Walked from the truck to the dollar store; wringing wet, with sweat, and burning up...to grab a case of water and some deodorant. I suppose that the water was the most important need, but in this heat...deodorant would have to be the runner up.
As I wobbled my way inside, I was immediately greeted by a gust of cool, air conditioned air. I thought to myself, ‘Thank God for smart people who invent stuff’. I don’t give the intelligent folks enough credit, until it comes to this sort of situation.
I don’t praise ‘em for cell phones, because I rarely have any service anyway, and when I do...it’s usually a telemarketer on the other end. Minimal kudos for online shopping, because I miss actual paper catalogs...the kind that needed no WiFi, and can serve as a booster seat for young’uns, if need be. I’m rarely thankful for satellite television, because there’s two hundred stations available...with nothing of any sort of quality on any of them. But by George, I’m thankful for the air conditioning. They got that one right; improving lives, without simultaneously destroying them, at the same time, in another way.
On my way to the arm pit perfume my eye caught a glimpse of orange, and since I love warm colors (not warm temperatures), I halted. A row of Halloween candy, some Trick or Treat bags, and a couple of plastic pumpkins put a grin on my face. Fall was coming.
It used to irritate me to no end when stores would stock holiday items three or four months prior to when they occurred. Not anymore, Honey. Bring it on. It restored my vigor, just a tad; knowing that this blistering heat was not permanent. I could almost smell the bonfire, in my mind. Thoughts of cool, crisp air and fuzzy socks replaced images of mosquito bites, sticky sweat, and fleas that are immortal.
I bought a bag of that candy, y’all. I needed it anyway, because I try to keep a filled candy jar for Harper here. It’s a ‘Maw Maw’ thing. But most of all, I got it to show my support for the premature stocking.
After paying for my essentials, plus a bag of Reese’s pumpkins, I exited the automatic doors (kinda’ thankful that the smart folks invented those too). It was like walking into a preheated oven. The heat of the outside rudely enveloped me, like an unfamiliar relative with bad breath, who HAS to give you an unwanted embrace and a wet, sloppy kiss on the cheek.
But it was okay. That row of Fall merchandise made it endurable. I had my waters, my ‘stop stinking stick’, and a bag of candy. But most of all, I had some hope of cooler weather approaching. And as I cranked the truck, I had a thankfulness for whoever it was that invented air conditioning.
