My girlfriend had sent me to the store for a few last minute items for our private little Thanksgiving dinner. Her family event was taking place on Friday and I had to work, so for the actual holiday it was just the two of us.
That was fine with me, I am not exactly a social butterfly. I stay back and just listen to the conversations around me, answering questions as they come up, but trying not to be the center of attention.
The store was fairly empty. I don't know if that should surprise me or not. It was Thanksgiving, so most people would be home or visiting family, but I live in the city, so nothing is ever not busy.
I was searching for the turkey gravy. I wasn't fond of her homemade gravy, as it often lacked flavor. I was picking out some Stovetop Stuffing, as I'm not a fan of her cornbread dressing either.
"Turkey or cornbread?" I heard a voice next to me say.
"Huh?" was my response, as I wasn't sure he was talking to me even though it was just the two of us in the aisle.
The guy next to me was holding two different boxes of stuffing mix. He was looking back and forth between them.
"What do you think, the turkey stuffing or cornbread stuffing?" he questioned again.
"Chicken." I answered absently. "The turkey stuffing doesn't have as much flavor and I'm not wild about cornbread. It doesn't have to be chicken you're eating to have the chicken flavored stuffing."
"Yeah, I guess I didn't think about that." He said as he walked away.
I encountered him again while picking up a pie.
"Sweet potato or pumpkin?" the guy asked as I walked behind him after making my selection.
"Pumpkin pie, definitely pumpkin." I answered without hesitation.
It seemed like every aisle I ended up in, he was already in or arrived shortly after me. At each aisle he had a different question. Cranberry sauce or relish, paper plates or regular, Hellman's or Miracle Whip. The whole thing was odd, since these should be his preferences he was shopping for.
I finally found the gravy and was looking at a couple different selections when he passed by again. This time I was the one who wasn't sure of my decision. Without being asked, my shopping buddy pointed to his favorite of the two.