Á La Cart: A Story of Love

by Mike Oncley

     It was nearing the end of winter and love filled the air. Valentine's Day was fast approaching as shoppers filled their shopping carts with chocolates and flowers for their significant others. A painful time of year for Sal. That season was just a constant reminder of what he had never experienced. Lonely and tired, Sal strolled through the aisles of the market in which he was employed. He always allowed others to push him around but never expressed any sense of inner pride. Everyday he helped old women, young women, even a number of men to their cars. He helped them carry their groceries into their trunks or back seats without ever receiving even an ounce of gratitude or even a quiet "thank you." Everyday Sal had the same routine; wait for a customer that needed his assistance, assist, and then get thrown aside for the next customer. Everyday Sal reluctantly started his work shift, everyday Sal got a little more down about his life. Some may ask, "Why not quit?" The truth of the matter is Sal is stuck, Sal is a slave to the store, Sal is a shopping cart.

     It was the 13th of February and all the young men filled Sal's work looking for last minute gifts and candies to treat their girlfriends to the next morning. Most of these love birds didn't need the assistance of a cart, leaving Sal to watch their frantic feet pacing down the aisles. It wasn't until a familiar couple came in that Sal got to move his squeaky wheels. Sal had been employed at the store longer than any other cart before him. He had seen people come and go over the years and knew all of their habits and purchases. Before this group entered the store Sal noticed that there was a third party with them, an unfamiliar and smaller version of the two. It had been about a month since he had seen these loyal customers, which made perfect sense for their new addition. The couple set the young child down in Sal's seat, which was built for just such an occasion. Sal didn't mind the extra weight, but just pained at the thought of so much happiness that didn't involve him. Nudging and giggling the couple walked slowly down each lane grabbing items that seemed all too familiar to Sal. The same ground coffee, a same brand of wine, fruits and vegetables, just the same routine on a different day, and they couldn't be happier. All the while the child in Sal's seat repeatedly stuck his fingers in his mouth, and would return them to Sal's handle. This left Sal in a mood a little less cheery than his two regulars. When the couple finished up and paid their bill, Sal helped them to their car as he always does. It wasn't until they took the boy out of the seat that he started to cry. Crying nonstop and reaching to get back into Sal's seat. Sal had always taken his seat for granted. When he realized it had brought happiness to this child for a mere 30 min, Sal felt appreciated, wanted, loved. He felt sorry for the child and wanted to invite him back on, to fulfill the child's wants and needs, but it was too late and the couple was already driving away. They comforted their child as he sat in his car seat. For that instant Sal began to understand how it felt to be truly loved.

     February 14th had arrived and a flurry of last minute shoppers took every last greeting card, flower, and anything red that they could get their hands on, all before 11 am. Once again, no need for a cart for any of these shoppers. With dates all day, there was no need for the usual bunch of shoppers to make their way in the store. Because of the rise in romantic dinners planned on the town, no one needed to fill a cart up with groceries. There was an extra bounce in Sals roll that day. That day he took extra attention to the freshness of the fruit, the smell of the newly baked bread, the beautiful bouquets being restocked onto the recently emptied shelves. A costumer had spilled a quart of milk onto Sal earlier but it didn't seem to bother him. Sal had a fresher look on life thanks to the young boy the day before, and no one to share it with. Shopping carts all had their own cliques, none of which Sal belonged to. Baskets on the other hand were not exclusive but were just too immature to hold a good conversation with. An hour later a group of 3 boys and a girl had made their way into Sal's store to pass the time on a holiday that meant little them. This group of four very young kids just wanted to get a 12 pack of sodas and some gum, a shopping list usually requiring only a basket or nothing at all, but Sal overheard the girl mentioning "riding on the back." Just as he thought, the girl hopped onto his back and had one of the boys push her around while they picked out their favorite soda. Once again, with swift race car like movements between display piles and store aisles, Sal felt like he was being useful, he felted loved again. They rode him for the remainder of their browsing and even out of the store completely. In fact, they rode him further than he had ever been away from the store. The store began to get smaller and fuzzier in the distance. The further they got the more worried he became. Eventually as it came time to cross the street, the small posse let go of Sal and the girl jumped off of his back. With a bump and a thud, Sal hit a nearby tree only to hear the kids laugh as they walked away. As quickly as he felt that comforting feeling of being loved, it was quickly thrown away. He was left spinning in place slowly and alone until he came to a dizzy stop. A couple hours passed as Sal sit in the same spot unnoticed. He waited patiently for a fellow employee to pull him back to be positioned in line with the other carts. He grew so tired of the other carts and their sour attitudes, but at this time it's what he wanted most. As it began to grow dark, he noticed a collection of clouds gathering above his head and slowly falling, a sure sign of a late night fog. He knew for sure he wouldn't be left out in the middle of the night, especially as it became close to closing time. He was wrong. The lights in front of his store turned off and Sal was left in the fog alone. With a small trace of his optimism still in tact, he waited patiently in the dark.

      With little visibility in the night fog, Sal didn't know which direction he was facing. He had felt his safest bet would be to stay there until morning in hopes that someone would see him and return him to where he belonged. Suddenly, with little warning, a small gust pushed Sal forward. Once he began rolling he couldn't slow himself down. He was rolling and rolling with little to no vision of what was in store for him straight ahead. Would it be a ditch, maybe another tree, he had no idea. He saw a dim, foggy, red light quickly change to green as he rolled onward. It was then that Sal knew exactly where he was headed. He was rolling right into a nearby street. The green light got larger and larger as he got closer and closer. He could hear the cars as he knew he was only yards away. He had just recently experienced the feeling of being loved and it would all come to an end too soon. Suddenly with a loud smack, Sal stopped dead in his tracks. He was still hearing cars pass by, but he was fine. Once again he began moving forward with a small gust but only a few inches before he smacked that same object again. Something was stopping him from entering the street, something had prevented him from getting crushed by the traffic. Through the fog, he couldn't make out what this object was, but with one more big bump the object seemed to wink two large yellow eyes at him. His life had been saved by a complete stranger. Suddenly the meager amount of love left in Sal began to multiply. This feeling came to him much stronger than what could have been created by a giggling child, or a playful preteen. This feeling that he knew of love came as such a concentrated dose that he felt he could never be saddened again. He knew that he had fallen in love with this car that had saved his life. But what did it look like? What name did it have? What person got in it? He didn't know any of these things and the thick layer of fog didn't help. Suddenly the car's yellow eyes stared at him once more. He felt the connection between the two of them and knew the feeling was mutual. With a large growl the car began to drive off into the distance. Sal tried to follow but was too slow for the foot on the pedal. When his chase ended, Sal stopped where he was and just thought about the car. He sat there thinking until morning.

     As the sun came up and the fog cleared, Sal found that he had made it back to the parking lot of his own store. A sleepy eyed twenty something then grabbed him and brought him back to his usual resting place. With a clear day ahead and high hopes in his head, Sal knew he would find his love that day. He knew he would feel that oh so familiar bump he had felt last night and that the two of them would be reunited. He was so excited that he began to inform the other carts of his journey, disregarding any clique they may be a part of. He told them about the gust of wind, his short journey towards the street and being saved by a mystery car. He described the unique bump he felt and the other carts became intrigued. Could they find a match just like he did? From that day forward, word spread of Sals love story and carts around the world began to search for a special car of their own to fall in love with. Till this day Sal nor any of his friends have yet to find their significant other, but they still search on, bumping into cars in parking lots across the globe. Looking for a little wink. Waiting for that special bump.