Kali reached for the apple at the top of the slanted shelf in the produce section of the Fresh Market grocery. She did it methodically and without passion, not like she used to when she was younger. What did I know then, she thought as she put the apple into a reusable cloth tote. She pushed her cart, but as she did her mind seemed to travel back to her first few visits to the grocer’s. The feeling of doing something helpful, of taking care of everyone had been a giddy sort of feeling. It had made her feel important and powerful; a woman in charge of her own destiny. Kali laughed silently to herself as she stopped to automatically pull down a box of macaroni and cheese and put it into the buggy.
