Bette guided David to Zabars and pondered whether she felt comfortable taking him inside the crowded store.  She plotted her path to retrieve the only item she sought and pushed her nephew through the doors, guiding him with her hands on his shoulders until they stood in front of the refrigerator case. 

“Excuse me,” Bette said to the dark-haired girl who was blocking her access.

“I’m so sorry,” Helena replied as she stepped aside.  She saw what she guessed was a college student reach for a container of strawberry butter.  “Is that good?”

Bette looked at the teen and smiled, “Yes, it is.”  Bette returned her hands to David’s shoulders and guided him to the checkout line.  Their next stop would be H&H, right across the street, to buy bagels.

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Ten minutes after her successful salmon entreaty, Alice happily trotted out of Zabars, carrying the smoked salmon, lox, sable, vegetable cream cheese, cream cheese and chives, fresh orange juice, Hawaiian Kona coffee, and chocolate babka that her second step-father had assured her Lenore loved.  She had two more stops, both nearby.  She decided to get the bagels before the onion, and crossed the street.

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The windows of H&H were steamy from the heat of the ovens in continuous use.  To the waiting customers, the scents of the flavorings blended into the smell of the baking dough to create a spicy fragrance that heightened expectations.  The line was long but Bette knew it moved fast.  Customers were expected to have made their selections before they reached the counter.  She held David close to her side as customers shuffle by, leaving with their bagel treasure or retrieving items from the refrigerator cases.  Bette herself had retrieved a large package of cream cheeses and an half gallon of orange juice.  When their turn came, she ordered quickly, “Three plain, two cinnamon raisin, two pumpernickel, two poppy, one sesame, two onion.  And what’s warm?”

“Pumpermickel, poppy, plain.”

“What do you want?” she asked David.

The boy hesitated.

Bette smiled apologetically at the counterman, “We’ll be a moment.”

He turned to assemble the requested dozen.

“Poppy.” David announced.

Bette thought of the mess of the seeds all over their clothes and the car.  She was about to steer him towards the less messy plain or pumpernickel, when she remembered what had happened only 20 minutes earlier.  “David, whatever you want.”