First Person Singular by Wendy Braitman

In Line Dating

There used to be an urban legend circulating in San Francisco about a Marina district supermarket where it was easy to hook up. Too far to walk, I was never motivated enough to get in the car to pursue it. But the other day, at Whole Foods, I made serious eye contact with an attractive guy while shopping for produce. (Me: Brussels sprouts, him: melon.) We crossed paths a few more times before ending up 3 feet away at the, uh, checkout line. I wasn’t sure how to finesse a conversation from a distance, so I bagged my groceries and went home, alone.

Image: Man Looking at Woman, 1949, Adolf Gottlieb, at MOMA.