Grocery Shopping | Teen Ink

Grocery Shopping

October 27, 2015
By Rosie630 GOLD, Wilmington, Delaware
Rosie630 GOLD, Wilmington, Delaware
18 articles 0 photos 9 comments

Favorite Quote:
"The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little extra." ~Jimmy Johnson


When people see a person in a wheelchair, they automatically think that they are superior to them. Cruising down the canned foods aisle in the grocery story, steadily reaching out to decide whether it'll be green beans or creamed corn for dinner. They watch, and pity them. They wonder how badly they wish that they could be normal, just like everyone else. As they go to turn and continue on their business, they see two little girls bouncing happily behind the handicapped woman. They blink in surprise, and lingering stares can be noticed from every corner of the grocery aisle. She is not stupid. She just smiles and tells her young to come along, and declares,

“No, you can't have those cookies. We already bought the cheaper kind from the Dollar Tree” followed by a whine from one of the girls, but she had resigned from the fact; no means no. She piles the things into the basket resting on her lap, and click on her motorized chair to drive to the next destination. The girls dispute on who gets to hitch a ride from the back, and she says

“You girls are getting a little too heavy for that” with a chuckle. Slowly, spectators focus on their own tasks and the aisle becomes silent. They internally reflect on the scene prior. How would their lives be different if they were constricted like this? How would they be able to raise two children? Surely, these children are being deprived from a normal life. They see this family unit as outsiders, something different than a typical, happy family. However, when asked their opinion of their mom's restrictions, the little girl responds,

“What do you mean? My mom can do everything your mom can do. We go to restaurants, we go sightseeing, and oh! She took us to Dave and Buster's arcade for our birthday. We swim in our pool in the backyard, too. Mom has a lift to get in, and she wears floaties!” she giggled, and her cheeks warmed at the thought of her favorite person. Her mom volunteered at their elementary school every Wednesday to read and mentor children who would be considered “mentally disabled”. To her, all people were just people. She used her talents in order to help them become stronger in the area they were weak in.


Everyone knew the sound of her motorized chair clicking its way down the hallway, and the two girls' heads shot up from the drowsy lesson of fractions to recognize a knowing smile from their mother. Their mom was capable of more than a 'normal' mom. She stylized methods to combat her struggles, and she was always there for her girls. All of their friends knew her as their mom, and traveling became fun in their handicapped-adapted van, which could seat many. However, they always knew that they would have spectators, so they made sure to put on a good show.



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