The Split

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A mother and daughter come into the store together regularly, side by side. 

One is older, the other middle-aged. They always seem excited to be there. This is their routine.

They talk back and forth the whole time they shop. Nothing loud, just casual bantering between the two of them.

They make their way to the box wine section and grab three boxes of wine. That part never changes.

After that, the mother usually starts looking for a bottle of wine she remembers having before, but she can never quite remember the name of it. They’ll walk around the store for a bit trying to find it. Sometimes a cashier will step out to help. Sometimes they find it, sometimes they don’t.

Eventually they come up to the counter with their items.

Once everything is rung up, the total comes out to something like $54.35.

That’s when the usual conversation starts.

The daughter starts rummaging through her purse and says,
“Mom, I’ve got $25. I’ll pay that.”

She puts the cash on the counter.

The mom responds,
“You don’t have to pay that much. I still owe you from lunch the other day.”

They go back and forth for a bit trying to figure out how to split it.  

The cashier amused by this interaction each time.

They always settle on something. Usually, the daughter pays part in cash, and the mom puts the rest on her card.

While all of this is going on, they’re still talking about their plans for the weekend. Most of the time it’s about going to the lake.  

The cashier asks, “Are you guys familiar with Cole Camp?  The Dairy Bar?”  

They both exclaim with, “Yes!  We love that place!!!”  

The conversation between the cashier and the pair continue for a bit discussing where on the lake they vacation and vice versa.

Once everything is done, they thank the cashier and exit in the same manner they arrived -

side by side.