Corn Nuts--Sara Akbar

I lay my head down on the kitchen table and let out a deep depressing sigh. It was one of those days where I had spent over an hour just staring at the fridge, then the freezer, and then fidgeted through all the cabinets in vain.
I needed food. But it was more than just that; I was desperately in need of some type of sustenance that could help fill this void that had slowly developed into a black hole in the pit of my stomach and had seemingly begun to leach off of my own happiness and sanity leaving me unbearably miserable.
How could there not possibly be one thing to eat in the kitchen? How could there not be anything that could satisfy the growing void that was slowly eating away at me instead.
And so I lay there, with my head on the kitchen table ready to admit defeat. I thought to start driving endlessly around northern Virginia, until hopefully some type of inspiration would hit me in the form of lit up signs enticing me with the large letters "O-P-E-N," to come within their four walls and partake of their sustenance in exchange for a swipe of my VISA credit card.
As I began to muster up what little strength was left in me to find my car keys and begin my journey, I heard the front door open as my mother walked in with fresh, new groceries. What little hope I had left suddenly came back to life as I rushed to see what lay in the plastic bags she carried.
Seeing the look of desperate hunger in my eye, she new immediately of the grave state I was in. Instantly she reached in the bag and pulled out a clear plastic container filled to the brim with pellets of some sort. I grabbed the container, hoping that finally this was the food that would tame the unruly hunger that grew inside me. "Corn Nuts-Toasted," read the pure white label on the lid of the clear plastic container. I immediately opened the box and could smell the saltiness and see the crunchy texture of each kernel before I had even placed one in my mouth. Could this be it? Could this end my ravenous hunger?
I cautiously placed one kernel in my mouth...HALLELUJAH! This was the answer! The crunch and saltiness, mixed with the corn flavors took over my taste buds and sent shock waves down my spine. Finally my hunger was satisfied. I grabbed a handful and blissfully ate away as my hunger abated and the happiness I had once remembered came back into my life again--one crunch at a time.