Patrick Thomas Jeffries

HOT CHOCOLATE

On Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday Holiday

I suppose it’s important for White America

To realize that We the People

Got something without having to pay:

This year, 2024, on MLK’s Day

I went into Pavilions in S. Pasadena with Padre

To get some Protein shakes

Bolthouse Smoothies had varieties with 30 grams

So, got one for Pops and 2 for my 261LB ass

Now, we are all accustomed to the new inflation

Right?  Nah, not really, still getting used to it

One would figure 3 protein shakes, even smoothie style

Premade from a well known Supermarket

At 18 ounces would be covered by an Andrew Jackson, right

Intuitively, no matter what, 40 bucks was gonna get us

What we went in for

Of course,

Of course,

Whitman’s Valentines Hearts were calling our name

In their shiny scarlet red cellophane wrapping

Figured I would get 3 of ‘ em early

For my 2 daughters and Wifey

Now, 3 protein shakes and 3 small boxes of chocolate

In the Old World, one wouldn’t be crazy to think that would come to 26

Dollars and change, especially with a member code discount right?

Well, I was moving fast

Pops had a conference call with Moms and we were already late

We rush to self-checkout because we only have 6 items

And the lines are long

We know ain’t nobody want to pay anybody to work in America

And if you want to buy something you are going to spend

Money for

The middle man’s fee, store overhead, tax

And charge of immediate convenience

So I scan the items like a self-reliant champ

But here’s the catch

We scared of so much shit in America

I mean that is the beauty of our division our states

We fear each other’s race, mental state

And now the new one on our plate

The VID

Now, dude that went ahead of me had left his shiny black plastic basket

Right on the small spot where we supposed to put items to purchase

And my OCD ass was like

I don’t know why dude was so thoughtless to leave his basket where folks supposed to put they shit

But I am certainly not putting my precious brand new Valentine Whitman’s hearts in it

So unthinkingly I fast laid them to lie on the right side with the intention to buy

But my father gotta massive back and he right by my side and I lose sight of ‘em

And out of sight, out of mind

Right?  And we running out of time

Like I said Pops had to get home to Moms

And especially in America ain’t nobody want Mama Mad

I mean if you real about your shit then you know what really runs countries

But I will allude to it in the nice way and just say

Everybody turns slave on Mother’s Day

Let’s not even talk about the chumps out there hustling for they soul on Valentine’s Day

Because I’m one of ‘em; feel what I say?

I mean how many of us go bankrupt morally or otherwise to avoid the female tongue lashing that done constricts our hearts?

Anyway

We don’t even deal with humans anymore

So I had left my beautiful 3 hearts of chocolate wrapped in shiny red on the already bought and bagged side 

And charged the Bolthouse shakes furious and fast so Papa and I could avoid the shed and be down to ride and evade Mama’s wrath

But I fail with the necessary poise and patience to do the proper math

Feel me?

Now, with computers price racks up fast

Dadadadada, discount registered, total 26,59

I am like

That looks good to me, discount today must be real

Nah, discount ain’t never real

Discount might as well mean

You desperate and missed or dissed the count

Cause we being crushed economically and have to wait too long for bullshit

And we bred to need things fast like instant gratification and lightning text

From our fiend friends

Everybody on a dog leash with they I phone

Everybody scared to get lost, alone, late or too far from home

So me and Padre, frantic to get back to Mama.

Women got the whip and they ain’t no interlaced resentment in that drama!

Or is they?  Hey, Like MJ said don’t think twice, think twice

Now, man gots to get some bread and stay nice

And that keep his head level and we expected to be simple, robotic, about-they-business, creatures

But back to them shakes and hearts

I thought Pops and I was good at around 27 bucks for 6 modest items

But the reality was I got a steal of a deal

It ends up, in retrospect, after the math, that a Grant wouldn’t have covered what We had

Imagine that for 3 shakes and 3 boxes of 3rd Tier Supermarket chocolates that one will get for 50 cents each if some poor bastard clerk has the nerve to keep them on the shelves by St. Patrick’s Day

But I am feeling lucky thinking of my 40 and 26.59

And I am also hypnotized by the 35 cents left behind

In the change bowl (What’s the word for that?) remember when humans used to hand change back

Nah, they ain’t enough sanitizer for all that

Nah, I don’t suppose Millennials would know that anyway; they don’t know it, cuz they pay for everything on that phone

Hustling they ass off and most will never earn enough to buy a Baby Boomer’s home

Keeping up such a fast pace

They don’t have incentive to value the past and don’t even own the land of the square foot of space where they stand

Yo, back to supply and demand

So, gonna get me 14.41 dollars, and I am an Idiot so I love the Numerology of it right?

I look at the shade of Pops and he got the gravity of Kryptonite

He so sweet though

I am distracted by his massive majesty like a muthafucka

And he like look how fast that machine spits out yo’ money

And I am like yeah Dad we got this one in the bag let’s get home to “Match”

(That’s my nickname for Mama)

So, my Daddy got integrity, he most likely oblivious or so compassionately genius he don’t say shit about the error I am about to realize, he takes our shakes and holds ‘Em so I can grab my 3 hearts of what are now officially

Hot chocolate