"Cooties"

I'd placed my cart off to the side, out of the way, at the banking center.  I didn't want to impede traffic. 

The old lady behind me in the checkout line had seemed a little strange.  She kept playing with the divider like she was going to "make" me pay for her groceries.  I just kept an eye on things and pointed at my last item, saying "That's it". 

The old lady scowled at me, then followed me over to the banking center.  She put her carton of eggs in her purse [twitch], while resting it against my shopping cart.  OK, she's an old lady. 

I moved forward in line.  Something caught my eye and I turned to see the old lady pawing through my merchandise, already paid for.  I scowled at her. 

She laughed at me and said "Is mine now" and pretended to cover it.  I just stared at her, thinking you have no idea.  I am completely bugnuts crazy.  I battle horrible thoughts every day.  If you had any inkling of my issues you'd be running like hell.  

I also, as I reminded Ron, had a knife in my pocket (I use it for cutting packaging tape on the boxes). 

However, I did the right thing, if "the right thing" is scoffing at her, shaking my head in disgust, and taking out my cell phone.  I indicated I WOULD call for assistance if needed and she left. 

What the what? 

It was just a weird day overall. 

Work was OK.  I got up at 4, showered, went to work (did the God Time later).  I got my delivery and stocked a surprising amount of inventory. 

I'd bought, on impulse, a case of peach iced tea (black).  It sold out in one day.  We need to get more!  I had 2 people ask me about it. 

I always enjoy interacting with my customers.  I even teasingly showed a picture of Gravy to one of the customers, who then bought a package of donuts.  The customer bought the donuts, not Gravy.  :p

I had fun. 

We had an awesome driver who found us easily.  We went to pick up another client. 

The other client was living in a teardown home in a modest, older neighborhood.  It was an old lady with two grandbabies.  They were filthy, and reeked.  I think they had their water cut off. 

"The carseat" the driver told me later, gagging "Was encrusted with human waste".   The vehicle was awash with a nauseating composite of body odor, human waste, and sick old lady. 

"I think" the driver mentioned later "The children had lice.  I could see bugs crawling on them." 

It was pretty awful. 

After we unloaded them, the driver pulled off in a parking lot and we got out our various disinfecting, santitizing, air freshening products.  We combined them and did what we could do undo the damage.  The driver also put the windows down, thank God. 

[shudder]  We had to pick up more clients, a very sick woman whose doctor had referred her to an emergency room.  And she had to sit in THOSE seats.  Poor woman. 

She wasn't the last sick woman I rode with today, we also had another lady on the way home from Walmart.  She coughed and gasped so much the driver actually pulled over and asked if she needed an ambulance. 

Back to ride #2, going to Walmart.  We finally made it. 

I did my shopping.  Ron waited.  I got him some popcorn. 

"Most people would consider me a failure" I thought, looking at the line of TV dinners (Ron's) riding up the conveyor belt.  "But at least he's eating".  Most of the dinners we got have pretty balanced nutrition, vegetables and meat. 

I also considered the extreme unlikeliness of meal prep when I'm depressed.  I bought a gallon of milk and some cereal for me, this week.  That's pretty much it - besides the breakfast biscuits and some drink mix. 

I had to deal with wierd klepto lady.  Spanish people are generally nicer than that, but maybe she had her own mental illness issues. 

We had a good ride home, except for the sick lady.  She sounded so bad I gave her a small bottle of Olive leaf.  She was sick, AND extremely obese, a very bad combination. 

I did get a nap when I came home, that was awesome.  

You can bet I've been taking my olive leaf.  A lot of "cooties" today.