Seedless Grapes

Just do it!

Kyle’s inner voice kept quoting the slogan at him. He would do anything to shut it up.

His inner voice told him to take a can of black beans and throw it on the ground. He could argue at the register that the damaged can shouldn't cost the full price.

But he didn’t need to save money on a product that only cost eighty-eight cents. He just wanted the chaos that came with it.

He cocked his head in either direction down the aisle. A young woman with her child browsed the canned corn section - but no employees. The child kept hopping up and down in the cart’s seat, begging for "a gape."

He grabbed the can and threw it to the ground.

The metallic clang of the tin hitting the white-tiled floor echoed down the aisle, but the grocery store's music and hustle and bustle muffled it.

The woman and her child both looked over. Kyle watched as the child’s lip started quivering from fear, and the tear streak crossed his cheek.

"Oops," he mocked as he picked it up, throwing it into his cart.

So he pushed his cart toward the child. As he neared, he relished the awkward look she gave him. She felt torn between quieting her baby and making sure he knew she didn’t approve.

Just say it! His conscious demanded as he passed.

"You should shut that baby up," he blurted. Her face contorted with rage.

"Are you serious?" She screamed. "I'm getting a manager." She pushed her cart away from him, looking for someone to report to.

See? This is fun! The voice inside his head said. Kyle had to admit the voice made a good point. He enjoyed that interaction, even though he shouldn’t.

As he rounded the corner, he found himself in the produce section. The rows of vegetables and fruits felt so organized that it made his skin crawl.

The grapes, the voice called to him.

The idea was so simple it made him laugh. He grabbed a pack of grapes and a pack of seedless grapes. He withdrew the grapes from each bag and then swapped them. Then, he placed the correctly labeled bag back in place so no one would know.

He turned and strolled through the other fruits, smiling. He would pick up an apple and sniff it, but he kept the grapes in view.

Then the mom and her boy came around the corner. As soon as she recognized him, her eyes turned to slits. Little did she know that the anger on her face fueled him.

She moved with more intention now, as if she wanted to get out of there. She picked her vegetables and headed towards the fruits.

The woman neared the grapes. Then she reached for the bag of seedless grapes Kyle had switched to contain seeds. The boy in the cart, his cheeks still stained with tears, reached his hands out and begged for a sample.

Kyle had to press his hand to his mouth to keep from making too much noise as chuckles of delight escaped him.

The mom looked over her shoulders, like he had earlier. No one was around, so she gave her son a grape.

Kyle smiled, waiting to see what would happen.