Lavender Crocs

 He was standing by the shelf when I first saw him, dressed in a pair of old gray shorts and a faded red tee with grease stains all over it. As I walked towards him, he moved his eyes around shiftily. It instantly caught my eye. What was he doing? He seemed familiar and I wondered if he was from the auto repair shop down the lane. He stood there, unfazed, even as my gaze fixed on him. 

It was then that I saw a pair of lavender toddler crocs in his hand. He picked up a yellow pair as well, looked it over, replaced it back on the shelf. Then continued to stare ahead, sometimes looking down at the lavender ones in his hand. I walked past, continuing to wonder. 

As I made my way over to the first open counter and laid down my groceries, I could still see him standing there, staring up ahead or looking around. For a wild moment, I wondered if I should notify someone.

I finished paying for my groceries, loaded the cart, and turned around to leave. Just then, I saw a woman join him. Presumably his wife. She grabbed the pair of lavender shoes from his hand, turned it over to look at the price tag. She shook her head vigorously and walked away as his head hung low. As I stood there transfixed, I saw the man walking away empty handed, with one last glance at the lavender crocs he was looking over for his little one.