By Betty Thomason Owens
The sun beat down on my little red car, sending me scurrying into a local grocery store—one of those big ones that sell everything. On this day, a cool blast of conditioned air inside the door was most welcome. I grabbed a small cart, dug in my purse for the slip of paper I’d written my list on, and headed in, determined to make it back out in under half an hour.
A sparse crowd made my goal more accessible. I prefer to hit the store in the off-hours because I don’t like crowds. After several minutes of wandering up and down rows, I’d marked almost everything off my list, but I’d forgotten the black beans, a necessity for my dinner menu. I turned around and headed back the way I’d come.
Familiar with the layout, I knew I’d find the beans at the opposite end of a long row near the dairy aisle. As I rolled my cart along the route, I saw a short, elderly woman scowling at the rows of every kind of bean you could imagine. I was about half a row away when she lifted her cane and tried without success to knock a small can off the top shelf. The cute little lady shook her head and tried again, but still no success.
I parked my cart and stepped near. “Can I help you?”
She looked at me, still scowling until hope changed the frown into a tentative smile. “Oh, could you? I want a couple of those half-cans of baked beans—the ones on sale.”
I reached for the cans.
“I appreciate this more than you know. It’s terrible being short. I was small, to begin with, and now that I’m old, seems like I get shorter and shorter.”
I handed her the cans. “I can see where that would be a problem. Are you all right now? Can I help you with anything else?”
“No, I’m all set. Thanks again, you’ve made my day.”
As she inched away, pushing a cart almost of equal height, I thought how easy it is to make someone’s day. One kind gesture changed her dark frown to a glowing smile. I picked up a can of organic black beans and marked the last item off my list.
Making my way to the self-check lanes, I could picture her at the checkout, offering the clerk a smile as she paid for two half-cans of baked beans. Maybe the clerk needed that smile to make her day.
Betty Thomason Owens considers herself a word-weaver, writing stories that touch the heart. Besides her work on the KCWC planning committee, she also leads the Louisville Area ACFW group and is a co-founder of the multi-author Inspired Prompt blog. Married forty-four years, she’s a mother of three, and a grandmother of eight.
A part-time bookkeeper at her day job, she writes for Write Integrity Press and has seven novels in publication. You can learn more about her at BettyThomasonOwens.com. Connect with her on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, and Instagram.
She’s waited too long. When Tom proposed last year, Annabelle wasn’t ready to open her heart to another man. Pain still held a thin crust around it. Time has healed her heart, but with a new woman in town, one who clearly has her sights set on Tom, does it matter if Annabelle’s heart is ready to love again?
Folks in town are keeping a close eye on their pharmacist, hoping to be the first to hear the good news. He’s been courting the widow Cross for nigh on two years now. Annabelle Cross better wake up and put her dancing shoes on. Mr. Tom is prime real estate.
Drift back into the simple, country life of Tennessee in 1957 with this sequel to award-winning ANNABELLE’S RUTH.
“A 1950s Clean & Wholesome Romance”
Ah yes, “It’s terrible being short.”