3L Homebrand Breakfast Juice

In Aisle 7 of Woolworths QV, I found my solace for the day. I went through today with a sleep-inducing International Trade lecture and a revision for my Investment test tomorrow with perfunctory enthusiasm. Conversations were nearly non-existent for me, and despite the fact that I chose to be on my own—I sat at the front row of every lecture— I found myself a little embarrassed when a familiar face from Metropolitan College said “Hi” to me at the $6 restaurant during lunch. It was my safe haven from familiar faces, I thought—it was almost like that secret treetop house in Calvin & Hobbes—where I can eat my meal in peace in this space of disconnection of strangers.

But as I scrunched up my forehead, giving the 3-litre Homebrand Breakfast Juice in my hand a serious thought vis-à-vis Berri’s breakfast juices, a voice called out, “That’ll be good for you mate”. I turned and saw a good-looking chap in a Woolworths uniform stacking and arranging boxes of something in his cart, and I shot a reply, “Yeah I’d imagine so”. A brief smile stayed on my lips.

I further questioned him about the clots of something that seemed to be in the bottle, and after inspecting the expiry date of 2010, he told me I should just shake the bottle hard. I placed that bottle back on the shelf in the end, but I did bring home a 3-litre Homebrand Breakfast Juice for $2.79 which I almost never did. I did finally have a pleasant but brief conversation with someone today, and it is in this brief passing of words that I found myself still connected to the world, in a way, with an invisible thread.

Perhaps I’m not that alone.