Crazy Jean

No one really knows what goes through Jean’s mind when she comes into the store. She carries her purse over her one shoulder while holding onto her half empty 7 Up in her other hand. She walks over and grabs a big cart and puts them both up front. She wears glasses and one blue scarf over her grayish hair. Sometimes if it’s cold enough, she will wear a coat.
The first thought in our minds is to get away from her as quick as possible. And that’s before she starts talking with you. Her voice sounds like someone who has a frog in their throat. On most occasions, everyone just nods and hopes she leaves. Hardly anyone around the store wants to talk to her unless she corners you and won’t leave. This becomes a problem when there is a line of people waiting to get checked out.
Jean will start looking through magazines hoping that her word search puzzle book has arrived. If her magazine isn’t there, she asks “when we get it in.” If it’s hard to tell, she says, “Maybe I’ll get it in Des Moines the next time.” Or she’ll babble on about other things that none of us really want to know or hear. She goes in order waiting for the next volume to arrive. She will spend several hours wandering around the store looking for any good food to eat. Sometimes you wonder if she’s still around.
After some time, she’ll park her cart in front of the beer and wine section and go out for a smoke break. If it’s raining, she’ll go smoke in the bathroom, even though there’s a no smoking sign.
When she finally get ready to check out, if a person ahead of her has some item that she might like, she usually goes around and gets it. When she does finally leave, everyone is relieved. Until the time she shows up.
No one around here knows what her last name is though we’ve heard she lives in Panora Iowa and she been kicked out of every store in town. Everyone around here just calls her “Crazy Jean.” Once you see her, you’ll know what I mean.