Grandma Elsie phone-sat at the funeral home next to Jerry’s Jack and Jill grocery store. Within that one sentence, lay a wealth of adventure. 

If you were lucky enough to be included with the phone, (to be baby-sat at the funeral home), you were almost guaranteed a trip to Jerry’s Jack and Jill. My grandma was never one to deny her sweet-tooth, and Jerry’s Jack and Jill did have those toasted marshmallows she liked so much. But the trips had to be fast, she was phone-sitting after all. So we’d run next door. Wave to the cashier. Grab the treats. Stand in line. The bag always opened, if not finished by this point. Maybe it was the sugar rush, or the rush to get back to the phone that never seemed to ring, but she always forgot something. With no time to stand back in line, she’d hold up the forgotten item grabbed on the way to the door and tell them she’d pay next time. It was so unusual to me, I gave it a name. She “Jack and Jilled” it. My hero!

The list of things to visit on a snowy afternoon in Rapid City is very short. After taking photos with the presidents that line the Main Street, I only had one store I wanted to visit — Nerdy Nuts. They make their own peanut butter. Gourmet. It had a lure stronger than any toasted marshmallow. With excitement we pulled up to the building. Took our pictures in front of the sign. Went to open the door. Closed. My heart sank. But the lights were on. Someone was inside. Dominique knocked. And she came. Explained nicely that they weren’t open until the weekend. This was Wednesday. With Elsie hopping on my shoulder, I told the woman that we were from France. It was our only chance. Sure, she said. And we Elsied right in. She gave us a tour. A spoon. I have the jar of peanut butter beside me as I type. 

It’s a small thing, for sure, most delights are, I suppose…most acts of kindness. But they are not soon forgotten.