A random blast from the past

My wife and I spent Sunday morning out and about, running a few errands. First it was off to Washington Golf Center so my wife could finally pick out her birthday present - a new golf bag. (She got a purple and gray Titleist bag, which I must say fits her well.)

Out next stop was open-ended. We knew we needed food, but didn't want to deal with the mess we were sure would await us at Costco in Pentagon City. So we then agreed on Safeway, but detoured at the last minute to a nearby Harris Teeter, which opened only within the past six months.

It's a very urban-ish shopping experience: parking deck, wine and snacks upstairs, less room to navigate through rows and shopping areas.

Sensing that I was starting to annoy my dear wife (who, bless her heart, had put up with me so well up to that point), I trudged upstairs to check out the wine. After a lot of searching - the wine selection was fair but not great - I picked out a pinot grigio from Columbia Valley. I returned to show my wife, who asked me to walk back upstairs and get some Doritos for a mid-afternoon snack.

I did and was walking back toward the wine when a woman passed by.

"She's short," I thought, instinctively. "Son of a gun, she looks an awful lot like..."

Of course, I'm going to keep up the suspense.

I met up with my wife downstairs. With our basket full (or at least full of what we needed), we walked to the checkout line. There was that woman again, just ahead of us, with a guy.

They exchanged words, and my suspicions were confirmed.

It was her.

Ain't that a hell of a thing. You make a seemingly innocuous trip to a grocery store, and look what you come away with.

And no, I didn't go introduce myself. I'd guess she gets that a fair amount as it is; I'd rather have her enjoy a Sunday morning of anonymity. One would think it gets tiresome.

But she looked well and I hope her life outside of the public eye has been fulfilling. I wish her the best.