The more the merrier

Arron and the older woman, Greta he found out later, talked a bit as they slowly moved up towards the cashier line. It didn't really bother him that he was standing and talking with a stranger but there was something about the woman that put him at ease immediately. Plus, after spending a lot of time with his 19 year-old, having the chance to talk with another adult was a great relief for him.

Greta was easy to talk with and as they continued to talk, she spotted a friend in line and the other woman joined in. "I'm Arron," he said with a smile and the woman, a bit confused at the name for a brief moment, returned the smile. "It's nice to meet you again."

Greta looked at her friend. "You know each other?"

"Yes, Philip was playing with his water balloons and launched one that landed on her."

Arron laughed at that, missing out on the fact that the woman referenced to him as "her". "It was nothing, boys will be boys."

"Still, all the same, I'm so sorry about that." She offered her hand. "I'm Hannah, by the way."

He shook it politely and the three of them stood talking and inching their way up front. He was a natural at the small-talk so talking with people about things came easy to him. It helped that Greta and Hannah were both of the same mindset so, for him, it was a welcome circle of people who were fast becoming friends. "Did you get everything squared away or did you need some help?"

Greta's ears perked up at that. "Yes, it must be hard moving in by yourself and your daughter."

"We still have a lot of stuff left to unpack and square away but we can manage." He turned and looked at the line for a moment. "By the way, do either of you know if there are good places to look for administrative jobs? I figured once we settled in that I would look."

Hannah smiled and placed a hand on his shoulder. "I work at the newspaper downtown, I'll keep my eyes out for you."

"I'll talk around at church, between the three of us, we should find something for you."

With that, he exchanged numbers with the two women and after making his way through the checkout line, turned and gave a final wave at them before he tightened the jacket and pushed the cart out into the rain. This weather's going to take some getting used to...