Speed-shopping while in the depths of sadness was one of the more surreal things I've ever had to do in my life. I shed some tears in the aisle reserved for party items, deciding between smaller versus bigger (allegedly) biodegradable plates as though making the right choice would bring my friend back. After what seemed like a very long time staring at disposable cups and paper towels, I queued up to pay for the stuff that somehow ended up in my basket.
A smiley SM cashier started to ring up my items. She then asked me a question that seemed innocent enough:
"Do you have a free stage card?"
"A what?" I asked.
"A free stage card," she repeated.
A free stage card. A free stage card? Did I have a free stage card? What is a free stage card? Was I too sad to understand what a free stage card was? Did all those sleepless nights finally kill off my remaining neurons? Maybe I HAD a free stage card but had completely forgotten.
After a few long seconds of staring at the lady (who really just wanted to do her job well, I might add), I figured out that she was referring to this:
And at that moment, as I felt a small smile involuntarily forming on my lips, I had a feeling that things would be OK somehow.
Eventually.
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PS. Joemar would've loved this story (and probably has that card).
