CVS auto-texted that they had his meds ready to go.

They did not even have one of them on the premises yet, and told me to come back between three and four. And you know that means come at the later end of that. Rush hour. Oh fun.

Four-thirty: the lead pharmacist saw me come back in and went uh oh and directed staff towards opening boxes. One was above waist high. Finally, found it! She apologized that I’d have to wait while she filled the prescription.

No problem. Yay for the chair. I was about to start the decreases on a hat.

Problem: the second circ I’d thrown in was both a size too large and had a gouge in the wood that refused to let stitches move past it. Well that’s a bug.

Got the med finally, got out, decided to stop by Trader Joe’s to get Richard’s favorite mini ice cream cones. Except by then it was after five and the place was jammed.

There was a woman, late 70s? Eighty? She had the biggest scowl on her face and was holding a basket sideways as if to get people out of her way.

There were two young petite Asian women talking and they didn’t notice her fast enough. She rammed them with it and pretended not to have so much as seen them, much less any apology. I was horrified. Yeah, I thought, and I bet I know who you voted for for President, lady.

There was a tall Asian man at the other end of the aisle who saw her do that and was likewise horrified and he was still angry when I tried to smile at him a minute or two later because his baby of about 15 months was adorable.

Understandable.

Where the check out lines form a sort of W near the door, I got the middle line and a dad was close by in the one next to me with his toddler. Out came a finger puppet. Then the tall Asian guy appeared on the other side of me, and he was paying attention to his little one and not being mad anymore. Out came another finger puppet with another “Happy Birthday!” and the little ones could see each other with theirs and this was great.

Then a woman I hadn’t seen previously finally caught up to her husband, pushing a second cart with their older toddler.

She was with the tall Asian guy.

The clerks were slammed, mine was working as fast as she could (really fast, I was impressed) but looked like all she wanted was a place to just sit down and breathe a moment.

I found a little wooly giraffe for the woman’s little girl.

Now we had a club going. The clerk found her second wind, loving this. People farther back in the lines were all smiles. My own day was rescued.

And as the couple walked out the door with me, the woman asked, Did you make them?

I buy them from Peru, I told her. But they are handmade.

Their little girl waved goodbye as we got in our cars. Her mommy and daddy had had her say thank you but she wanted to do it of herself as well.