Intermission (3)

A sense of unease washed over as I looked between the street behind me and the inside of the grocery store. White ceramic tiles lined the floor, broken up by wooden aisles painted gray. On one side were refrigerators similar to what I saw in the hotel restaurant. Blocking the entrance was three checkout lanes evenly spaced. If I didn’t know any better, I would’ve thought I was transported back into an uncanny reality of my world.

However, one of the street walkers ventured in without batting an eye, meaning this was still the other world. A usual sight, no less, no matter how strange. Well, standing around isn’t going to do anything. Plus, my tummy is rumbling louder by the minute. Cautiously, I headed down the aisles, trying to figure out what’s being sold.

I started from the right, heading down one of the regular aisles – the places that usually held shelf-stable items. It was unlikely that the store would store ready-to-go meals here, but my hunger was corrupted by a twinge of curiosity. An extra minute or five won’t kill me.

The first thing I noticed was the massive pop of brown in-between the lines of gray. Most of the items were wrapped in non-descript paper bags of varying sizes. There were very few brand names, if any, denoting what each was. If it wasn’t for the name and price tag underneath, then without opening them, it was nearly impossible to know the bags’ contents.

I opened one above a tag that said ‘Flour’, and sure enough, a crayon-like smell permeated my nostrils. Sure, that meant the flour was rancid, but there were plenty of others to choose from. Of course, there were a few aisles where the associated contents had overpowering stenches, like fermented foods. Unsurprisingly, those were devoid of any customers.

After the non-perishables were the fresh produce aisles. Gone were the brown paper bags, and in their place were bins or raised-edge tables, each containing a different type. Water sprinklers from the ceiling sprayed a light mist, making every surface – and person – slightly damp.

I wandered over to a table that had apples, or what looked to be apples. Like my world, the ripeness of each apple varied slightly. Most were around ripe, but there were quite a few under and over. I even noticed a couple rotten ones just begging to be thrown out. Not that I want to touch them myself.

Finally, the last three throws contained rows of refrigerators. None of them had a glass door, so name and price tags were stuck to the door at differing heights. Looking inside, they seemed to match with the base of each shelf row.

Most of the contents here were mixes of meat, fish, and dairy products in chunks so large they seemed almost comical. It seemed like each chunk was an entire animal on its own, rather than a bunch of a specific cut. I preferred the latter, mainly because I didn’t know what the difference was, or how to even separate such a slab.

There were a few other things here and there, but they weren’t the type of items a grocery store would normally sell. A hammer? Pencils? What about some nails? It seemed like they just put up whatever was lying around.

As for the ready-made meals?

I couldn’t find them.

And trust me, I looked for a good while, opening random bags and doors that I should’ve known to keep shut. Eventually, rather than risk being bombed by an unconscious-rendering odor, I went up to one of the checkout lanes to ask a cashier. Why didn’t I think of that in the first place? My curiosity got the better of me again…

“Only for grocery stores, I presume?” the familiar voice giggled.

With three lanes, there were three people manning them: a man and woman somewhere in their fifties, and another younger man in his early thirties. With how similar the younger man looked to the two elders, this was probably a family owned place.

I decided to talk to the older gentleman. “Hello, I have a question–”

“All sales are final,” he bluntly stated in a gruff tone, interrupting me. Well, with all the rotten products, it makes sense that some customers will complain. But…

“No, no, no. I’m here for something else,” I quickly clarified.

“...hmm? Then what?”

“Do you sell any ready-made meals?”

“...ready made?” he asked, looking at me like I was from another planet.

“Yeah, like a sandwich or a rice ball.”

“...you want to buy a sandwich?” He completely ignored the rice ball.

“Yes,” I confirmed.

“...here? In a grocery store?”

“Yeah…?”

“...are you sure?”

“That’s what I came here for?” It felt like we were speaking past each other, but I had no idea what I was missing.

“...one moment.” The store owner slowly lumbered towards the aisles, disappearing from sight. Most likely, he was gathering the ingredients to make the sandwich. I’m not sure what he’s going to do about the meat though.

Fifteen minutes passed, and he reemerged with a simple sandwich. From what I could see, there was a rather thick slab of meat along with some cheese, lettuce, and tomato. My mouth watered at the sight, only slightly off put by his gloveless hands. An ‘eh’ approach to sanitation, but I was starving, so…

“How much?”

“...how about three reales?”

“Wait, really?” That was absurdly cheap. Stores would normally sell such a small sandwich for ten or fifteen. With how usual rip off prices were in my world, it almost felt like I was the one ripping him off.

“...well then–”

“Wait! I’ll pay that!” I stopped him before he could say anything else. I pulled out three ones, taking the sandwich with a brief, “Thanks!” before leaving.

As I walked towards the usual spot for my show, I took a bite of the sandwich. Immediately, I felt like I was in heaven. Mustard and mayonnaise blended together with what I could only assume was pork and swiss cheese. Honestly, it was a pretty basic sandwich, but after eating omelets for four days, even this could become the best meal in the world. Seriously, I never thought a sandwich could have such depth. They were always just a quick thing to put together.

I should go back there tomorrow and get another.

Sadly, it was not meant to be. When I went back the following day, the grocery store had a massive line running out onto the street. Those who entered waited expectedly, while those leaving had a sandwich in hand – the very same I asked for yesterday.