Monday, mid-morning, the lights flicker in my office....then everything goes dark. The droning sounds of fail safes pound my ears.
The generator refuses to automatically kick on. Pitch black and silent...The lack of registers beeping at every item being sold. The absence of easy-listening non-top 40 hits playing above shoppers' heads to keep them from concentrating on how their favorite food is now $.15 higher than the previous week and is now missing 4oz. as well. One by one cell phone screens come alive to break darkness.
Is this a concert?
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2 Hours Before
I walk towards the back-dock and pass the seafood counter when I notice that Joe is not prepping the department for the onslaught of the day's sales. He's not here but his helper that isn't suppose to be here on Monday is. Something's not right.
He gets my attention.
"Did you hear about Joe Estrada's wife?"
.
.
.
FUCK
Wife of over 20 years had lost her two year battle with cancer.
I had listened for the past couple of years of what he was doing to treat his wife. Trips to some clinic in Minnesota and some new laser treatment here. The tumors had gone away for half a year but just three months ago they showed back up in her brain and heart. Her doctors told him there was nothing else they could do for her. He couldn't give up so he started trying some home-grown shit. He bought a juicer and some expensive and I do mean expensive water purifier/electrolysis device.
The last thing I can remember him telling me last week when he brought me a cup of this water.
"I can replace money, I can't replace my wife."
"You're going to see a miracle."
"God has guided me to all the right people."
I couldn't show it, but this fucked me all up hearing him say this.
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