Supermarket Perspective

She had a spring in her step and a bounce in her step as she entered the brightly lit supermarket. She breathed in deeply enjoying the different smells that mingled together in the air. She could detect hints of the flowers close to the door and the rich smells drifting through the building from the bakery all the way at the back of the store. The bright lights and colourful promotional displays seemed to mirror her upbeat mood. She had worked long and hard for this and she couldn't wait to go home and celebrate with her husband. She strolled through the aisles with a shopping basket slung over her arm, swinging jauntily from the crook of her elbow. She wanted to choose something special for dinner tonight. She strolled up and down selecting items and placing them in her basket. She was picking out the more expensive treats, ones they normally couldn't afford. But tonight was a celebration and with the extra money that she would soon be bringing home would cover her little spending spree. With that in mind, she added a bottle of champagne and a box of Belgian chocolate truffles to the rest of her shopping. Then she made her way to the entertainments section, thinking 'what the hell' she'd buy a couple of computer games for the boys too. They deserved a treat. It was so much more relaxing being able to shop without mentally calculating the bill in her head, making sure she had enough money in her pocket to cover it. The promotion and the accompanying pay rise would ensure she would be able to breathe a little easier from now on.

-------

She shuffled into the supermarket with her eyes downcast. The bright lights and colourful displays assaulted her eyes, which were raw and tender from crying so hard. The lingering smells of the floral display and the in store bakery caught in her throat bringing yet another wave of nausea washing over her grief stricken body. She could not believe that after this long it was all over. Everything she had sacrificed, everything she had given him, gone without so much as a backward glance. She leaned heavily on the shopping trolley for support, keeping her head down and refusing to meet the eye of any of her fellow shoppers. Normally she liked to spend hours browsing all of the different departments in the supermarket. Not today. Today she was here out of necessity, just so that the children would have something to eat. She was gripped by an overwhelming panic that she would meet someone she knew and she would have to explain why she was here in this state. Her eyes were puffy and swollen. Red rimmed from hours of crying. Her unwashed, unbrushed hair hung in a tangled curtain, obscuring her face. She moved quickly from aisle to aisle, blindly throwing items into the trolley. Who knew what she would cobble together for dinner this evening. There didn't seem to be anything resembling a complete meal among her random choices. She didn't care. It was all she could do to function. It was nothing short of a miracle that she had stopped crying long enough for this haphazard shopping trip. She was still numb from the hurtful words they had exchanged, ending a fifteen year love affair between her and her husband.