Today I made what may very well be my last trip to the Publix at Hillsboro Square. It was a bittersweet moment when I told my cashier and bagger that was the last time I'd see them.

You see, I have a long history with this Publix. Actually, it's only been seven years, but it seems like the end of an era. Let me explain.

When my office moved from Hollywood to Deerfield Beach, the only positive spin I could put on it was that there was a Publix just across the parking lot, in the Hillsboro Square shopping center. My co-workers and I could be lazy about planning our lunches, and just meander over, walk the aisles and pick whatever we were in the mood for on any given day. I'd say that, during any given week, we went to Publix at least three out of five days. We made friends with the people at the check-out, deli counter, sushi counter and the try-this-easy-recipe booth. Once, when a group of four of us got split in two and we couldn't find each other, one pair went to the manager, who got on the P.A. system and told the other pair to get a move on and meet them at the front of the store. I even did my regular food shopping there, after I was finished with my work for the day. This was handy if I was out of milk (or something) and I needed to pick some up without going out of my way on my drive home. (You know, rising gas prices and all.)

Less than a year into our tenure in Deerfield Beach, the Publix was knocked down so that a bigger, better one could be built in its place. I want to say this process too about nine months. Much like some pregnancies, those nine months seemed to go on forever. If I wanted to go to Publix to get my lunch, I had to jump in the car and drive up the road to Boca Raton -- that's in a whole other county -- to go to the pink stucco Publix on Camino Real. It was small, and its parking lot was always full. In nine months, I think I went four times.

When the new Publix opened, many of our old friends, who had been relocated to other stores in the interim, returned to greet us. Sure, there were other places we could go for lunch, but Publix was our favorite. And, it seemed, we were some of their favorite customers.

There is no Publix near the new office. But, if there was, I don't think I'd go there. It'd be like I was cheating on my Publix at Hillsboro Square.