My Green Valley Marketplace Adventure

Originally Written on April 29, 2012

Subtitle: Elkridge is Both Dangerous and Wonderful!

Sometimes, we have to go grocery shopping. I hate grocery shopping. So in order to bring joy to an otherwise unappealing chore, I occasionally ride my bike to the grocery store. I have two bright red panniers which each hold about a standard paper grocery-bag's-worth of stuff. It's fun to see what I can get into them! Last November I bought my entire Thanksgiving feast by bike.

Today I decided there was just enough daylight after dinner to ride to our new Green Valley Marketplace. I got there and was locking up my bike when a nice young man accosted me and asked me some questions about my bike. We chatted a few minutes, and he warned me to be careful, because someone tried to steal his bike a couple weeks ago, and he had to fight them off. Suddenly I realized I'd seen this young man before!

On April 6th (Good Friday in fact) I rode my bike to the grocery store. I noticed a young man with a bike making a lot of groaning noises, and I thought maybe there was something wrong with him, or maybe he just had a really tough ride and was the vocal type. He went into Rite Aid, so I didn't think much more about it. I figured if he was sick, they would help him. When I came out of Green Valley, and was loading up my bike, the young man came out of Rite Aid, was still moaning and groaning, and tried to ride his bike but was going way off course. Something was really wrong with him.

Now I have this lack of assertiveness and shyness that makes me afraid to take action when I see things like this, especially when I'm alone. I made eye contact with him and we said "hi" but that was all. I noticed that he was pretty banged up. I turned away and started to get on my bike. But then I thought I should call 911, so I turned back to look for him, I couldn't see him anymore, so I thought "Someone will do something for him."

I started riding home, and as I got about a mile away, I started to think about him again, and to chastise myself because I didn't do anything for him. I started to get weepy because I felt like I'd just left Jesus, lost and confused in a parking lot at rush hour. By then I was really sure it was too late to help him. I got home, and I talked to my husband about it, and he consoled me. Like I said, it was Good Friday, and as I'm in the choir, I went to Mass and said lots of prayers for him.

A couple days later, we saw a blurb in the Elkridge Patch about the young man, who had been assaulted by someone trying to steal his bike and his wallet, at Green Valley Marketplace, on April 6th. So I felt better knowing that the police had talked to him, and surely someone got him some help.

I tend to think of Elkridge as a safe place. I guess I'm naive. My bike is not a very expensive one (none of my bikes are) so I hope that will deter bike-stealer wannabes from bothering me. I've never had any problems here. I don't know where this assault happened exactly. There were so many people there, so it is hard to believe it happened right in front of everyone.

Anyway, today when I saw the young man, and saw that he was completely healed of his wounds, and was in sound mind, I was very happy! I was so happy in fact, that I called my husband right away to tell him the story. I told the young man that I was sorry I didn't try to help him, and he said that Rite Aid called 911, an ambulance came but he refused help, but he had a concussion and wasn't quite right. He went to the hospital the next day. He said there was nothing I could have done for him, and that he is always getting banged up like that!

Then I got my shopping done (in about 18 minutes!), and was making good enough time to ride the long way home to add some extra miles, and avoid the steeper hills on Landing Road by taking Montgomery, through Rockburn Township, and eventually to Kerger and Ilchester Road. I got onto Montgomery Road and saw my dear friend Leny, who was visiting some friends across the street from the store. I chatted for a couple minutes, gave her a quick hug, and started pedaling away. But I got about a mile down the road when I realized I left my wallet in my grocery cart! I have one of those cute Vera Bradley wallets with a key chain, and I was in such a hurry to load up my bike and get on the road before dark that I completely forgot it! SO STUPID!

I high-tailed it back to the store as fast as my chubby legs could pedal, and when I got there, my cart was still there but my wallet was not. I was thinking about what happened to the young man, and my hope was dwindling. Then another young man, a Green Valley employee, came out of the door, I told him my story, and he said that he had found it and taken it to the office. I was so relieved! So now we know, THERE ARE STILL SOME GOOD PEOPLE IN ELKRIDGE!

By then it was too late to go back the long way, so I had to get my chubby legs to pedal all the way up Landing Road with the extra burden of a gallon of milk, a bag of rice, a bag of grains, two bunches of bananas, and four packs of Naan. It was a relatively light load. Oh I also got some hair doodles, because my hair has gotten so long and lush that I can pull it into a 3 inch pony tail!

So that was my bike-riding adventure today.

Look out for me and my bright red panniers! And enjoy this week - it looks like it will be a nice one despite some scattered thunderstorms!

PS. The above was written a month ago. Now I am happy to add that Hanover is also wonderful! I was at Panera's at Arundel Mills last week, waiting at an outside table for my friend Leny, when she called to ask for the address. I got up and looked around for the address, and sat down at the wrong table. A few minutes later I realized I didn't have my purse! I'd left it at my old table. It's a good thing that my head is attached to my body, or I'd surely forget to bring it with me. But while my brain is firmly ensconced in my skull, my mind isn't always there! Anyway, first I thought I left my purse in the car, which meant the keys were locked in. It wasn't there. Frantic now, I ran into the store and asked (without much hope) if anyone turned in a purse. Sure enough, they had it safe and sound! Guardian angels, or just plain good people? I suspect the latter, for which I'm very grateful!