Member-only story
ABOUT ME
A Little Anecdote of Mine
Once upon a time this happened
“Ohh, are you really buying that last bottle of tomato sauce? I actually needed one,” the woman said, half-smiling, half-hopeful.
“Ohh, yes! It’s already in my trolley,” I replied, slightly hesitant. “You can probably find another bottle in that section over there.”
“There isn’t,” she said, still smiling politely. “That was the last one. No worries, I’ll just buy it another time.”
I nodded and gave her a sheepish grin. “Ohh… or maybe you can try another store? I think most stores around here stock all the instant sauces.”
She smiled again — this time, a little forced, a little irritated — then turned and walked away.
She disappeared from sight, but her words stayed with me. What if she really needed that last bottle? What if she had a toddler at home who only eats weird tomato-sauce-based baby food? Or she was pregnant and craving a tomato sauce sandwich?
And there I was, clinging to the last bottle like it was the last piece of gold. Was I rude? Was I selfish? Will karma come back around? The guilt settled in like fog. What if she curses me tonight over a bland, sauce-less dinner?
