Flags Over the Supermarket

Years Ago, We Watched the Flags

We stood in front of the supermarket. The one on the hill.

And there were flags on the roof. A dozen flags with the name of the supermarket.

No American flags. No state flags. Just the flags of the supermarket.

"Maybe the store is its own sovereign nation," I said.

And she thought for a second and shook her head. "I'm pretty sure we're still in California."

Years later, I stand in front of the same supermarket. On the same hill.

The name on the building has changed. One giant supermarket chain bought another one and rebranded all the locations.

And since I moved 3 miles away, I never go to the store on the hill anymore. The one that was "our" store, then "my" store.

The still have flags on top of the building, even if the name on the flags is different now.

I thought I heard her voice and turned. And she was standing there. Older.

"Isn't this the store you claimed was part of Nevada?" she asked.

And I smiled sadly. And shook my head, watching the flags flap in the ocean breeze.