A Demand for Bananas

colorful silk patchwork quilt
Silk quilt circa 1890

A woman demanded one of my bananas. This was a first for me.

Her pointed finger and determined face did not say, “Could I have one?” It was a demand.

I was on a standard grocery run, generally involving a supermarket for basics and a stroll along an alley for fruit. I had just picked up four ripe bananas, my last items, from a vendor on the street corner and turned toward home.

Fifty yards further down the sidewalk, a woman pointed at my bananas and raised one finger. Not the middle one, thankfully. The demand took me a moment to process.

I held the bundle of four fruit toward her, inviting her to choose. She did, and moved on without another word.