From the day
Perspective: The Anxious Local · Tactile
The scratchy wool of my sweater chafes against my neck as I stand in this endless checkout line, clutching a loaf of bread that just jumped to fifty-five cents. Everyone is frantic to buy that gray plastic Game Boy, their thumbs twitching nervously over the buttons while the shrill, electronic blips cut through the mall’s humid air. I try to stay chill, but the grit of the slush on my boots and the rising price of gas make my chest tighten with every chime of the register. I just want to sink into a theater seat and let the flickering light of a Christmas movie drown out these nagging fears.