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Prompt: 013. pepper
1. On seeing the potted jalapeno plants for sale, he bought two with the thought of growing his own jalapeno peppers for game day nachos.
A. On seeing the potted jalapeno plants for sale, he bought two with the thought of growing his own jalapeno peppers for game day nachos. In the same vein, he also picked up a couple of tomato plants, some lettuce starts, and a potted green shoot that claimed to be a cilantro plant.
It was only after he paid that he considered how he was going to get everything home. Even with the cardboard box the cashier had put the plants in, they still had a tendency to try and tip over. And since he hadn’t thought to grab change for the bus, it was going to be an awkward walk.
2. She lost her temper when he dared to sprinkle salt and pepper on her perfectly crafted dinner.
A. She lost her temper when he dared to sprinkle salt and pepper on her perfectly crafted dinner. It was the straw that broke the camel’s back.
She’d been running on empty for a long time, the joy in her life gradually sucked away by the day-to-day tedium. There were some mornings when she had to force herself to get out of bed, because a large part of her didn’t see the point of anything. But she tried her best, day-in and day-out, to make sure her family was well taken care of, that they had clean clothes and good food to eat.
She’d had to go to three different stores to find affordable ingredients for the dinner he was so casually ruining. He hadn’t even taken a bite to taste it first! He’d just started shaking salt and pepper over everything while talking to their daughter.
3. The pepper spray was everywhere as the shield-bearing and baton-wielding police moved in on the crowd.
A. The pepper spray was everywhere as the shield-bearing and baton-wielding police moved in on the crowd. Caught up in the press of bodies and now blinded by stinging spray, it was a fight to hold onto her shopping bags.
She regretted stopping off for groceries on her way home from work. She regretted not listening to her warning instinct when she’d seen the crowd of people filling the street. But she’d thought she’d be able to edge her way past if she stayed on the sidewalk.
She hadn’t expected the police to show up in riot gear and close in on the crowd from all directions. She hadn’t expected to be forced into the mass of people with no way to escape, her short stature not helping at all as she was pushed and shoved this way and that. She hadn’t expected pepper spray to hurt so damn much, her burdened arms keeping her from being able to wipe her streaming eyes and nose.
She’d never been more terrified in her life.
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