The bananas were not on sale. The catalogue said they were on sale. Sure, the catalogue ended the previous day, but wasn’t that unfair to people who couldn’t shop that day? Some people had to work.
848Please respect copyright.PENANAMkUS5PepyQ
Karen made her points very clear to a pimply-faced teenage boy trying to stack shelves. She was calm and classy and-
848Please respect copyright.PENANAWvwgWrYUMa
‘Let me speak to the manager! Clearly, you can’t help me!’
848Please respect copyright.PENANAWU2hYfXsAo
Admittedly, a hair in Karen’s asymmetrical blonde bob may have fallen out of place. She pushed it back into place and glared daggers at the boy, who spoke into his headset while Karen rapidly tapped her feet.
848Please respect copyright.PENANAzF7drA9xJ8
‘I see the manager’s taking his sweet time. Honestly, the customer service here is-’
848Please respect copyright.PENANAnhDLgV2BA8
‘What appears to be the problem?’
848Please respect copyright.PENANA4LXlEkQdwX
Karen turned towards the deep but feminine voice. When she saw the manager, she instinctively held her breath.
848Please respect copyright.PENANAbtIXZdOp0I
The manager stood tall and slim. Her black wavy hair fell to her shoulders, just short enough to not require being pulled back in a ponytail. Her amber skin was smooth and soft. Her large bronze eyes carried years of experience looking friendly to customers- even customers like Karen.
848Please respect copyright.PENANAJ97KI4iZfS
‘Excuse me, ma’am? Are you okay?’
848Please respect copyright.PENANAPjXx2Xb3pO
Karen finally gathered enough concentration to see the manager’s name badge. Frema Nazarian.
848Please respect copyright.PENANA0dLb93sPpQ
Karen delivered the same speech she had previously given to the boy with at least 70% more stuttering.
848Please respect copyright.PENANAWQkkVxKbDZ
‘With all due respect, ma’am, you could have enjoyed this sale this day last week.’
848Please respect copyright.PENANAC2wB34tGdG
‘B-but, I received my catalogue in the mail a day later.’
848Please respect copyright.PENANAgsdh8tkwdE
Frema took a gentle step forward. ‘I’m sorry to hear that. How about I give you a copy of this week’s catalogue? There are plenty of items for sale.’
848Please respect copyright.PENANAIo5Eqmhva2
Karen tried to glare at her, but her gaze quickly softened. ‘But not bananas.’
848Please respect copyright.PENANAkH2kj4yFL3
Frema gave her a sympathetic smile. ‘But not bananas.’
848Please respect copyright.PENANA6mZcsBmIMi
Behind her, Karen could hear a distant yet familiar set of voices, her son Kyle and her daughters Sharon and Carol.
848Please respect copyright.PENANAEvQWF7tMW8
She got in Frema’s face and yelled, ‘Do you expect me to pay full price for these bananas? I’m a single mother!’
848Please respect copyright.PENANAo1DeSkhRvN
Frema’s smile slipped as a fire lit up in her eyes. ‘I am too, ma’am.’ She tapped the boy’s shoulder to get him to return to work.
848Please respect copyright.PENANA4MGQvS787t
‘Well, w-well…’
848Please respect copyright.PENANAFOCc5j6ecP
‘Well, what, ma’am?’
848Please respect copyright.PENANAQaP3pT7vHU
‘You’re a disgrace! This supermarket is a disgrace! Your motto is ‘Low Prices for Everyone’, and yet you can’t offer a single mother a discount for fucking bananas?’
848Please respect copyright.PENANAxTR42x6ZtC
‘I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to ask you to leave. You’re disturbing the customers.’
848Please respect copyright.PENANABobNwZFuo5
‘I am a customer! You’re not taking me away. I have a right to be here just like everyone else!’
848Please respect copyright.PENANAv0DoliuyJS
Right on time, Sharon and Kyle grabbed Karen and pulled her back. Carol apologised to Frema in her trademark monotone voice.
