Food of Love

I called in at my local supermarket on the way home last night. It shall remain nameless as a) it irritates me beyond belief and b) I can't afford an expensive law suit. The first irritant is having to find a pound coin to release a trolley from it's chains. If I don't have a pound coin, I'm forced to go to the cigarette counter or "customer services" (allegedly), and give them the change in exchange for the pound coin. Of course, they're busy with other customers and I'm forced to queue before I've even given them the privilege of shopping in their store. When this procedure was first introduced, I had a rant at the then Manager. He tried to tell me it was the law that the trolleys were chained up. Bollocks. I work in the law & I know it isn't. The second irritant is the lack of cashiers available at just after 5pm (or anytime for that matter). Without exception, every time I enter that store, I hear the tanoi announcement "could all available cashiers....." "could all multi-skilled staff....". Surely they know when the store is likely to be busy ie; when people have just left work and are shopping for their dinner? The third irritant is empty shelves. What more can I say? I could go on, but I know I'm beginning to sound like a Grumpy Old Woman.

Anyway, I digress, I trailed around the store and picked up what I needed before finding a relatively quiet conveyer belt. I surveyed the food belonging to the chap in front of me. A microwaveable burger and three bottles of cider (he must be single), no, then a bag of salad, some prawns and some smoked salmon. Aha! He's having a prawn and salmon salad because he's trying to be healthy, then half way around the store, he's decided it won't fill him up and bought the burger for later. Wrong again, I spy a bottle of Rose wine. Sussed it. The burger and cider is for him, the prawns, salad and wine for his girlfriend - this man knows how to show a girl a good time!

One small point of note. I had resorted to elastic bands around the hold-ups and spent the whole episode terrified that one of them would snap and have me suppressing a scream whilst the said hold-up unceremoniously slid down to my ankle.

Later, and having cooked dinner, K decided to take S for a driving lesson, H was out and the twins were in bed. Yippee! Time on my own. I turned off the T.V, dimmed the lights, poured a large G & T and put Ella Fitzgerald on the CD player. I spent a wonderful hour singing away " Every time we say goodbye, I die a little, every time we say goodbye, I wonder why, a little...." it's one of my favourites. But the lyrics to one particular song really get me going. There's a Take That song called "I'd wait for life" I won't repeat the full lyrics here, for fear of that lawsuit:

"If you ever turn away,

If you ever change your mind,

If the road ahead, becomes too hard to climb,

If there's something in your heart that tells you to stop,

Oh to hold you close tonight,

I'd wait for life

I don't know where you are

or how you may be

But I know, I love you still"

Those words have particular significance to me.

There was another man in my life until two years ago. We had been friends for four years and eventually became lovers. There's a lot more to tell, but not now. Let's just say I will be eternally grateful and eternally sad.