Junkie

Lately, I have realized something. And it's major. *Takes deep breath*

I. Am. A. Junkie.

And my insatiable craving of choice...Jelly beans. Sweet sugary colorful little jelly beans.

Sure, sure laugh it up. I did at first. Personally, I blame "sounds like Toppers Hug Mart", our local drug store. How ironic is that my addiction to Jelly Beans started in a drug store? That was a rhetorical question.

Anyhoo, "sounds like Toppers Hug Mart" was having a sale on Jelly Beans (or as they are known on the street, JB). It was $0.99 CDN for a bag. So I bought one.

It was so good. I savoured every bean (except the black ones, no offense, but I've never cared for the taste of black licorice much). I ate the whole bag in one afternoon. Sure, sure, I shared some with my coworkers. After all, if I'm packing on the pounds, I want them right along with me for the ride. Yeah, I'm thoughtful like that.

I told myself I ate the whole bag because I needed the sugar to get through the rest of the afternoon at work. But the same thing happened the next day. I told myself it's just because they are on sale, once the sale's over, I'll quit the JB, cold turkey.

That was 2 months ago. They're still on sale (now down to $0.79). And they got me hooked. Buying just one bag doesn't do it for me anymore, I have to buy two bags just to get that same sugar rush feeling.

I realized my habit was becoming a problem when I started to feel embarrassed taking a bag of Jelly Beans up to the cash register each and every day. I wondered if the "sounds like Toppers Hug Mart" employees whispered about me behind my back [here she is again boys, the Jelly Bean girl]. Cashiers can be so cruel.

Then I started to see who was working at the cash before taking my purchase up. Was it the same guy as yesterday? Monday? I felt relief when it was someone completely different. They wouldn't judge me. Me and my Jelly Beans.

After a while that stopped working. Every cashier at the store knew my little secret. So, I started buying other things to accompany my JB bag purchase. Sure, I didn't need deodorant that day, but I would need it some day, right? I didn't exactly need that can of tuna, or can of bug spray either (it's 15 C here in Canada right now, all the bugs are dead). But I'd need those items some day, right?

I said right?

I even started eating the black jelly beans. I couldn't bare to throw them out anymore. And you know what, now I like them too. Once you go black, you never go back.

Yes, I know, I have a problem. My name is Erika, and I'm a Jelly Bean eater.