848Please respect copyright.PENANApoFArfpVJJ
‘Hey, let go of me!’ Karen shouted. Kyle and Sharon only did so once she was a good metre away from Frema. Karen pointed at Frema. ‘I don’t care if you’re…’ She gulped. ‘I’m never going to this place again!’
848Please respect copyright.PENANAWOlIrZH8YB
She stormed out of the supermarket, though not without first kicking the shopping baskets on the floor. Frema sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose.
848Please respect copyright.PENANAfPeCI4acvv
Karen’s children followed her out into the car park. 17-year-old Kyle picked his nose and scratched his butt under his baggy jeans. His Monster logo cap was thirty degrees off-centre. 16-year-olds Sharon and Carol were identical in appearance but wore very different clothing. Sharon was clad in short shorts and a rather age-inappropriate tube top, while Carol wore a long, loose top with the Collingwood Football Club logo and a pair of tracksuit pants.
848Please respect copyright.PENANAeyowbVxWtr
Sharon placed her hand on Karen’s shoulder. ‘What the hell was that, Mum? Mum?’
848Please respect copyright.PENANASsUyHpTeq2
Karen paid no attention to her daughter, focusing all her attention on the burning sensation in her cheeks. She was silent the entire car trip to the next nearest supermarket. And when she shopped. And when she drove her family home. Her cheeks were still warm.
848Please respect copyright.PENANA63OXbAVjdi
Karen’s home was a modest one-story brick building. As she stepped into the house, she was greeted by paintings with motivational sayings such as ‘Live, laugh, Love’ and ‘Dance like no one is watching’. She continued to frown as she passed them.
848Please respect copyright.PENANARiHL3HjZZu
Kyle’s room was covered in posters of motorbikes, one of which hid a hole in the wall from an angry punch a few months ago. Half-empty cans of energy drinks littered the floor.
848Please respect copyright.PENANAKpoPv1jkTr
Sharon and Carol shared the biggest bedroom, with Sharon’s side covered in boy band posters and Carol’s side covered in footy posters. Towards the line between their sides was a small, empty birdhouse they had built together. Underneath the birdhouse was two toolboxes, one pastel blue and the other black.
848Please respect copyright.PENANAWLrPYd7VOF
After passing these bedrooms, Karen finally arrived at her own. The plain beige walls were adorned with little photo frames of her family, from her children to her mother and father. One side of the queen-sized bed was made up, as always. She dropped her leather bag by the bedpost and collapsed onto the untidy side of the bed. Her eye caught a glimpse of a photograph on the bedside table. The photo contained a man around her age kissing her cheek.
848Please respect copyright.PENANAv34B9CxeAB
As sighs took out her energy, she reached for the sheets and pulled them over her, shivering a little at the coldness. She let the empty silence lull her to sleep.
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‘Hey mum, when’s dinner?’
848Please respect copyright.PENANA7JFlI5K5hy
One eye opened. ‘Get it yourself.’
848Please respect copyright.PENANAFvaKmNYhvr
‘But you always-’
848Please respect copyright.PENANAjKUKDOr2ts
‘Well, maybe, Kyle, it’s time for you to do it for a change. I’m not your personal chef.’
848Please respect copyright.PENANA5dXqjhZG5r
Kyle shuffled out of the room. ‘Nevermind. I’ll wait.’
848Please respect copyright.PENANAWftwiAr7Sa
The damage had been done- Karen could not get back to sleep. She rolled over to face the made-up side of the bed. She started tripping through her memories of the man in the photo until she stumbled upon a more recent memory- a certain manager’s glossy hair.
848Please respect copyright.PENANA5MkGoVIYxc
The flushing face returned. Karen started wondering if she had finally reached The Change. Then again, The Change wasn’t known for making someone tongue-tied or causing them to focus on the little details of another woman’s appearance.
848Please respect copyright.PENANAN2fgLmLS0i
Or cause them to throw a tantrum in a supermarket. Not that Karen was in the wrong. Those banana prices? Insulting!
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Karen groaned and stood up, mentally preparing herself to cook dinner. Under her breath, she muttered, ‘Who does that woman think she is?848Please respect copyright.PENANAjjj9Bnsc9p