First of All: Chapter 11

I meander through the aisles of Evergreen aimlessly. I can’t help wondering if everyone else is also thinking, What would a grown-up buy? Or is it just me?

Taking a surreptitious peek into the woman’s cart across from me, I notice pasta, spaghetti sauce, and cans of something, maybe corn. Not a bad idea, stock up the pantry. I make my way to the canned goods and start loading corn and pickles and mushrooms in. Rice, pasta, couscous join; I’m basically tossing things over my shoulder at this point.

Mike appears, carrying a basket of dairy products — I’d asked him to get chicken, but whatever — looking very pleased with himself. An expression that promptly changes to a look of confusion as he stares at my wagon.

“Was there a nuclear warning I didn’t hear about? What’s with the stockpiling?”