This is a story about a scrubbie, a scrubbie by the name of Blue. Now scrubbies come in all shapes and sizes. But this story is about a scrubbie, like a sponge scrubbie. Coarse and abrasive on one half of its personality, and soft and cuddly on the other. Now scrubbies don’t travel alone, and Blue was no different. They travel with their families, maybe Mom, Dad, and a couple kids (a 4 pack). More often, there are 3 kids and a dog, (the 6 pack). Blue came from a 6 pack, the youngest of the clan, and he has had a tough day.

So let us backtrack to early in Blue’s day. Blue and his family were one of many families on the shelf at Walmart, waiting for transport to their new home. It was pretty early in the day so there were lots of anxious families waiting. Now Blue’s family was in a temporary house that had a tear in its roof. Opportunity after opportunity passed them by. It seemed no one wanted Blue’s family….and they sat and sat.

Being that the world is in the middle of a pandemic, and a person can’t even find a box of tissues to buy, it’s quite surprising Blue’s damaged family container would cause them to be passed over. Passed over until they were the last family of scrubbies left on the shelf. Finally, another homeowner came by and hurriedly tossed them in their cart. Surely their haste was due to pending empty shelves that this pandemic has caused in all the stores. They had no time to waste. In their rush, it wasn’t noticed that Blue and his family got bounced out of the cart just feet from where they started. As they fluttered to the ground, they twisted and turned, eventually crashing down on the corner and landing under the bottom shelf out of sight. This is where Blue’s adventure went awry. 

This is where I enter into this mysterious tale. It was about four weeks ago for me. I had cleaned my shower with the last remaining member of my current scrubbie family. It was in dastardly shape and it was time to send it off to the scrubbie graveyard. The world was quite normal at this time and any difficulty replacing them was never given a second thought. But things started to change shortly after. A scare came from the Far East. People there were getting sick and dying. Locally, people started acting in fear. Widespread hoarding caused a shortage of many normal household supplies. Shelves that were normally full of toilet paper and paper towels were now completely bare. And the Scrubbies, the scrubbie families were affected also. This became quite apparent as I went on multiple shopping trips to get a new scrubbie family to aid in the cleaning of my shower. But each time, each and every time, I arrived to find the cupboard bare. 

Now here it is four weeks later. Still no new scrubbie family, and a shower that hasn’t been cleaned since the last scrubbie passed on. This is now getting serious, embarrassing even. But I will not be deterred this time. Most of the stores are earmarking the first couple of hours of their open time to seniors. This will help isolate them, as contracting the virus is quite dangerous for that group of people. Ah, an opportunity! Time for a plan!

So the next day I got up early, there was work to do. I dug out some old hunting makeup, put some shading under my eyes and tried to simulate wrinkles. Rubbed some grey coloring in my hair and found an old oversized plaid flannel shirt to wear. There was an old branch in the backyard, so I trimmed it down to look like a cane. I was ready. Ready to sneak my way into the local Walmart early, and get a new family of scrubbies. I did my best to appear old and feeble and made my way to the cleaning aisle. The isle where the scrubbie families resided. I have been here before, and I know exactly where they hide! There are seniors everywhere, but I think I fit in, much like an old commando that still thinks the war is on. I didn’t think anyone had paid me much attention. Down the scrubbie aisle I turned, and there she was!

At the other end of the aisle, facing right in my direction she stood. She looked right at me! A Granny! The stereotypical signs were right there, blue hair, and one of those big brimmed wicker type hats. She had on a light green sweater that buttoned in the front and was wearing those old lady shoes that she probably owned since her kids were little. She was carrying her old, big loop handle purse in her right hand. Her left hand was holding the cart handle for stability. She took a few slow steps and stopped right in front of the scrubbie shelf. Panic set in and I hurried my pace toward the scrubbies. We both stood there dumbfounded, again an empty shelf. Both of us defeated in our quest. Granny and I exchanged some pleasantries, whatever pleasantries are, and continued on their way as friends in this crazy time. 

“Goodbye,” Granny shouts out to me from a distance with a smile on her face. And as I turned around she was waving and wished me luck in my search. What a sweet little ole lady she was. And then it happened! To both of us at the same time! There it was! Under the shelf! It was halfway between us. Blue’s and his family! Excitement filled my heart. Then I looked up at her. Our eyes met, we both knew what the other was thinking. Her eyes started to squint, and a scowl grew across her face. But there was no way I was leaving without a scrubbie again this time. With a quick jerk, they both started to move. She was pretty quick for a granny and it caused me to hesitate in shock. I needed to do something, and fast!. There is no doubt, she is my opponent today and I don’t like to lose. She got there first and started to bend down to pick up Blue and his family but I reached out with my foot first. I twisted it sideways and hooked it around the package, pulling it back and away from Granny. Then I swung my hip around driving it into hers. She went flying against the shelves and slid down the floor to the end of the aisle. 

Great hip check I thought, but she landed at the feet of the store manager. He apparently saw the whole thing and started to help granny up off the floor. A few seconds later, as Blue and his family were tightly grasped in my hands a security guard showed up on my backside. Both the manager and the security guy approached with quite a stern look on their faces. They took away my new scrubbies and gave them to granny. There was a bit of a scolding that took place and then I received a guided escort out the front door. As I was released from their grip and started out over the sidewalk, there was Granny, waiting for me with a silly grin. She won, and she knew it.

Much to my surprise, she motioned for me to come her way. Then she reached into her bag, pulled out one single scrubbie, and handed it to me. “This should hold you over until you can find some more,” she said. Then she turned and walked away, not uttering another word. Of Course, it was Blue! I was so excited. I took him home straight away and we cleaned the shower together. Maybe, in the end, getting separated from his family wasn’t so lonely for Blue!