Funny Encounter at the Grocery Store

I do most of my grocery shopping at this locally-owned chained called Ukrop's. Yes, it's a bit pricier than Kroger or Food Lion, but there are perks. Besides being cleaner, having a better selection and fresher foods, the best part is that no matter how few bags you have, they always take your bags to your car. You could go in and buy a stick of gum and they'd still insist on carrying it to your car, sans tip, I might add.

Yeah, Corey and I were a bit blown away by this when we first moved from New York to Richmond and shopped at the 'krops. Here we were fumbling for a $5 bill while this little acne-faced teenager loaded up our SUV, and when Corey reached out to offer the money, they refused!

"We're not allowed to accept tips, but thank you."

At the time, I remember looking at Corey and thinking, "We're not in Kansas anymore."

But now, if those little buggers don't hop to it with a skip and a jump, I complain to management. Just kidding.

So on with my story.

As usual, I'm checking out and instead of your typical teenager wheeling my cart, it was this little Asian man named Lam. He probably weighed 85lbs soaking wet and had bifocals as thick as a deck of cards. But he certainly took pride in his job. This guy drove my cart with such determination and purpose, not slowing down for an instant in the heavy Saturday afternoon shopping traffic that was filing thru the store.
And he led the way, which was funny. I thought, "How does this guy know where I parked?" Usually, the customer walks in front of the "pusher" but not Lam.

We get outside, and I point to the aisle where I parked--Bagel Boulevard. (Don't you hate those stupid names of the parking aisles? Who comes up with that crap?) I tried to make some idle conversation but all I got was a yellow-toothed smile and a nod in response to "How are you?," "Nice weather," and "Have you been busy today?"

We approach the 4runner and Lam's face lights up when he sees our UVA license plate.

"Go 'hoos! Go 'hoos!" he says, while pumping his fist in the air.

Surprised by this reaction, I hesitantly smiled back and responded in kind.

He then points at my stomach and says, "Wahoo, sometime? Yes?"

I decided not to launch into the fact that not only is Baby Girl a double legacy, but her father was both a Jefferson Scholar and an Echols Scholar. Plus, she has 2 uncles that are UVA grads. So, as long as she spells her name right on the SATs, she'll surely be admitted to The University. Duh.

Instead I said, "Maybe, we'll see if she wants to go to UVA. But that's a long ways away."

"Oh. No Tech. No Tech. No good." Lam advises, shaking a finger.

"I know. Tech sucks!"

He loads my bags and with one last "Go 'hoos!" and a fist pump, Lam was making a beeline back to the grocery store for his next delivery.

I couldn't help but shake my head and laugh. This guy probably has a 50-word English vocabulary, and that's being generous, yet he knew "Go 'hoos" and "No Tech."

Pretty funny.