Grocery Shopping at Night

10/6/20 22:39

There is something about grocery shopping at night.  This is the time when most are home and watching TV and the few stragglers, myself included voyage into the barren store. Mask on, the cart’s handle wiped clean.  There are open lanes, except for the ones with carts and boxes of products to be shelved after midnight.  There are less hurried folks at night.  The focused fucks who are in a rush after work, who are on their own must-get-it mission and who do not give a mighty shit if you or I are in their way.  A tap?  A nudge?  Maybe an excuse me?  Maybe I am confusing these scenes with my previous shopping sprees on Long Island.  A few times, we stop in the dead zone; where lanes intersect, eyes looking at eyes not sure if the person is smiling or sneering.  I debate should I pick up a six of a pumpkin brew?  Maybe?  I debate.  I have these internal debates all of the time when I am shopping. Should I pick up Goyo product even if the COO praised Trump?  Does this shopping spree have to become a political event?  Why are groceries so expensive?  I buy vegetarian meals and organic, but spend next to nothing on my clothing detergent.  In some ways I am cheap, a reminder of my father who to this day loves a good sale, but I won’t stoop to his frugality.  The man drinks water from the tap, who would do such a thing?  Just think, I used to dread the supermarket and now at night I have found my oasis in the distance.  The lit up parking lot beckons under the October moon.

Thank you for reading this.