Free Bjorn! on the Fourth of July (A Barbara Marr Short Story) by Karen Cantwell Page B

She needed it for a party she was
hosting for soccer kids and their parents. She said she could never make it as
good as I did – probably because when she looked for a recipe, she searched on
"avocado dip." To know Peggy was to love her for her inability to
remember the correct names of just about everything. I grabbed the phone from
Amber's little hand while trying to get my still-sleepy eyes to focus.
"Peggy! I'm so sorry!"
    "You're just running a little late,
right?" she asked.
    "Um, I'm kind of running a lot late."
    "They start arriving soon! Barb, please
say you didn't forget."
    "You don't want me to lie, do you?"
    "You forgot!" she shouted.
    I felt terrible, but knew I could make it
right. "What time is it now?"
    "Ten thirty."
    That wasn't so bad. I could work with that.
"I'll head over to the store right now and be at your house lickety split."
    "You don't even have the ingredients
yet?" she asked.
    "I have them in spirit, just not in a
shopping bag."
    "Well, if you're going to the store
anyway," she said, her voice relaxing, "could you pick me up a gallon
of lemonade?"
    "Sure."
    "And two pounds of hamburger?"
    "Okay..."
    "And hot dogs and buns if it's not too
much trouble – hamburger and hot dog."
    "Peggy, did you buy anything for this
party?"
    "Let's just say we make good friends
because we're both a little forgetful. Oh, and two big bags of chips for the
avocado dip. You're the best."
    I'd kill her if I didn't love her so darned
much. I hung up the phone and ran across the room for my flip-flops while
shouting orders to Amber. "We have to go now – can you grab my guacamole
recipe out of the recipe drawer while I get my purse?"
    "Sure, Mommy. We
aren't going to be late for Bjorn! though , are
we?"
    "No, no. Not at all. It's a holiday, the store will be empty and I know where everything is. We'll
be in and out in five minutes, over to Peggy's in another five – I'll leave her
with the ingredients and recipe and we'll be on our way."
    We met at the front door, me with my purse over
my shoulder and keys in hand, Amber with a cape over her shoulders, magician's
hat on her head, and the infamous recipe. I had to smile. She really was prepared
to be amazed.
    We stepped into the soggy air. I swear my shirt
took exactly three seconds to stick to my skin like it had been super glued.
Meanwhile, Amber skipped to the van, her cape flapping slightly in the breeze
she created. Taking her cue, I pushed away the grumpies ,
turned my frown upside down, and decided, despite the mild setback, to approach
the day with a positive vibe. We were on our way to some magical fun. Magic
like we'd never seen before. We were going to see Bjorn! in action and life would be good.
    I had to work to keep that smile on my face,
however, when looking for a parking spot in the unexpectedly crowded lot at Rustic Woods
Shopping Center. Okay, I
told myself, there are other stores here besides the Food Mart. Probably tons
of people getting iced coffee concoctions at The Java Hut. I scanned the store
fronts. The bank was closed. Fiorenza's was closed.
Hunan Rustic Woods was closed. My pulse rate quickened. If there weren't at
least a hundred people in line at The Java Hut, we were in trouble.
    When we couldn't find a shopping cart, I knew
we were doomed.
    "Mommy," Amber said quietly, looking
around the store as we entered. "It's not zactly empty. In fact, I'd say this place is pretty full." She looked up at me
and added, as if I might not have understood her meaning, "Full of
people."
    I threw a thankful smile to a man who offered
me an empty cart on his way out. "Don't worry. I know this store like the
back of my hand. We'll start here in the produce department, make our way
through meats and chips, and finish off in the bread aisle. Brenda is the fast
checker..." I stood on my tippy toes to search
for Brenda and found her on number ten conveniently right at the end of the
bread aisle. Karma seemed to be pleased with my simple acknowledgement