“I bet that feels good.”
“It really does.” I make my way over to the register and prepare to take over for Jolene.
“You didn't bring a bag or anything?” She looks me over as if I might have one hidden somewhere.
“Nope. I just brought my phone and bankcard.” I gesture to my back pocket. “I figured that's all I'd need.”
Jolene nods. “Okay. Well, if you want, you can secure them in that drawer there.” She points to the one under the register. “And just hang onto the key for it until you're done.”
“Okay, sure,” I toss them into the drawer she mentioned and then ask, “Do you get much theft here?”
“Mm, no, not really.” She waves a hand in the air as if dismissing the very notion. “But you'd be surprised at how many strangers we get in here. Either just passing through town or spending the day at the beach. Best to be safe.”
“I didn't really think of that . . . people passing through to spend the day at the beach that is. But it makes sense.” I just hope it's not people that will cause trouble for me. It's my parents that are somewhat famous, though, not me, so maybe if I'm not around them, nobody will care about me anymore.
“You'll start to tell the difference between locals and strangers soon enough.” She pats my shoulder as she passes by me. “I'll either be in the office or stocking shelves. If you need help with anything, just holler.”
“Thanks, Jolene.”
I hadn't worked a check-out before Friday night with Jolene, but I'm pretty sure I can handle it by myself now. Even so, the second she leaves me alone, I find myself running my thumbs over my fingers, waiting anxiously for a customer to arrive.
The first person I serve is an elderly woman named Bertie, who I met on Friday night. I remembered her name because she had told me how her husband's name was Bert, like hers, but that he often treated her like dirt. I wasn't really sure what to say to that except 'sorry'.She had just smiled, patted my hand, and said, “Don't worry, he's dead now.” And then she left.
Regardless of that initial awkward moment, seeing the familiar face and having her tell me about what she's baking today calms any first day nerves that I had instantly.
A few minutes after Bertie leaves, I see a cute little old man stepping toward the counter. Well, it's more like a shuffle that he's doing, hunched over and leaning heavily on a cane. I smile widely at him as he places two boxes of oatmeal in front of me.
“How are you doing today?”
“Well, I was going to go lift some weights at the gym after this, but I think I might skip it today.” He adds on a wink at the end, and I can't help but chuckle.
“Stop flirting with my new girl, Edgar,” Jolene says as she walks by.
“Oh, come now, Jo, don't be jealous,” Edgar calls over his shoulder. “You know you can have a date with me whenever you like.”
“Lucky me.” Jolene shakes her head before disappearing down an aisle.
“She'll come around someday.” Edgar says as he picks up his items. “Now, if anyone ever gives you trouble around here, you let me know, okay?”
I smile at him. “Sure. I'll keep that in mind.”
The morning flies by even though it's not as busy as I was expecting it to be. To try and help me remember people's names, I've tried to keep in mind something unique about them. Like Tim, the hardware store owner has a really wide mouth. Luke, who works at the bank, has a big bushy mustache to go with his bushy eyebrows. Wendy, the florist, has about five or six piercings in her ear. And so on.
When lunchtime comes around, I take my break in the office that has every available space except for the desk and chair, used as storage, making sure to lock the door behind me like Jolene said to do. The whole time is spent listening to another podcast while I eat a sandwich I made for myself, not some servant or maid.
When I get back from my break, Jolene is serving a girl with super short booty shorts, a baggy t-shirt, and long red hair braided down her back. And although I'd never be caught wearing the shorts she is, they're kind of cute on her. She's laughing at something Jolene said, but as soon as she sees me approach, she stands up straighter, and the laughter stops.
“Jolene, you didn't tell me she was in the back office for her break. I would have gone in and said hello.”
“You're not an employee here, so you can't just go back there anyway.”
The girl rolls her eyes. “I can't believe after all this time, you're still a stickler for those types of rules.”
“When you have your own store, you can make all of your own rules. This one is mine.”
“Yeah, I can't see me owning anything anytime soon.” She shrugs.
Jolene turns to me. “Remi, this is Tahnee.”
