For over 50 years while shopping at our neighborhood Key Food Supermarket, my husband and I were invisible. No-one noticed when we arrived; no one noticed when we left. No one greeted us; no one said goodbye. Years came and went; we remained invisible. Then what happened?

Suddenly, it was as though someone placed a red carpet from our car door to the store door; it was as though someone sounded loud trumpets!! Everyone noticed that the old couple Ethyl and Ben had arrived with their young companion DELANEY. The handsome young shelf boys raced to find shopping carts for us; the once totally unfriendly manager tipped his hat. We were no longer the invisible old couple. Shopping with Delaney gave us fame. Delaney was with us to help find the items, load them onto the counter, bag the items and deliver them to the car.

The gray-haired manager who had always been there when we shopped but never aware of the old couple; he was suddenly a man with a name. He was Peter Joseph. He advised, “Please, call me PJ. I’m Irish, too, and my daughter’s name is also Delaney.” PJ was now our best friend. He even left work early one day to come to our house and photographed much of the furniture and sculpture and artwork that Ben and Ethyl had made. He shared photographs of his handcrafted artwork. Who knew our Key Food Supermarket manager was an artist?

Now in this Key Food Supermarket all the young men who lined the shelves wanted to look at Delaney; all the young women who were cashiers wanted to look like Delaney. She has beautiful soft wavy red hair that falls to her shoulders. Her bright eyes twinkle; her friendly smile sparkles. She walks with the grace of a ballet dancer. She is always beautifully, stylishly, and appropriately dressed. She seems to exude a sense of fresh air to the mundane scene. The old couple Ethyl and Ben are no longer invisible.

History

The home care agency Duet called and much to my dismay, my daughter had arranged for my husband and I to have a companion to work for us two days a week, four hours a day. She would drive us on our errands and help us with simple household chores. We did need the driving aspect but the notion of her spending eight hours a week with us seemed overbearing. My daughter can be persuasive, so a companion was hired. She is a twenty-eight-year-old from Tennessee, an actress and filmmaker by profession. Her name is Delaney. How has it all worked out?  If I could put it to music, I would sing her praises.

Delaney
She’s delightful
She’s delicious
She’s desirable
She’s DELANEY!
She’s devoted
She’s delectable
She’s dependable
She’s DELANEY
She’s delightful
She’s the  dearest
She’s a doll
She’s DELANEY!
She’s DELANEY!
SHE’S DELANEY
Ethyl and Ben Haber
are no longer invisible!