On Tuesdays Bruce ate lunch at the upscale grocery store just a mile from home. It was a habit he and his wife had developed a few years before. Tuesdays were sample days.
Walking to the store upped their appetites and gave them an excuse to indulge. Also, since the portions were small they never felt guilty about having two or three desserts in addition to all the other good food.
Greeted at the door by an employee giving them a flyer titled "The Specials", Bruce and Claire would make their way to the coffee shop. There they would enjoy a small sample of coffee, usually with a seasonal flavor. From there they headed to the deli where samples of meat, salads and shrimp often were served. Part of the lure was the discovery of what would be offered but also they enjoyed the social component.
When they both took an early retirement, they were introduced to the unofficial "Sample Club" at Henri's Grocery Store. Earlier in their marriage they wouldn't have dreamed of shopping regularly at the store. The higher prices would have kept them away along with the average age of the shoppers. Now, in their later 60's, Bruce and Claire found a common ground with the other shoppers. They were similar in age and life experience and were happy to pay the higher prices as long as they could enjoy the perks as well.
For a couple of years Bruce and Claire enjoyed their Tuesday lunches among friends as they meandered their way through the dressed up aisles. Then came the day that everything changed.
One morning Bruce woke and padded off to the bathroom for his shower. When he returned to the bedside he was surprised to find Claire still in bed. She usually got up to make coffee while he showered and then would take a shower of her own. Bruce called out to her and then walked over to her side of the bed as panic began to build in him. Quickly he realized that she was gone.
The next few weeks were a blur for Bruce. His beloved wife of almost 50 years had quietly died of a stroke in the night. Her body was cold and vacant by the time he woke that morning. Family and friends surrounded Bruce and he found comfort in knowing that she had a full and wonderful life.
For a while Bruce stayed close to home, sorting through her things and reliving their long life together. Then one day a couple from their Tuesday lunch group came by and invited him to come back. "You have to eat, Bruce. You may as well do it cheaply." They joked with urgency.
The next Tuesday Bruce forced himself to make the walk to Henri's for lunch. As he entered, the greeter not only handed him a "Specials" sheet but also gave him a light hug. He was greeted by good friends and not so close ones as well. He began to relax, realizing what a community of friends he had, whereas he had taken them for granted for so long. His mind raced as he tried to imagine what Claire would have thought if she had been in his shoes.
Bruce made his way from the coffee shop to the deli, stopping to talk to friends and sometimes struggling to remember their names. Claire wouldn't have had to struggle with names, he thought ruefully. Many asked about his wife, some not knowing about her passing, and all were sympathetic and kind.
After the deli, Bruce made his way to the meat section. The selection was always first rate and the sample lady always had amazing smells coming from her electric fry pan. Although Claire often sweetly reminded him about his cholesterol, the meat department was by far his favorite stop in the sample lunch circuit.
At the electric fry pan table, the woman was creating a masterpiece with steak, onions and peppers. He was drawn to the smell like a bee to a daffodil. He had seen her many times over the past few years but never remembered hearing her name. Claire would have known it, he thought. In an attempt to fill in the missing parts created by Claire's passing, Bruce boldly introduced himself as he took a sample of the meat mixture.
"Hi there. That smells incredible! Hey, I know I've seen you serving many times, but I don't think I've ever introduced myself. I'm Bruce."
Jan looked up, startled to actually be engaging in conversation with one of the customers. Usually the Tuesday lunch crowd concentrated on getting as many samples as possible and didn't interact much with the servers.
"Well, hi back. I'm Jan. I'm glad it smells good to you. Hope it tastes just as good." She smiled at him as he took a bite. Looking her in the eye he then closed his in an exaggerated 'this is amazing' kind of look. She laughed and thanked him for the compliment.
Bruce quickly placed a couple packages of the meat in his cart and said, "I would love the recipe for that. I'm not much of a cook but I guess I'll have to learn." Then he moved onto the other sample stations and Jan kept busy cooking and feeding other lunch lovers.
Jan had worked for Henri's Grocery for 4 years. When her husband traded her in for a younger model, Jan was just 48 and far too young to retire. She had mostly stayed home to raise kids during her marriage and although she didn't have to work to support herself, she didn't like being alone all the time. The kids were grown and off living their lives and so she looked for something to keep herself busy.
A friend introduced her to the world of Sample selling at the grocery store and being a natural hostess, she took to it right away. She quickly learned that she had the natural ability to sell underwear to a nudist enjoying a day at the beach. At least that's what others told her and by the amount of product she sold, she believed it was true.
Each Tuesday over the next month Bruce made it point to stop at Jan's stand for a delicious sample. He liked her warm attitude and the way she seemed to really enjoy her job. He could tell that she really enjoyed the mostly older couples that came regularly and found the young children especially entertaining. Mothers would bring their preschoolers, let them run loose and then wonder why people got irritated. Jan remembered those harried days and found the action amusing.
