69. Not Just for the Old and Homeless

"You want me to buy you what?" Ken Elizabeth. He was sure he hadn't heard her . Elizabeth had just moved in with Ken. She to Los Angeles from New York City after year of long distance dating. "I want you buy me a shopping cart," Elizabeth repeated. "In Angeles there are two types of people who shopping carts. The homeless are one. They use carts to carry their possessions. Old ladies are second. They use it to carry their laundry and forth, their groceries, and maybe even to tamales," Ken explained.

Elizabeth felt insulted. "Are you I'm an old lady?" she asked. She then to explain that she didn't want to rely Ken to drive her to the supermarket or laundromat. Elizabeth didn't know how to drive, but wanted to be self-sufficient. "Besides," she continued, "in York City everyone has a shopping cart, not the homeless or old ladies."

One afternoon when came home from work, there was a red cart in the driveway. Ken had put a red bow on it. "Do you like your wheels?" Ken asked Elizabeth. She felt happy now she could handle some chores on her own.

next day she loaded the shopping cart with clothes and set off to walk the three to the nearest laundromat. This was not as as she thought. The sidewalks were uneven and cart often got stuck, causing dirty socks to out of the cart. Elizabeth had to stop times to pick up stray clothes. Then nearly house between her house and the laundromat had big dog that barked at her. Elizabeth hated scary dogs.