A while back I decided it would be good fun to write a series of shorts based on my exploits in the local grocery store. So many ridiculous things happening there, wouldn’t you agree? Well, this next piece addresses the lingering lack of random items, so I invite you read and laugh alongside me.

Happy Sunday!

It’s the third week in a row, the local grocery has been out of thyme, and I’m wondering if it’s a bad omen, you know, like the store is trying to share some sort of secret from the universe that we are indeed running out of time.

I have daughter searching the shelves in the international aisle. It’s become our little secret to find spices and other goods from overseas. Pandemic hoarding seems to be slowly fading, but perhaps, not to the level of spice-stockpiling just yet. 

“See it?” I ask as daughter disappears into the bottom shelf where spices from South America are tucked and forgotten. I look left and right, reminding myself, I don’t need to worry if someone sees us. We’re not spice smugglers or international spice spies, or anything so classy. 

“There’s plenty of tarragon, mom.”  

“Yeah, but terror went out of fasion a decade ago.” Daughter is not amused. “Right, we don’t need tarragon, sweetie.” The only thing I ever used tarragon for was my mother’s chicken salad: slivered almonds, grapes, and a look of terror if it wasn’t all eaten.

“Sorry, mommy. No luck.” Daughter doesn’t make eye-contact. She hates losing at a search as much as I do. 

“That’s alright, honey.” I’m on google already searching for alternatives to thyme. But really, can thyme be substituted? 

Surely, there is no replacement for quality thyme. 

Ah well, I’ve got aisles to go before I rest. Motherhood means putting on a brave face as we tackle the next aisle and the age-old question of what came first, the chicken or the affordable egg.

© 2023 | K.Hartless