She stood in line at the grocery store, mesmerized by the boy in front of her. He was about nine or ten, with dark, short cropped hair complemented by eyes of the deepest blue and perfect smooth skin somewhere between mocha and olive. Too young to be called handsome, she settled on beautiful; a beautiful boy...
Captivated, she couldn't help but stare. She watched him contemplate and agonize over his choice of candy bar and, after deciding at last (a Snickers), she chuckled to herself as he sneaked it onto the conveyor with his mother's groceries. Upon noticing the candy bar, his very ordinary looking mother sighed, remembering the bribe she had offered in the car before entering the store. Even still, she groused loudly to the boy and cashier "$1.29 for a CANDY BAR?!" only half teasing.
The boy snagged the candy bar before the bagger could get his hands on it. As his mother paid, he tore the wrapper off and ate hungrily, but slowly, savoring the treat.
His ordinary mother grabbed the beautiful boy's hand and headed for the door. He looked back at the woman with a chocolaty smile, turned again, and left.
No longer transfixed, the woman started emptying the contents of her cart on to the conveyor, thinking sadly of her own son, missed and loved dearly. This ordinary woman's own beautiful boy.
Norman Rockwell with words instead of ink and paint. Very nice imagery, Keeper.
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