Goodbye to the Bread Lady

           

            On Wednesday morning I called my doctor’s office, because I noticed on my phone that I’d been called from there the day before. The nurse told me I need an abdominal ultrasound. I hope I don’t find out that I’m pregnant again.

At 11:00 on Wednesday I went down to the food bank to get a number. Last week I came a little later, walked in the door, got a number and left. I’m not sure if it really pays to get there early and to have to stand in line with people smoking cigarettes. One woman brought a wooden chair from near the door and hobbled back with it so she could sit while waiting. She sat there smoking and playing a game on her smart phone until the line moved. She murmured “Ow!” as she walked with the chair. She was about my age or younger, and definitely overweight, but she wasn’t as old or obese as her difficulties made her appear. I guess there is something wrong with her legs.

I my two neighbours’ empties to the beer store so I could buy some three percent milk later on.

When I got back to the food bank, my number was called almost right away. I was reading Peter Pan while sitting in one of the chairs that line the wall. The door person wanted to call five more people in but before that she approached me to ask me to move further down. I looked up from my reading and told her, “No, I’m going to be staying here.” She said, “Okay”, but didn’t appreciate my lack of cooperation with her useless plan. She let five more people in and they filled the seats in the area where she had wanted me to move. Then my number was called and I went to get my food.

A young guy who I hadn’t seen before was my volunteer, but after I’d selected my items from the first shelf, he stepped aside and there was a young, bright faced woman managing the second shelf and another minding the third. These people stuck out like bibles in a porn shop, so I knew they were part of some outside organization. I asked, “Where are you guys from?” One young woman answered, “Achievers, we’re just down the street.”

I had to look them up later on. I had expected to find some ultra sunny gang of Christers, but it turns out that they are with one of those modern organizations that companies hire to train their employees to become better team players. There are phrases on their website like “behaviour driving engine” and “the greatest gap: the state of employee disengagement”. I’m sure there are all kinds of ritualistic methods and that it’s almost a bit cult-like. It all gives me the willies just to think about it. I guess this group might have been either Achievers employees or those of one of their clients, out on a team-building mission.

Sue was not in her normal place with the cold items, but there were two more “achievers” there as well. I found Sue by the bread section. I had been wondering what had happened to the old white lady with the dyed black dreadlocks who usually manages that section. Sue informed me that she died. She would always say, “What can I get for you my dear?” and tended to promote the bread as if she was actually getting paid to push it. “You’ve got to try some of this!” and “Take a few more of these!” I would always end up with way too much bread. I’ll miss her.