It Happened To Me:

I went to the grocery store… and found food

By Sharon Miki, Humour Editor

 “It Happened to Me” features the unique and exceptional tales of Douglas College students. Our hope in publishing these stories is that others can learn and grow from the experiences of their peers. 

All I wanted was some lunch. Growing up, I was always fed lunch. Now, as an adult, I was expected to provide it for myself. The reality of this injustice, on this particular Tuesday, was verging on depressing; still I pressed on.

After wandering the streets of Coquitlam for what felt like minutes, I finally stumbled—sweaty, hungry—through the sliding glass doors of the Safeway. The atmosphere was spicy, to say the least. To say the most, someone had recently dropped a glass bottle of oregano on the floor so there were many spice particles littering my once-clean air.

I wandered the aisles aimlessly, but with a purpose. My purpose was, as I already said, lunch. I tossed my head back and forth as I surveyed the various foods available on the shelves. There were tomatoes, Oreos, and Cheetos. There might have been a few other things, but I can’t remember.

Finally, I came upon a young man wearing a smock. He was stocking the shelves with boxes of Kraft Dinner. I felt my mouth water at the thought of the atomic-orange goo gurgling into my stomach.

“Please, sir,” I begged the stock boy. “Please, can I have some Kraft Dinner?”

The boy looked at me with disgust. “Do I look like I work here?” he asked.

“Yes,” I said.

“Well, I don’t. I just like to put this delicious and affordable product on the shelf,” he said. He immediately walked away and I never saw him again.

In the end, my trip to the grocery store did in fact prove fruitful. (I purchased three apples, an orange, a banana, and a peach). Still, looking back, I wonder if I could have been better prepared for the tragedy that my journey would be lined with. After several years of counselling, I’m just glad that I’m finally ready to share my story.