already empty, I went inside looking around hoping to find her. I was approached by a store employee asking if I needed help, when I told her I was looking for the girl with the purple hair she told me she didn't come in until 7.
Thinking she might be in the ladies room at the front of the store I sat on the bench between the men's and women's bathrooms. At ten of seven she walked out all cleaned up and ready for work. Seeing me sitting there she smiled and sat next to me.
"Hey Leo, what are you doing here so early, it's not Tuesday."
"Good morning, I stopped in to ask if you would like to have supper with me tonight at my house. It's only a mile or so away, I'll give you the address and my phone number so you can Google it and make sure I'm not lying."
"What you call supper I call dinner, and I'd love to have a meal with you. I won't need to Google you Leo, I can tell you're a good guy. What time? Six o'clock it is, see you then."
I was so excited it was as though I was a teenage boy after his first kiss, a woman who wasn't afraid of me. I had a nice beef roast already thawed in hopes she might accept, I would do mashed potatoes, gravy, sweet corn and I'd make peanut butter cookies this morning for dessert. She pulled in the drive at 5:55, prompt, I liked that. She ate two plates full at supper, then four cookies and a second glass of milk. As she leaned back with a grin I asked if she'd like to sit in the family room, entering she commented on how it looked .... "so male".
I had been an avid hunter in the younger years before my train went off the tracks, I had several mounts in the family room, a huge eight point I'd shot when I was 14, a turkey tail fan of a bird I'd shot that same year, a couple of fox squirrels and a flying grouse. A fisher pelt I'd trapped hung next to a beaver pelt I'd bought, then on the bed in a spare bedroom was the bear rug, a 440 pound black bear I'd taken when I was 18. She was amused by the different mounts having never seen any before. As our conversation continued, I told her that I had something to ask and I'd like her to give it serious consideration.
"Abagail, as you've seen, I have a large home, four bedrooms, one of which I sleep in, one which is the office, and two that are empty all the time. The one on the right has an attached bathroom, I was wondering if you might want to stay here a few months until you've saved enough to get your own place?"
"Wow Leo, how would that work? How can I pay rent here and save for my own place?"