On Gas Prices, Fred Myer, and Marrige Proposals

Last night the man checking my groceries proposed to me. This is the third time I have been proposed to, the second time I have said no, and the only time I have said no graciously. I am inclined to believe that the proposal was a joke but that may just be because the whole situation was uncomfortable and if it were a joke I might feel a little better about it. Whatever the case, I know you want the story now.
In the exciting world that is my life, Wednesdays are personal training days. This means that I generally go from work to the gym and then home to make dinner. After dinner I read or watch Law & Order for an hour before I go to bed. All this was derailed by rising gas prices.
I used to be the kind of person who, no matter how little I made, refused to care about gas prices. I used my car very little and I filled the tank when it was empty at the nearest gas station at the time. Sure, if there were 2 gas stations next to each other I might decide to go to the cheaper one but if the difference was 1 cent a gallon I might decide based on the proximity of a food mart or the fact that I would not have to make a left hand turn to get into one of them. However, I cannot help but notice $3.oo a gallon gas. So I needed gas on the way to work and I stopped at the nearby shell station but only got 3 gallons at their outrageous price (which I might add is only barley over ½ the average price of gas in European countries) and I planned on stopping at Fred Myer to get gas on the way home.
For those of you who don’t have Fred Myers I am sorry. It is kind of hard to explain to someone who has never been to one. It is like a Target-Rite Aid-Safeway-Ben Bridge (yes, they have a fine jewelry store) Hybrid with a better wine section, and entire health and bulk foods department, no cute clothes and really cheep gas (Cheaper than Safeway or Albertsons but more expensive than Costco). I love it about ¾ as much as I love Target but for totally different reasons.
So I’m getting gas at Fred Myer in my gym shorts and my work sweater (I was cold) when I remember that it is payday and I am out of Yerba Mate (not to mention food in general) so I decide to go inside. I may not have planned to go grocery shopping at that time, but I am a Virgo and a planner for a living so I had a list (yes a physical, on paper list) with me anyway. So I gathered up fruit (at least 3 kinds), carrots, stir fry veggies, salad mix (with spinach), tofu (baked and raw), detox tea, yerba mate (mint), special K bars, soy nuts, pasta, pasta sauce, light bulbs, tupperware, toilet paper, swiffer cloths, razors, shampoo, and conditioner. Apparently, this neurotic looking mix of things is attractive to some people. I think is says “I have no sense of adventure and spend my money trying to be boring and thin.” But the checker heard something different entirely. Perhaps it was my gym shorts which are supposed to look like boxers but, due to their bright purple color and the letters “U of W” embossed squarely on the ass, are clearly girls pajama/gym shorts. Perhaps it was the juxtaposition those shorts and my fine knit, cream wool turtleneck. Then again, it could have been the food.
My sister seems to think that the Fred Myer checkers are overly forward in general. They tend to ask what your plans for the day are based on what you are buying or comment on how they love this or really wanted to try that particular thing you are buying. Once, one of them even lectured me on the evils of alcohol when I was buying beer for a party. So when this particular checker begin a conversation with me about UW and how I liked it there I was not particularly on guard. Even when the conversation turned to whether I liked my job, I was not alarmed. When he asked me if I wanted to get married and have kids I was simply confused. In fact it was not until he offered to fill the position of my husband that I was alarmed. I answered him first with only a nervous smile. He then told me that he was ready when ever I was and that I wait as long as I wanted. I composed myself and told him that when I was ready, all the right people would hear about it. Not my most witty comeback ever, but at least I was nice, which is something new and different for me. I would have told him that I was waiting for a bigger ring than he could ever afford or that I don’t date people shorter than me (neither of which are true) but I have been in a good mood lately and my normal spiteful comments are often only funny if you are me. Thank God no one else is me.