The Boy with Pretty Eyes

Chapter 1: Patience

   Toby is a new worker and has already gotten multiple complaints of rude behavior, inappropriate language, & reluctant service. The manager, Niki, tells Toby she can't keep him working there if he doesn't put a little effort in. Toby reluctantly agrees to try at least and leaves the manager's office no more in a better mood than he entered.

His shift has just begun, and Toby has his first customer of the day. The first customer is always Toby's most dreaded customer, because it's the same old woman every day, same time, only there for one reason. To be a bitch.

Toby took a deep breath as he unlocked the door, knowing the pain he was about to experience. The woman looked at him for a solid minute, Toby made eye contact with her. What the hell is she looking at? Don't just look at me like I'm some unnatural creature.                                              Toby thought, then he sighed and said something, "How can I assist you ma'am?". With such enthusiasm in his voice, it was very clear he was the complete opposite of all the sunshine in his voice.

" What kinds of drugs did you take?" she said rudely, Toby clenched his teeth.

Be patient Toby, have patience. She was not worth it, Toby thought to himself. Any other day Toby would have just told her to get the hell out of the store if she wasn't going to buy anything, she usually didn't. All she did was waste Toby's time, only him. She didn't even bother coming in the store if Toby happened to be out sick.

"Ma'am I'm trying to be nice." he said through gritted teeth, the lady just scoffed. "That'd be a first." he said, "How much do these cost?" she asked but it sounded more like a demand.        Toby walked over to the flowers she was looking at; it was a beautiful bouquet of tulips. "$49.86" Toby said as he read out the price tag. The woman looked at him in an outrage, "49 dollars for this trash!" she exclaimed. She then went on to talk about inflation and how much better things were back when she was a kid.

"I wasn't as rude as you when I was your age. Even as a kid, I had basic human respect!" she yelled, Toby starting to lose his patience replied sternly with, " Ma'am I'm not a child I'm 20 years old.".

"So, you're a fully grown man, arguing with an old woman? What a fucking disappointment." Toby found the hardest thing ever to stand there like rag hanging out to dry while this woman tore into him. 

" Ma'am im going to have to ask you to please wrap up the lecture." Toby asked with a string of patience left. The older woman just looked at him appalled with the attitude she had just received.

" Are you telling me to shut up?" the woman asked, her face turning red by the minute. " No, I've just told you to hurry it up," he said simply. The woman looking like her head is about to explode yells " JUST DO YOUR DAMN JOB! IT'S NOT THAT HARD!". I'd like to see you do it. 

Right before Toby exploded on her, a man sternly said, " Ma'am get out."

 The woman snapped her head around ready to rip the hell out of someone else, only for all her color in her face to be drained in seconds. The man standing behind her was tall, and masculine. Not skinny like Toby, nothing like Toby. "Ma'am did you hear me? I said, get out." the woman desperately searched for her voice, until she finally croaked out, "and exactly why?"

"Harassment of the workers." he said as he opened the door, signaling for her to leave. She quickly left not looking back, Toby looked at the man in pure awe.

My savior, Toby thought. "God, do you deal with that every day?" he asked, Toby sighed. "Yep." "We don't usually come early, so we have no idea what it's like." Toby nodded.

Hold on, We? There's only one other person here? "What do you mean we?" He looked around, then quickly opened the door again and stuck his head out. Then he sighed in relief, as man with 3 coffees in a cup holder crossed the street.