Check it out: Aisle'll be seeing you

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Amy T here

  My time in the grocery store check-out aisle is typically spent mentally sharpening my epic state capital knowledge, deep breathing, or implementing the tried-and-true see something/smell something/feel something/hear something strategy in an attempt to quell the anxiety I feel being channeled into a narrow cattle stanchion in an acoustically unpleasant, falsely-lit building, anticipating the inevitable meaningless small talk that is about to occur.

And then it happened.

A familiar voice...like an angel.

I was transported back in time before being swept up into the arms of my dear friend. We had a shared history, having grown up in the same small town (although Amy was MUCH cooler and MUCH older than me so we didn't exactly hang out back then). Destiny would reunite us when I decided to (temporarily) depart from a life of darkness and debauchery to attend church and discovered Amy was a key member of the staff. We had eyed each other warily when we realized that both of us possessed private, personal information about one another that could either make us mortal enemies or lifelong friends. We then embarked on life-altering mini-mission trips where we held each other accountable in not killing the teens entrusted to our care. We floated down rivers, performed varying degrees of manual labor, and were raucous room-mates who were repeatedly reprimanded for our inappropriate conversation topics and immature giggling.

And then...there she was.

She'd been state hopping over the last few years.

As my husband methodically bagged our groceries, Amy and I fell back into conversation like we'd only been apart a day rather than years.

There...in the cramped grocery store aisle, I was immediately granted access to her biggest secret. A girl! A girl! Blessed with enough grandsons to man a basketball team, Amy now had a beautiful grand-daughter to add to the team as well. I was thrilled to celebrate with my friend.

Suddenly, a sharp voice jarred our jubilant dancing.

"Amy!"

The groceries were bagged. My husband and the cashier were waiting for me to pay for our purchases. The line behind us had grown without our noticing. Oh.

Amy and I turned to Brad who suddenly looked sheepish, realizing that he'd just yelled at not ONE, but TWO Amys. 

Reuniting with a dear friend...sharing in her good news...AND annoying Brad?

I can honestly say this was the most fun I've ever had in a grocery store check-out line.