A&P

Oh small town mentality. When I was a teenager we, my family that is, used to go upstate every summer and stay near a blink your eyes and you miss it town. I can remember getting looks as I would walk into a store with my long hair, cutoff jeans and ripped sleeveless rock-n-roll t-shirts. You would think they would be used to it, it being a summer tourist town, but like I said it was small. Older folk cast suspicious, unapproving looks while from the guys my age I would sometimes get the 'Oh to be anywhere but here' smiles. Sammy, our 19 year old cashier storyteller, may not leave his town right away but you have to know he's going to. From the way he describes the shoppers (sheep) to his contempt for Lengel to his fear of becoming like Stokesie (married with two kids at 22) oh for sure Sammy is going to be leaving sooner rather than later. The bathing suit girls have sparked the desire to escape the mundane life in the mundane town.