While I Waited at the Grocer, a Total Stranger Explained to Me How the Pandemic is Killing His Small Business
He is only one of many who may never open again.
We sat blurry-eyed in the parking lot of a large grocery store. We stirred from our beds at 3am so we could make it to the store before the panicked masses arrived for their COVID-19 supplies, which I guess means 15 packages of toilet paper. Our original plan was to sneak to the store after midnight because our favorite grocer is open 24/7, so we thought we had a solid course of action. We were giddy as school kids when we saw the parking lot was a ghost town. What luck, we thought. God is smiling down on us this early Saturday morning.
But alas, the parking lot was a desert of asphalt because the store closed at 11:30 to restock. The hoard of humanity wiped the store clean. An establishment that only shuts down for Christmas was closed because almost everything was gone. We sat in our car in awe of this new reality. In our lifetimes, we have never witnessed anything like this. I felt like Rod Serling was going to emerge from a cloud of cigarette smoke and say welcome to the Twilight Zone
So we went home with a new plan. Get our tired assess up after a long week of teaching other people’s kids and journey to the store again. Once again, we were trying to beat the water hoarders before they arrived to land on the store like locusts in the book of Exodus and devour everything.
We were the first car there at 4:30am since the sign on the door said the store would open at 5am. However, because of the lack of time to restock the shelves, the time was pushed back to 6am. We looked at each other and sighed in concert, hoping our morning breath didn’t knock us both out and we missed our chance to get in line.
However, the point isn’t to talk about grocery games during an unprecedented pandemic but a regular American we were blessed to speak to in the parking lot during those wee hours of a Saturday morning.
We considered returning home, but we lived twenty minutes away, and no way was I going to come back and wrestle with the insanity of the hoarding mentality. As we sat there, an indiscriminate automobile pulled up next to us. I expected the driver to sit there and wait like my wife and me, but instead, he turned off his car and rolled down his window. Now mind you, I live in the midwest about 100 miles from Chicago. Folks out this way are about as friendly as a water moccasin that finds himself on dry land, so we were a bit surprised when he wanted to converse.
However, we are from the south, so we couldn’t ignore this surprise gesture. We opened our window. Our conversation began with small talk about how crazy people were about toilet paper and hand sanitizer. He didn’t understand why they needed to take it all without any thought about other families. We said we didn’t understand it either. We explained we were only there to get enough to last us through a couple of weeks if needed but not to take more than required for our own family. He echoed the same.
The gentleman who was over sixty and white-haired was quiet for a minute before he spoke again.
“I am a small business owner, and it’s mostly a two-man operation.”
“What type of business?” we asked.
“Auto repair. I don’t know how I’m going to survive.”, he said running his fingers through his thinning hair.
“Why?” we asked concerned.
“People are staying at home because of the coronavirus. I used to get 4–6 cars a day in my shop. Now, I’m only seeing 4–6 cars a week. I can’t survive like this.”, he sighed and looked away.
“If the government doesn’t offer me some help, I will have to close my doors and may never open again. My wife is a shut-in, and I’m over sixty. We are scared and don’t know what to do.”
“Yes, the government needs to understand your plight as a small businessman. It’s not your fault COVID-19 is causing harm to your business. I hope you receive the relief you deserve.” I said
“ I hope so too, because if I don’t life will change for me in a major way.”
We offered him our prayers, and well wishes. He said thank you and rolled up his window. When we looked up, a line was forming at the door, so we secured our place in line and began our journey into grocery store armageddon.
This is a real conversation with an average American business owner. He is afraid and needs help to keep his doors open. He is only one of many small businesses that are concerned about the future.
More people need to hear conversations like the one we had with this random stranger. We didn’t know him, but it’s an example of the anxiety many are feeling. He needed to talk and I am glad we were able to provide him an outlet.
I saw first hand the trepidation in his eyes as he spoke. The words fell from his lips with an urgency that’s usually only reserved for wartime emergencies. But in reality we are at war. We are at war with an enemy we cannot see. An enemy that creeps into our bodies’ like a thief and steals our health, if not our lives.
He and his wife are in the age group that is affected by this pandemic the most. He also told us about his battle with diabetes and how he is concerned for himself and his wife. We could see in his eyes he was worried about what could happen to her if he developed COVID-19.
I am a black man, and the gentleman was white. He didn’t care about my race. He only wanted to talk. We were equals in this new world order, and he saw my wife and me as someone he could confide.
Remember there is no race in the fox hole and right now we are all trying to hide from the same killer.
The world is slowly going on lockdown. In my area, restaurants are takeout only, and it may be the same in your community. Companies are furloughing employees with no idea when they can return to work. This virus is really exposing the gaps we have in income and economic stability in this country. I hope after we come out on the other side we make some changes which benefit all America.
I hope the gentleman my wife and I met is doing well. Hopefully, his business picked up a bit this week. I prayed for him. COVID-19 has exposed that we are all the same, and this disease kills without remorse and no thought of your bank account or education. I believe we will win but unfortunately not without more casualties.
Estacious(Charles White) is a 23-year educator. He began writing over 25 years ago. His work experience encompasses managing schools and teaching a variety of subjects. His passions are poetry, short fiction, playwrighting, and non-fiction. He won one of six prizes in the Rockford play festival for his play “Incarcerated Christmas”. He is married with three children and a native of New Orleans.