yeah?”
I want to ask him if he is seriously trying to sell me his saliva soaked tooth, but judging by the crazy look in his eye, I know he is totally serious.
“I don’t have that kind of money,” I say regretfully.
He’s understanding about it, grabbing the tooth and inserting it back into his mouth before he tells me he’ll try next door. Then he completely abandons the skittles by tossing it on the counter.
I blink. “I thought you were going to buy these.”
“I just wanted to hold them for a while,” he responds before winking at me and slinking out of the store.
I just…sometimes I don’t know how to feel about some things.
Later, I get an old lady that only pays in nickels, unconcerned in the slightest there’s a line-up behind her. In fact, she seems offended when a few people tsk or blow a long breath, and then she takes her sweet old time as if to prove a point. She’s smug about that, and she leaves with her groceries of which she paid twenty dollars in nickels for.
Fuck my fucking life.
A while later, a guy walks in wearing sweats in the summer heat. Now this guy is weirder than the others, and I watch him cautiously, knowing the kind of special weird he is. He paces the store, and I know right off the bat he’s high as a kite. A few minutes later he stops abruptly and asks, “Where’s the hot food?”
“We don’t have any,” I tell him.
He flips out. He swipes at a shelf of magazines and crisps, sending them crashing to the floor in a heap. I sort of just stand there, my frame weary, staring down at all the shit I’m going to have to put away myself because Benji is still MIA and I’m alone to take care of this shithole.
“You need to leave,” I tell him firmly.
“Leave?!” he screeches. “I want my fucking TACOS!”
After he scares a few customers away, I have to take matters into my own hands. I grab the broom and whack him with it. “Get out!” I shout, hitting him in the back of the head with all my strength. He staggers and he’s so out of it I’m surprised he can walk a straight line. I have to hit him again before he stumbles out of the store, stealing a bag of Doritos on his way out, leaving me panting and irritated.
I clean up the mess, and by then it’s mid-morning and I’m not in the mood for anyone’s shit anymore. I have to tell myself to calm down because I’m not even halfway into my shift. No, I’m not even a goddamn quarter of the way into it.
This is going to be a long, long day.
Fuck you, Oksana, you bubble-gum chewing twat.
I’m cleaning up the Slushi machines – yet another thing people take it upon themselves to trash – when the door swings open, the chime in the air signalling a new customer.
I look over my shoulder and I narrow my eyes at the sight of Benji coming through.
“Alina!” he calls, rushing to me with this shit-eating grin on his face.
I step away before he can hug me. “Where the hell have you been?” I growl out.
“Vacation,” he tells me, running his hand through his unkempt black hair. “You should ask for yours.”
“You’re lying. I know about the money you owe to Nikolai.”
His smile fades. “Then why ask me where I’ve been?”
“Because you shouldn’t have left me to care for everything!”
“Alright, alright, I’m sorry. I’m here now. I didn’t think you’d miss me so much.”
“I didn’t miss you,” I retort, collecting the cups strewn all around the machines, all sticky and unused. “I just dealt with some seriously messed up people this morning and I shouldn’t have had to do it alone.”
“You have Oksana and Ivan –”
“Your idiot sister never showed but promised to be back” – air quotes – “‘lay-tah,’ and Ivan left after I started my shift, and he’s an old man, Benji. You’re putting him through a lot of stress. The last thing I want to do is have him babysit me from customers who pay with pennies and junkies who scream for hot food.”
“We don’t
I want to ask him if he is seriously trying to sell me his saliva soaked tooth, but judging by the crazy look in his eye, I know he is totally serious.
“I don’t have that kind of money,” I say regretfully.
He’s understanding about it, grabbing the tooth and inserting it back into his mouth before he tells me he’ll try next door. Then he completely abandons the skittles by tossing it on the counter.
I blink. “I thought you were going to buy these.”
“I just wanted to hold them for a while,” he responds before winking at me and slinking out of the store.
I just…sometimes I don’t know how to feel about some things.
Later, I get an old lady that only pays in nickels, unconcerned in the slightest there’s a line-up behind her. In fact, she seems offended when a few people tsk or blow a long breath, and then she takes her sweet old time as if to prove a point. She’s smug about that, and she leaves with her groceries of which she paid twenty dollars in nickels for.
Fuck my fucking life.
A while later, a guy walks in wearing sweats in the summer heat. Now this guy is weirder than the others, and I watch him cautiously, knowing the kind of special weird he is. He paces the store, and I know right off the bat he’s high as a kite. A few minutes later he stops abruptly and asks, “Where’s the hot food?”
“We don’t have any,” I tell him.
He flips out. He swipes at a shelf of magazines and crisps, sending them crashing to the floor in a heap. I sort of just stand there, my frame weary, staring down at all the shit I’m going to have to put away myself because Benji is still MIA and I’m alone to take care of this shithole.
“You need to leave,” I tell him firmly.
“Leave?!” he screeches. “I want my fucking TACOS!”
After he scares a few customers away, I have to take matters into my own hands. I grab the broom and whack him with it. “Get out!” I shout, hitting him in the back of the head with all my strength. He staggers and he’s so out of it I’m surprised he can walk a straight line. I have to hit him again before he stumbles out of the store, stealing a bag of Doritos on his way out, leaving me panting and irritated.
I clean up the mess, and by then it’s mid-morning and I’m not in the mood for anyone’s shit anymore. I have to tell myself to calm down because I’m not even halfway into my shift. No, I’m not even a goddamn quarter of the way into it.
This is going to be a long, long day.
Fuck you, Oksana, you bubble-gum chewing twat.
I’m cleaning up the Slushi machines – yet another thing people take it upon themselves to trash – when the door swings open, the chime in the air signalling a new customer.
I look over my shoulder and I narrow my eyes at the sight of Benji coming through.
“Alina!” he calls, rushing to me with this shit-eating grin on his face.
I step away before he can hug me. “Where the hell have you been?” I growl out.
“Vacation,” he tells me, running his hand through his unkempt black hair. “You should ask for yours.”
“You’re lying. I know about the money you owe to Nikolai.”
His smile fades. “Then why ask me where I’ve been?”
“Because you shouldn’t have left me to care for everything!”
“Alright, alright, I’m sorry. I’m here now. I didn’t think you’d miss me so much.”
“I didn’t miss you,” I retort, collecting the cups strewn all around the machines, all sticky and unused. “I just dealt with some seriously messed up people this morning and I shouldn’t have had to do it alone.”
“You have Oksana and Ivan –”
“Your idiot sister never showed but promised to be back” – air quotes – “‘lay-tah,’ and Ivan left after I started my shift, and he’s an old man, Benji. You’re putting him through a lot of stress. The last thing I want to do is have him babysit me from customers who pay with pennies and junkies who scream for hot food.”
“We don’t
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