I heard newspapers suggesting that there might be a lockdown in my city. I realised with a jolt that if shops shut down tomorrow for the next 10 days, I didn’t really have supplies like rice and onions to last. I trotted off to the nearest supermarket, only to realise that there was a huge but polite line curling around the shop. I simply turned around and left. Maybe I would make Jain food for the next few days.
As I turned around, I looked across the street. I found a different kind of struggle for an even more precious commodity. Everyone was wearing masks, unlike show here. From the amount of people in both places, looks like I was one of the last ones to hear the news.
I decided to get some onions from a nearby grocery shop. It’s very close to the house, but the shopkeeper lady always ignores me. I think it’s because I don’t speak the local language yet (or maybe she just doesn’t like my face). She proceeded to ignore me as long as possible, as she dispassionately watched her two small customers. The two kids had decided that now was the best time to stock up on candy. But they were thinking carefully, because it was an important decision. How is one to survive a pandemic without the right
my way home, I noticed a person in scrubs getting out of his car and carrying a mountain of medicine boxes. He stepped precariously onto the steps to the apartment. I wondered what it was about, and realised that there are so many stories happening around in our own backyards. He hobbled onto the steps and entered the building. Good luck to whoever needed all that medicine.
If the supermarket looks messy, that’s because it was! Cleaning, loading, buying was all happening at the same time because total open hours are now 6-10 am. People working in the shop were going crazy attending to all the people. The men who were stocking the shelves had to dodge customers, and the cleaning ladies were going nuts with all these footsteps around. At 9:30, there is an announcement saying that the store is closed. By now, carts are full, and people are sort of zipping around the store and buying the most absurd quantities of things, like a scene from a post apocalyptic movie. Who knew a trip to the supermarket could be so adventurous!
