Please stay with us! We will go anyways !

Tired and exhausted last night I stopped by my local grocery store to buy some usual stuff: milk, bread, fruits,.... As I entered, it was as if I entered a store of a city that was hit by a tornado, or famine. More than half of the shelves were empty, whatever fruits and vegetables that were left, were not of good quality. Maybe they just had a delay in restocking? It was not winter to blame a storm or fear of a storm for empty shelves. Then, I paid more attention. Flower stands were gone, magazine stands were gone, .... it was just so sad. As I went to the cashier I asked: "What is happening?", hoping to hear we are remodeling, renovating, ... not wanting to hear what I heard: "We are closing!". Why? How? I have been coming to this store for seven years at least once a week. I know so many people who work here. I knew where everything was, did not have to search for anything. It is a mile a way from my place. That shopping center had everything I needed: my bank, grocery shopping, Starbucks, insurance company, pizza place, ice cream place, drug store; it used to have Blockbuster too, but I blamed Netflix for their closure; What is Giant's excuse? "Not enough income!" How can that be? All the houses and units in this neighborhood are not enough for them? Where is everybody shopping from? I actually felt betrayed by my community. And how did I not see it coming? There were no signs or announcements or did I just not pay attention?

As I did my last shopping there and came out, I looked behind the store door. There was an announcement. This location closes at 6:00 pm on Thursday. We appreciate your patronage! .... and I thought "Do you?".

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p.s. I had not seen him in a while there. I was actually happy for that. It probably meant that he moved to a desk/in-door job, or was just busy with college. I understood the happiness of Chuckie in Good Will Hunting when he knocked at Will's house and finally got no response one day.

“Chuckie: .... Let me tell you what I do know. Every day I come by to pick you up. And we go out we have a few drinks, and a few laughs and it's great. But you know what the best part of my day is? It's for about ten seconds from when I pull up to the curb to when I get to your door. Because I think maybe I'll get up there and I'll knock on the door and you won't be there. No goodbye, no see you later, no nothin'. Just left. I don't know much, but I know that.”