When you have something in your life that sits perfectly on your tongue like a strawberry jam jar sealing itself on the first try, you try to keep it for as long as humanly possible.
Sometimes you get a warning that your favorite thing is going out of production, leaving you with enough time (hopefully) to go through the whole grieving process and then move on. Other times, this highly coveted item disappears from your life suddenly, instilling that god-awful feeling of abandonment, desperation, and unfulfilled wanting deep in your chest.
An example of the latter situation: I like to have a few drops of International Delight Oreo flavored creamer in my coffee (Okay, maybe more than a few drops, but you get the point.) It doesn’t exactly taste like the familiar cookie with the creamy filling, but it’s enough of a similarity where I can get up in the morning with a smile and start my day of answering angry phone calls with excitement.
I bet you can only imagine my face when I come to find out my local Walmart ran out of this delicious creamer.
Of course I am forced to go through the stages of grief.
Stage 1: Denial.
My mom and I searched the refrigerated shelves and cooled bins for any signs of my cookie-creamer. We even searched for my second favorite, the Reese’s flavored creamer, but to no avail. I thought to myself, no, there’s no way this flavor, based on America’s favorite cookie, is going to disappear. Not possible! It must be here somewhere!
Stage 2: Anger.
I became angry with Walmart for not carrying this sweet concoction when I wanted it most. I was so mad with the company, I even contemplated boycotting them until they stocked it again. I would have even written to the Morning Sentinel (one of our state’s major newspapers,) and encouraged others to join me in my noble cause. We would have our Oreo creamer once again! Victory would be ours!
Stage 3: Bargaining.
I decided the next course of action would be to go hunting. If the Walmart in Waterville didn’t have my creamer anymore, surely the one in Augusta would! So, on one of my days off, I decided to take a trip into the Capital and seek my fortune.
No such luck.
I did, however, end up talking with this nice lady who was also searching for her favorite coffee creamer. She advised me to check out the Hannaford supermarket on the other side of town. Apparently they had a much wider selection of creamers for coffee connoisseurs. But when I got there, over half of the shelves were empty. Damn, I thought as I sullenly grabbed a nearby bag of Oreo cookies, foiled again. Maybe the Shaw’s in Waterville will have it?
I jumped on the highway and made my way toward the Elm City. I checked all over Shaw’s, thinking they would have some sort of weird advertisement cooling bin in a strange part of the store.
Nothing.
So, in small hopes shrinking by the minute, I trekked over to the Hannaford’s down the road.
Squat.
Zippo.
Nada.
Goose-egg.
I officially no longer have my Oreo Cookie Creamer. It was gone.
Stage 4: Depression.
By the time I made it home, I had several bags of comfort foods & a sweet cream creamer that tastes like someone melted vanilla ice cream and put it into a bottle. Tastes good, but it would taste better if it were whipped and frozen. Every following morning was a morning of dragging myself from the warm comforts of my blankets and make my way down into the cold kitchen.
Instead of tasting the sweet and chocolaty goodness in my cup, my mouth filled with cold stale vanilla with each swig. Mornings at work dragged. Life became drab and dull.
Stage 5: Acceptance.
Saturday morning springs up, and I rouse myself to join my parents for their weekly quest for groceries at Walmart. I had deigned myself to listening to uplifting music with one ear bud in, occasionally dancing silly to try and embarrass them. (Note: it is difficult, but not completely impossible, to embarrass them – they like to give it back to me on a regular basis. And hey, it’s a lot of fun acting silly!)
As we made our way to the refrigerated section, I was ready to choose the sweet vanilla creamer that my parents had become quickly attached to. I came to the utter and total belief that my sweet chocolaty goodness was gone, and I just had to move on and hopefully find something that was just as good, if not better. That was how life was, and I just have to accept it.
The Surprise.
Just as reach for the sweet cream, I see a familiar label out of the corner of my eye. I turn my head and crane it to the side to get a better view, and lo and behold, there it was! The International Delight Oreo flavored creamer was back!
Before I even have time to think about it, I dive into the shelf and snatch out three full bottles with a delighted squeal. As I turn and hop-skip my way to the cart, I see my mom laugh and two strangers stare wide-eyed in shock.
One of them ask, “is that any good?”
Of course it’s good! I think. But, as the realization of what I’d done sinks in, I smile wide and nod while my face starts to feel slightly hot.
For now, things are back to being good. The sun is shining (or at least it was when I began writing this post), the fridge is full of Oreo creamer, and the uplifting music is making my emotions soar higher than the clouds. Life is back to the way it should be.
That is, until the Oreo creamer runs out again.
L.J. LaBree 