How did Shell Do Its 7 Billion Bargain?

It’s been sixty-eight days since I last dared to fill my car’s tank. Each time I pass that Shell station, I watch the price of petrol scaling the peaks of Everest, a summit my wallet simply wasn't geared to climb. I stand there, staring, dreaming that the market might lose a few inches of its ego so my tired legs can finally cover the distance.

The pundits promised this “transitory” spike would last a couple of days. Yet, three months later, Shell’s lobbyists are the only ones whispering for “just a little more time.” My car is parched, but my wallet is as hollow as the rhetoric we were fed on TV, social media, speeches, and podcasts.

Where does this leave my car? Perhaps that rusted bicycle, the one I bought during a self-deluded fever dream of “fitness”, is the only republic I have left. But these aren't just my problems; they are the byproduct of a rigged system and a State that wears the title of “Republic” like a cheap suit.

No one is listening. Even the elite find themselves outmaneuvered by the same “orange head.” And what has Shell earned for this misery? More than seven billion. Seven! That is an obscene number of zeros, while mine vanish every time I pour a single liter into my tank. It’s preposterous that a bargain can be struck from the twin fires of misery and war.

How do they sleep at night? Do they even close their eyes? Greed is a strange energy; it powers their mansions, yet it still can’t make my car run without gas.

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