Retired

[Judy Thompson]

In the supermarket, he pushes the cart, leaning heavily on the handle, while she darts back and forth, adding eggs, milk, bread, cereal,  hurrying to keep up with his slow, steady pace. 

He wedges the dog food bag in the bottom rack, brings down  things from the  high shelves;
wordless, grimly bored,  they travel around the store. At the checkout line she unloads the cart, he swipes his bank card across the ATM processor;  outside, they hesitate and then he points, and they cross the parking lot to their black Toyota, baking in the sun. 

She says something barely audible, and he frowns:  "for crissake speak UP, will ya, you KNOW
I can't hear all that good" and silently they unload the groceries, he starts the car while she stores
the cart in the carousel. 

At home, they share the honors of bringing in the food, letting the dog out, putting away the groceries; and
then he retires to the couch, remote in hand, as she retreats to her scrapbooking  room.  The only sounds
are the TV turned to nap volume, and the air conditioner covering everything with a monotonous hum.

[Judy Thompson]

some people wear out making dents and marks in the firmament, some people turn to lichen.  I prefer the dent makers.  (did you find Higgs?  I thought I had a glimpse of Boson under the day lilies, but it was just a trick of the light)

[Bob Clay]

I retired seven months ago. Since then I've walked a bunch of mountains I've been after for years, put up shelves, put in a power shower, painted stuff, fixed the brakes on the car, looked for the Higgs Boson in my garden, slept and gone to the pub a lot (some other stuff too, can't be arsed to write it all down) . The way I figure it, the Universe has been around for about 14 billion years, and on average, I'll get about 70 (I think that's in the bible somewhere ... or maybe a statistics file from a life insurance company.. ). Too many shelves and mountains to complete in 70 years .... but I'll make a bloody dent in it. (picks up TV remote and retires to boudoir). ☺

[Robert Morschel]

Ah, marital bliss.  :(

[Judy Thompson]

--and then it shows up a few minutes later and you think, omg how embarrassing. =)

Well it isnt what you do, it's why, after all. Some people have fun shopping together, some don't. My husband and I are both onlies, and require huge gobs of space around ourselves to function really well on a day to day basis. Tandem grocery shopping is not my idea of functioning really well. If he enjoyed the process, that would bes totally different. Some couples seem to have a great time at it, more power to them. But it's the sad ones you really notice.

[Toby Tucker Hecht]

This is why I will never retire.  Thanks for reminding me.

[Scarlett Rose]

I wrote a comment, hit "add comment" and it disappeared. Annoying.

OKAY. I said before that in the first few sentences I was under the impression that this was a precious thing to the couple; something that happened numerous times before and therefore something they could do together without talking - because they knew and understood each so well. But then it became sad and nostalgic and sad and I decided I never want to grow old and bitter and I think I'll never take my grey-haired husband shopping with my grey-haired self ever.

[Scarlett Rose]

I got the impression in the first few lines that this was something precious; something that had happened many times and something they could do together without even talking because they seemed to understand and know each other rather well. But then it became rather sad and I saw the bitter side of it. I hope I never grow old and sad.

[Jamie Hogan]

I think it goes this way sometimes, with some people. You portrayed the utter sadness of it very well. And what you note in your comment below is exactly what I pulled from the story - I very clearly got the sense that these two are together only because they no longer know how to be alone, or with anyone else.

[Brittany]

Judy, I love your comment to Teresa too! You got me with the dog food and the hum. I like how you explain in the story about the deafening silence and the space in between.

[Judy Thompson]

When my husband retired I made him promise me one thing:  that we not turn into those sad sad couples in the supermarket who seem unable to shop alone, either because he insists on coming along or she insists on his being there to "help with the shopping."  He's bored out  of his mind,  she's the one who does all the scurrying; and looking at them, you can tell that this particular relationship is at best a dull grey with little communication left  beyond her pretense at 'togetherness" and his sense that he's the guy, he should help the little woman. 

Joey, not so much disdain, but a sense that this is one of those marriages where they haven't communicated for years and don't like one another very much anyway;  it's easier to stay married than split. 

Teresa.  disconnect is it.  As a friend of mine put it, and most wisely,  "my wife goes shopping, I go for a walk, or work in the yard.  When she comes home we have stories to tell each other".   They keep the lines of communication alive.  Too many people end up metaphorically chained to that shopping cart, sometimes side by side, helping each other push it up and down the aisles.

 

Ron., the  difference is, Susan  probably doesn't insist, and you probably don't mind.   It's one more way you spend time together,  rather than merely being a honey do thing.