On Jewel-Osco & Unnecessary Bribery
- jaymemarsh
- May 8, 2018
- 2 min read
It's some kind of magic to find adventure at the grocery store as a kid. When there off-duty, devoid of responsibility, metal carts become scooters and office supplies become promises of potential illustrious careers as 1)a teacher to only your cousins, or 2)a contract artist/playwright, every adult your willing audience member. A trip to the grocery store is, in itself, a sacred opportunity for world-building and adventure-having. There need not be any additional compensation. But another kind of magic lies in being offered additional compensation, regardless of how you feel about going to the store.
If you could, I'd like you to imagine a small, quiet, freckle-nosed, red-headed child, standing alone & confused in the middle of Jewel-Osco. Did Ashley ever get her toy? How could Grandma forget her, The Well-Behaved One? What do you think she cooked for dinner that night? Was a new episode of Everybody Loves Raymond on? Was that forgetfulness another iteration of her calling you everyone else's name (Jeff-John-Les-Jesse-Joey, I mean, Jayme..) before finally landing on yours?
Maybe the promise of toys or Post-it-notes or pet fish against our mothers' wishes had nothing to do with rewarding us. Bread & circus. The ultimate distraction tactic. Grandma was on a mission and we were not going to get in her way. You learn tricks for efficiency, I guess, when you grocery shop every day to cook dinner every night.
"I loved how she made dinner every night assuming at least 1-4 family members would be there... she always invited the family over no matter what day of the week." - Val
I'd love to hear more stories about the daily grocery store trips or the ways Grandma bribed you when you would have said yes anyway. Shit, that's nice. Until next time.
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