'Happy to help you' Rodney

was waiting at the door.

I tried to sneak right past him,

but he caught me

in a beaming, helpful gaze

and forced me to say

good morning.

Having selected a very shiny red vegetable,

an exotic, creamy yellow one

with nobbly bits,

and an irresistable 'Whoops!'

saving forty pence

from a ready meal

that I must eat by tea time.

I thought I had better leave

before crisp suited 'Store Manager' Katerina

makes me have

'for the assistance of our customers'

trolley unloading service.

Well I am

'less than ten items',

but I am not 'cash only'.

Although these things

would fit in a basket,

I haven't got a basket

so I can't go to 'one basket only'.

I will have to go to no notice at all

The are hugely loaded trolleys

ahead of me.

Because there is more than

one person ahead of me

a bell rings and

'at your service' Shahbaz

is dragged away from

carrying her cardboard boxes

to process my purchases.

Fortunately, it was still before tea time

and my ready meal

had not yet begun to smell.

On the way home

I went to the DIY shop.

"Good afternoon" said

'pleased to help' Kat,

who used to be a Katy,

but now her 'Y' is scribbled out.

I wonder if she has shrunk

from a Katy to a Kat

with all that

pleasured helping.

Or did Katy simply fade away

from all the helping

and Kat take her place?

Perhaps Katy grew

into 'Store Manager' Katerina,

or perhaps not.

'Absolutely determined that you will not leave this store without being completely and absolutely satisfied'

Pete

very knidly cut my wood,

but he did it the wrong way.

It was past tea time

and I was worried

about my 'Whoops!'.

So I ran out

rather than trying

to explain what was wrong.

The lady at the timber yard

was anonymous,

but I liked her.