Fighting for oil

I knew things like this had been going on, but it was a bit of a shock to the system to be a part of it personally.

At the supermarket again today, someone called out that a shipment of cooking oil had just arrived.

Within a matter of seconds people have thrown themselves to the floor. The cooking oil can no longer be seen from beneath the numerous bodies that cover it.

From far away they look like bees swarming around a hive. Each person is as desperate as the next to get their hands on a bottle or two of oil.

Up close, they are just as vicious. Elbows swing and sting my side. I fight to get my hands on a bottle, without regard for the person next to me.

As I see my grandmother hold up two bottles of Mazeite cooking oil, I feel a sense of relief and satisfaction come over me.

The battle was over, and we had won.

As my heart rate slows, the adrenaline wares off, and a harsh dose of reality sets in.

What just happened?

I'm not sure why I lunged. But I knew I had to. It was instinct that provoked my movement. There was no thought process involved.

In reflection, on the car ride home, I try to think  of something…. anything…. to compare this experience to. I stretch to make a connection.

The only thing that comes to mind is Black Friday.
A mob of parents surrounding the newest toy or gadget to have been advertised on the market.


A mob of parents surrounding the newest shipment of food to have arrived at the market.