So, I took eighty-eight empty sparkling water
cans back to the grocery store to be recycled and
to get back my deposit. The machine couldn’t

read the barcode. I was told to go to the desk
and consult management. I did. She said, “OSHA
won’t allow us to take any cans over the counter.

(She must have repeated this ten times in just
the few moments I stood at the counter for help.)
You will have to go to another one of our stores

and try there.” I didn’t know anything about
prohibitions about “counters.” I traveled across
town to another store in the chain. It didn’t

work. She had said that I could try back later.
The problem I was told by the guy helping me with
the recycling was with the barcode on the can.

Later wouldn’t change anything. What will I do?
Go back and demand eight dollars and eighty
cents? And failing satisfaction on that request,

dump the cans all over the grocery store floor
(a thought in a more vengeful moment)? Take
them back in a grocery cart and just leave them?

Toss them in the recycling at home for the
garbage man? Just use a sparkling water maker
and forget the cans? Dilemmas during a pandemic.