However, today was the day he needed to get his weekly supply of groceries, so he had no choice but to leave the Victorian. Putting on his body-concealing trench coat, he maneuvered his way through the lobby without attracting the attention of Ellen or any other residents that were moving in and out of the building. Quickly deciding there might be a lot of people at the local store, he headed into Helen's Produce Store on Simone and Carrier. Looking past the ominous electric sign and rusted doors, he saw no other customers inside and walked in unheralded.
Once inside, he worked to find the items he wanted, searching through the moldy items present on the self. After grabbing a few pieces of fruit and placing them into his cart, Baker turned, and was looking right into the face of an old lady wearing a christmas sweater. Jumping out of his shoes, Baker dropped the majority of his groceries onto the floor due to the unexpected appearance of the lady.
"I'm so sorry for startling you," she began to say. "My name is Helen and I just wanted to ask if you needed any help."
Standing up and dusting himself off, Baker replied," Well, once I pick all of my things up, I could use help checking out."
Grabbing his scattered items, Baker and Helen went to one of the many counters and began to check all of his groceries. During this process, the two engaged in some small talk, with Baker becoming more and more engaged as time progressed. As his final total was rung up, Baker couldn't help but feel relieved and thankful, as this frail lady had just helped him become open once more to interactions with others, something he'd been very docile with in the prior weeks.
Maybe now I can go back to being myself, Baker thought as he walked out of the small store, groceries and trench coat in hand.
