Episode 29: Packing Sturdy Hiking Gear — 5,000 Core English Words

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Chapter twenty-nine. Shopping and packing.

The trip is in three days. Emma has written a description of everything they need, and several items are missing. So on Wednesday evening they drive to a big store to buy supplies, and then they go home and pack.

Listen to how to find things in a large store, what a cashier asks at the checkout, and how two people check a packing list together.

Emma: This place is huge. Where do we start?

Ryan: You have the list. I have the cart. Lead the way.

Emma: Okay. Sunscreen, bug spray, a first-aid kit, batteries, and snacks for the car. Excuse me! Could you help us?

Clerk: Sure. What are you looking for?

Emma: Where can I find sunscreen?

Clerk: That's in health and beauty. Aisle twelve, on the left, next to the chemist's counter.

Emma: Thank you. And bug spray?

Clerk: That's a different department. It's outdoors and camping, at the back of the store. Aisle twenty-six. You'll see a big display of tents.

Ryan: Do you carry hiking socks?

Clerk: We do. They're in the same category, on the bottom shelf. If we're out of stock in your size, I can check in the back, or we can deliver them to your home.

Ryan: Great. One more thing. Is the grocery section on this floor?

Clerk: Yes, all the way to the right. Just follow the signs.

Emma: You've been very helpful. Thank you.

Clerk: No problem. Have a good evening.

Emma: That clerk was so nice. Now, look at this array of sunscreen. There must be forty kinds. Which one should we get?

Ryan: What's the difference?

Emma: This brand is fourteen dollars. The generic one is six. Let me compare them. The percentage of the active part is the same. It protects from the same rays.

Ryan: Then get the cheap one. You're paying for the name.

Emma: Agreed. Oh, this one is on sale. Buy one, get one free. That's a good deal.

Ryan: Take two. In the mountains you burn considerably faster. I once got a burning red nose in March.

Emma: Bug spray. This one says "natural." This one says "expedition strength."

Ryan: Expedition strength. I'm not a fantasy hero. I want the insects to vanish.

Emma: And the first-aid kit. This has everything. For a bleeding finger, a blister, a headache. Plus a little leaflet about what to do.

Ryan: Good. What about food? Should we buy in bulk?

Emma: Not too much. Nuts, dried fruit, crackers, and water. Nothing that melts. Nothing that goes bad without a fridge.

Ryan: And one toy for Feather. As a gift, because we're leaving her.

Emma: Ryan, she's staying with Rosa. She'll be treated like a queen.

Ryan: I feel guilty. I'm conscious of it. One toy.

Emma: One toy. And toothpaste. I don't want tooth decay on holiday.

Cashier: Hi there. Did you find everything okay?

Emma: We did, thanks.

Cashier: Do you have a rewards card with us?

Ryan: No, we don't.

Cashier: Would you like to sign up? You'd get a five percent discount on today's purchase.

Ryan: Not today, thank you. We're in a bit of a hurry.

Cashier: No problem. Is this sunscreen the two-for-one offer? Let me scan that again. There. It came off.

Emma: Thank you. Oh, the price on these socks was nine ninety-nine on the shelf.

Cashier: It's showing twelve. Let me call a manager. Actually, I'll just fix it. Nine ninety-nine.

Emma: I appreciate that.

Cashier: Would you like paper or plastic?

Emma: We brought our own bags.

Cashier: Perfect. Your total is sixty-eight dollars and forty cents. Will that be debit or credit?

Ryan: Debit.

Cashier: Go ahead and insert your card. Would you like any cash back?

Ryan: No, thank you.

Cashier: You're all set. Here's your receipt. Do you need any help out to your car?

Ryan: No, we're good. Thanks. Have a good night.

Cashier: You too. Enjoy your trip. I can tell by the bug spray.

At home, there are two suitcases open on the bed, and a list on the door.

Emma: Okay. I read, you answer. Hiking boots?

Ryan: Packed. Cleaned, too. They were awfully dirty, but they're in good condition.

Emma: Warm jacket? The forecast predicts a cold night or two. It could freeze.

Ryan: Packed.

Emma: Swimming things, for the hot springs?

Ryan: Yes. Straightaway, when I heard the word "springs."

Emma: Rain jackets. Sunglasses. Hats.

Ryan: All three. And the socks we bought.

Emma: Phone chargers? The one for the car?

Ryan: In my bag. It plugs into the old cigarette lighter. That was a great invention, used for the wrong thing for fifty years.

Emma: Medicine? Your knee cream, my allergy pills?

Ryan: In the small bag, with the first-aid kit.

Emma: Passport?

Ryan: We're not leaving the country.

Emma: I know. I just like to say it. Books?

Ryan: Two. A tale about an island, and something dull about management that I'll never open.

Emma: Leave that one. I'll bring a third for you. Did you turn the heating down? And did you tell the bank we're away?

Ryan: Heating, yes. The bank doesn't need to know. But I asked Rosa to monitor the mail, and to restore the garbage cans to the garage after Thursday.

Emma: And the plants?

Ryan: She has a key. The distribution of water is fully in her hands. I've stopped worrying.

Emma: With certainty?

Ryan: Partially. I acknowledge that I'm a man who worries. It's my culture. Or my family. Culturally, the Johnsons expect a disaster. A flood, a fire, a shortage of bread.

Emma: And the Carters expect a party. That's why it works.

Ryan: Is that everything? I can't close this suitcase. It's swollen. Why does it swell every time?

Emma: Because you packed a calculator. Why is there a calculator in here?

Ryan: For the gas. I like to know.

Emma: Use your phone. And these? Three pairs of work shoes?

Ryan: In case of a nice dinner.

Emma: One pair. We're going to the mountains, not to a global conference. Dump the rest.

Ryan: You're right. It's unusually hard for me. In my teens, I took one bag for a whole summer. Something changed dramatically.

Emma: You got a job, and you got scared. It's rare to see you with nothing to do. This trip will ease that.

Ryan: I hope so. All my resources are ready. I feel alive already. I've reached the end of the list.

Emma: Finally. Except one thing. We didn't consult the most important person.

Ryan: Who?

Emma: Feather. Look at her. She's lying on your jacket, and her behavior is very clear. She has covered it in hair, in your honour. She knows.

Ryan: Communication without words. It's worth a fortune. Come here, girl. It's only ten days. We'll be back before you finish the local squirrels.

Emma: She's critically unimpressed. In her league, you're a traitor with a constant smell of sunscreen.

That is the end of chapter twenty-nine. The cart was full, the cashier was kind, and two suitcases are finally closed.

Keep these with you: "Where can I find sunscreen?" "Do you carry hiking socks?" "Did you find everything okay?" "Paper or plastic?" "Debit or credit?"

In the next chapter, it is the morning of the trip. They lock the house, set the navigation, and stop for gas.

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