Shopping for dinner

by Kathi Satchel

There was no warning, it was as unexpected as
finding a needle when biting into a strawberry.
I was minding my own business
in the fruit and veg section at Woolies,
idly picking dirt off the potatoes, like
a bored kid in class picking at a knee scab,
because who wants to pay for dirt?
She walked up to me and

SLAP

I watched her mouth open and close
spitting word pips at me. Public
confrontation is so reality tv, don’t you think?
People were staring, glaring, secretly loving the drama.
She didn’t notice. Her myopic vision targeted only me.
I let her words strike me, offered no resistance
a stoic sacrifice on an everyday altar until
her lips wound down and she stalked away.
I cooled my cheek and chose my potatoes.

I mean, she did have a point
I had been fucking her husband