Breaking News From BJ’s Warehouse
The news flash occurred at the poultry division of the meat counter. Short and squat, the man with the cardboard box of whole chicken cut up was polite. Thought the box of Udayed chicken must have weighed 50 pounds, he bowed and deferred to me, the customer, as I impulsively moved along the line demarcated by packages of variously dismembered chickens.
“After you…,” and then the pudgy bow.
“No, you first,” I insisted, “you have a load.”
We did a little dance of nods and bows as complex as any ritual at revolving doors between those who naturally defer, but finally he took the box of chicken directly to the display and began to unload them.
“We’re getting a lot of these trucked in from the north,” he volunteered.
“I imagine you are, there’s a lot of refrigeration shut down because of the blackout.”
He continued.
“You know, now they’re saying terrorists are to blame. I knew it all along”
“Really, I hadn’t heard…”
“Yeah, they’re saying some Arab hit a switch to bring it all down. As far as I’m concerned, We oughta have a hunting season for Arabs, like in Iraq. It’s the only way we’ll stop them!”
I got a mental picture, a sign on a tree…”POSTED…NO ARAB HUNTING” and moved quickly back to a safe area by the Long Island ducklings. My blackout dancing partner was eager to continue light conversation elsewhere, so he yells to a co-worker…
“We can be glad we’re not up north! Just think of all the meat spoiling up there!”
“Yep.” was the answer, safe and noncommittal.
So you hear it here, breaking news from the poultry counter. Despite all the official denials to the contrary, there are those who will believe their darkest thoughts. Facts will only confuse them.
4:20:43 PM 
|
