White Trash Tuesday- Chapter Sixty-Nine
Love found Lily and her room mates to be an obnoxious
group of people. At any time, there would be at least two
different stereos in the house playing at the same time.
They were all messy, and they all complained that their
house was a mess. They made as much noise as possible until
four o’clock in the morning. The bathroom counter was
littered with a large collection of different kinds o make
up and perfume. Their refrigerator was so full of alcohol
and expired food that things fell on the floor whenever
someone opened the door. They made dumb jokes that Love did
not find to be very funny, and they rewarded these jokes
with shrieking laughter.
It was still better than be at her parents’ house,
though. She did not miss the strange feeling of being in
her childhood home, seeing what was always there with new
eyes, the quiet loudness of her mother watching television,
and her father’s demanding presence.
Love did not share any of this with her younger sister.
“It was just weird being back,” she kept saying when
her sister asked how horrible it was to stay with them.
This is all that Love would say.
Lily looked through the refrigerator and through the
cupboards and sighed.
“I need to go grocery shopping,” she whined.
“Then go grocery shopping,” Love said. It was the only
logical solution.
“I don’t wanna,” Lily said.
“Oh, for fucksake,” Love said. “Let’s just go!”
“Alright, fine.”
They put their jackets on and walked to the grocery
store.
“I’m glad I have someone to help me carry my groceries
back this time,” Lily said.
“I know exactly what you mean,” Love said.
While they were at the grocery store, Lily’s
indecisiveness got on Love’s nerves.
“Should I get apple juice or orange juice?” she asked
Love.
“Orange juice,” Love said.
“But apple juice is cheaper.”
“Then get apple juice.”
“But I like orange juice better.”
“Then get orange juice!”
“But apple juice is cheaper!”
“For fucksake, Lily, just pick one.”
“Okay, orange juice,” Lily said, putting it in the
cart.
“Good choice.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes!”
They had conversations like this all over the grocery
store. White bread or whole wheat? Soy milk or real milk?
Free range eggs or the cheapest eggs on the shelf? Love
tried to make her irritation invisible but it was very
difficult.
When they were looking at the cheese, a woman came up
to Love and said, “Excuse me, do you work here?”
“Do I look like I work here?” Love snapped. She turned
back to the cheese.
“There’s no need to be so rude,” the woman said.
“Whatever,” Love said.
“Is there a manager on duty?” the woman asked angrily.
“I’d like to talk to him about your attitude.”
“I don’t work here!” Love said.
“Well, can you find someone who does?”
“No!”
“Come on, Love,” Lily said. “Let’s just go pay for our
stuff.”
“Okay,” Love said. They went to the cash register and
the cashier rang the groceries through it. Love took her
debit card out. “Let me pay for it,” she said.
“Can you afford that?” Lily asked.
“Yeah.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, don’t worry about it,” Love said.
“Well, okay,” Lily said.
group of people. At any time, there would be at least two
different stereos in the house playing at the same time.
They were all messy, and they all complained that their
house was a mess. They made as much noise as possible until
four o’clock in the morning. The bathroom counter was
littered with a large collection of different kinds o make
up and perfume. Their refrigerator was so full of alcohol
and expired food that things fell on the floor whenever
someone opened the door. They made dumb jokes that Love did
not find to be very funny, and they rewarded these jokes
with shrieking laughter.
It was still better than be at her parents’ house,
though. She did not miss the strange feeling of being in
her childhood home, seeing what was always there with new
eyes, the quiet loudness of her mother watching television,
and her father’s demanding presence.
Love did not share any of this with her younger sister.
“It was just weird being back,” she kept saying when
her sister asked how horrible it was to stay with them.
This is all that Love would say.
Lily looked through the refrigerator and through the
cupboards and sighed.
“I need to go grocery shopping,” she whined.
“Then go grocery shopping,” Love said. It was the only
logical solution.
“I don’t wanna,” Lily said.
“Oh, for fucksake,” Love said. “Let’s just go!”
“Alright, fine.”
They put their jackets on and walked to the grocery
store.
“I’m glad I have someone to help me carry my groceries
back this time,” Lily said.
“I know exactly what you mean,” Love said.
While they were at the grocery store, Lily’s
indecisiveness got on Love’s nerves.
“Should I get apple juice or orange juice?” she asked
Love.
“Orange juice,” Love said.
“But apple juice is cheaper.”
“Then get apple juice.”
“But I like orange juice better.”
“Then get orange juice!”
“But apple juice is cheaper!”
“For fucksake, Lily, just pick one.”
“Okay, orange juice,” Lily said, putting it in the
cart.
“Good choice.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes!”
They had conversations like this all over the grocery
store. White bread or whole wheat? Soy milk or real milk?
Free range eggs or the cheapest eggs on the shelf? Love
tried to make her irritation invisible but it was very
difficult.
When they were looking at the cheese, a woman came up
to Love and said, “Excuse me, do you work here?”
“Do I look like I work here?” Love snapped. She turned
back to the cheese.
“There’s no need to be so rude,” the woman said.
“Whatever,” Love said.
“Is there a manager on duty?” the woman asked angrily.
“I’d like to talk to him about your attitude.”
“I don’t work here!” Love said.
“Well, can you find someone who does?”
“No!”
“Come on, Love,” Lily said. “Let’s just go pay for our
stuff.”
“Okay,” Love said. They went to the cash register and
the cashier rang the groceries through it. Love took her
debit card out. “Let me pay for it,” she said.
“Can you afford that?” Lily asked.
“Yeah.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, don’t worry about it,” Love said.
“Well, okay,” Lily said.