Shopping with Francis

On Monday morning, Puck watched prides of lions on a library DVD and learned how to blow bubbles before leaving for Trader Joe’s. And for the very first time, he joined in the shopping by pushing his own mini cart around the store. He zoomed between all of them, happily piling organic bananas, canned organic black beans, and organic pumpkin together in his new machine.
Midway, in the frozen food aisle, one of the merry stockers handed him a roll of bubble wrap to pop, which he thought was fun, and laughed. And on the way out, he was rewarded with a yellow balloon, as was Linnea, with a blue balloon.
In the afternoon came the spitting rain, just as Collette and Carrie were ready to take the unwilling Francis clothes shopping.
They started at Plato’s Closet, where Francis immediately tried to hide.
“Get me outta here!” he cried, as he was engulfed in the melee of brightly colored tees and stacks of shoes.
After taking forever in the changing room, he reemerged. Collette and Carrie approved of the selections: a pair of nice dark jeans, and two blue striped collared shirts. And a pair of shorts.
“Try the shorts on before we go, Francis,” Collette told him.
Francis’ eyes widened. He had already been through the torture of one very long changing room session.
“No!” he protested, shaking his head rapidly. “I can’t take it any more!”
They next dragged him to Target amidst Francis’ usual wisecracks which usually left Collette and Carrie speechless at his comedic timing.
The girls waited for him outside the changing room. Finally, it had taken so long, and he still hadn’t come out, that Carrie called his cellphone. Collette could hear him answer from down the hall.
“What’s going on in there, Francis?” Carrie asked. “You’re just trying on the clothes now? What’ve you been doing in there?… There were… ‘problems’? Francis! Get out here now!”
The reluctant Francis finally emerged, looking very sharp.
“You look like the doctor,” Carrie told him.
This made Francis happy, and he was willing to keep the pinstriped vest to add to his ensemble, which he would wear with a tie and white collared shirt on Sunday. Carrie also promised to look up a pair of chucks (or “trainers” as called by the Brits), on the Internet.
Collette and Carrie demanded a fashion show from him, so that Mom could see, when they returned. But Francis was not entirely woebegone after his short afternoon of shopping. He was allowed a pack of Stride gum at the register on the way out of Target.