Fireworks

21

"Um, open till closes a transaction, right?" Isa calls over to Harriet, who's helping Montserrat a few registers down.

"Yes," she responds, slowly making her way towards us.

"Oh, good, because I just botched this order." she laughs, shaking her head. "I hate these dumb registers. I like the ones from last year, they made beepy sounds and you could void! The black ones are trash." she complains, furiously clicking buttons to exit the transaction she just accidentally started.

"Actually, they're super expensive." Harriet snorts. "Don't get me wrong, the 90's registers are definitely superior, but we only have three this year, and we'll need more checkouts than that. These are the best substitutes we could find." she reasons, coming up behind Isa and fixing her register for her with ease.

Isa grunts and tries again, muttering about stupid registers and the evolution of technology failing the human race.

"How're you doing on yours, chica?" Harriet asks with a warm smile, standing next to me.

I show her my roll of receipts documenting the fake orders I had completed as practice. Everyone was lined up at the stretch of tables with counters, trying their best to learn to work the new and (debatably) improved registers that management sent this year... well everyone apart from Arlo and Dad, who apparently never work registers.

She flips through them and gives me an impressed grin. "Not bad, Hadlee."

I smile a little and take the receipts back, stacking them neatly by the side of my register. "Thanks."

"Feel like taking a break with me in the living room? I could use caffeine," she says, already making her way to the circle of lawn chairs behind us.

I follow her, laughing a bit when Ryan slams his fingers in the cash box and lets out a stream of curses in Spanish.

"So, do you feel ready for opening day?" I ask, taking the seat next to Harriet. She's already cracked open a red bull she found somewhere.

Opening day was on Monday the 22nd, and today is the 20th... the day after the ACT tattoo fiasco. It's about to be ten at night, and the cool nighttime breeze allows me to relax a little into the chair behind me.

She hums thoughtfully before saying, "Well if Liam passes inspection tomorrow, then sure. I have long time customers in this town, and I have a feeling that this year will be good for sales."

I nod a little and say, "How long have you been running the stand?"

She snorts and gazes up at the stars that have started poking out of the night sky. "It feels like it's been forever, but I guess this is my seventeenth year." she sighs dramatically before admitting, "I'm getting old. I'm already 34."

I smile amusedly and say, "That's not old, you know. You're barely older than me."

She glares at me. "Hadlee I'm double your age."

I try not to smile and say, "I promise 34 isn't old. You theoretically have only lived 40% of your lifespan, if you're lucky. 34% if you're really lucky."

I'm relieved when that earns a smile out of her, and she groans. "I know, I know. But sometimes I think about aging, and I'm just like... where's life gone, you know? I swear I was just 22, living in a van with my boyfriend on the road all year just exploring."

"You traveled a lot, then?" I ask softly.

She nods, "Oh yeah, I've been to all of the contiguous states. Some four or five times, some more. I even got married in Vegas."