At the grocery store checkout there’s a group of three women – all different ages. They’re wearing ankle-length skirts with conservative blouses and have matching polka dot scarves tied tightly over their hair. A man with a squared-off beard pushes a shopping cart a few steps behind them. In the cart there’s a copy of the free Seattle Weekly, a case of bottled water, and a case of Pepsi. He drags his feet at the end of an aisle while the women get in line. He considers something for a moment, then chooses to add a case of Pabst Blue Ribbon to the cart before joining the women in line.
I was tempted to make a crack that even a good Christian man has struggles with demon liquor. But then I noticed you are in the Pacific Northwest. I’m in the middle of North Carolina so the first thing that came to my mind was Baptists. But up your way they might have been the residue of some oddball old commune.
I assumed that they were fringe Christians of some variety – possibly Mennonites. But that guess isn’t really based on much.
I was going to say Mormons on holiday. Or Amish is good, too. Any Shakers left? Lol. I just love your descriptions. This one reminded me of the caravan of Russians at Quartz Lake last summer, all the women dressed from head to foot, the few patriarchs, the unequal ratio … is there some kind of new revival going on, harkening back to the days of the Puritans (and polygamy) … or something?