meet me in aisle 11 at the CVS

It’s 1AM on a Tuesday and you’re three blocks away from your local drugstore. At this time of the night, the world is nothing more than that drugstore. Nothing matches the feeling of walking through those sliding doors and being bombarded by an array of lipsticks, Cheetos, and tacky keychains. A tiny woman wearing a red vest and an over-eager smile greets you from behind the counter. The only thing you can think of is that she should not be working in this part of town at this time of night. She asks if you need help finding anything and you can’t answer her. You’re not sure why you came here. 

Walking down aisles eight, nine, ten, your eyes browse the amalgamation of colors and capitalism but you can’t help feeling its charm. Who would’ve thought to put “feminine products” and “office supplies” on the same aisle? Can I talk to the manager? You begin to wonder if anyone else has had a drugstore revelation before. Around the corner is the “as-seen-on-TV” section, which is your favorite. All your wildest cable television dreams come true. You walk down aisle eleven, but stop in your tracks. Someone else is in aisle eleven. The only other customer in the store. 

The crackling store speakers catch your attention. A song is playing. It’s a haunting voice for a haunting time of night. The lyrics, “what if I told you I feel like I know you but we’ve never met?”, circle round your mind. You stare at the stranger at the end of aisle eleven. Drugstores are the only places you can hide in plain sight. What is this person doing here too?

For all the bewildering feelings drugstores create and illuminate, here is a playlist just as crammed and chaotic as your local CVS, welcoming you in with open arms.

–Shea Humphries