Mrs. Pumpkin

Collette and Puck ran their usual errands that slightly-cool October morning.
Pulling up to the grocery store, Collette saw a familiar face. Mrs. Pumpkin, the lady who had for so long single-handedly run the Kirk church pantry. Driving all over the city picking up food donations from grocery stores and factories, assembling them into paper grocery bags at the pantry, and then redistributing to needy families and shelters in the city. She was one of the hardest-working persons Collette had ever met. And there she was, as though nothing had changed in the thirteen or so years since Collette and the rest of the family had helped load countless loaves of bread into vehicles in near-empty warehouses. She was parked in front of them that morning, loading boxes of bananas into a large white truck. Then she pulled the two grocery carts back into the store for more.
Inside, Puck held the bag of string cheese, and then did his part by placing a can of tomato soup on the conveyor belt at the check-out.
“So cute,” said the check-out lady.
Puck stared back in awe at the tall lady with blond hair.
While Collette began bagging the fruits and vegetables, another lady with blond hair – one of the employees – walked by with a tray of tiny frosted cupcakes and tiny chocolate chip cookies.
“Would you like one, sweetie?” she asked Puck.
Puck immediately became enthusiastic.
“He can have two,” she said to Collette.
Puck was overjoyed with his chocolate chip cookies. Collette took a small carrot cake cupcake to give to OLeif for lunch.
Collette and Puck spent their afternoon outside. Puck was in the best of his elements – pointing and commanding at dogs he heard barking in neighbor’s yards, drinking juice from his sippy, and digging in the mulch with a stick. He thought this last project was especially hilarious. Mulch was flying everywhere until Collette brought him indoors to flee the already-arriving mosquito invasion. Once Puck had overcome his disappointment of leaving the great outdoors, he happily traded his playtime outfit for footy pajamas, and his stick for chicken and cucumbers.