In which our Hero keeps balls in the air.
Grocery stores are for whimsy.
Listen:
At the grocery store to purchase oranges for non-alcoholic New Year’s mimosas, I tossed oranges toward my partner so she could catch them in the plastic bag. A simple game; a fun game; a game that hurts no one.
My partner caught the first one.
A store employee approached us.
My partner caught the second one.
The employee stood beside us, continuing to watch.
My partner missed the third one. (I shorted the toss.) She retrieved the orange and placed it in the bag.
“Could I ask you to do something?” the clerk said.
“Sure,” I replied, expecting him to tell us to stop. I had expected him to tell us to stop since the moment I saw him walking over.
“I had cataract surgery recently. Could you toss me one of those oranges? I want to see if I can catch it.”
“Sure,” I said. “Tell me when.”
“Now’s good.”
I tossed the orange. He caught it. His face released sunlight it had been holding back for years.
“I used to juggle three balls,” he said. “Not well, but I could keep ‘em in the air. Then cataracts got to me. It’s good to be back.”
“I’m glad to hear it.”
“I didn’t want to ask a friend to toss me something. That would be too intimate. So I figured I’d ask a stranger.”
“Glad I could help.”
My partner and I returned to our toss-and-catch with the oranges. We purchased six pounds of oranges and drove home.
Too often, we stop playing out of fear that someone will tell us to stop, when all they wanted was to play along.
Julian Wise 