Erl is a young man from Voidview down on his luck, after a months long job search he finds himself working in small corner store called Crapola Convenience, trying not to let the odd customers drive him crazy.
I think this was around 4 years into my employment, a week after I started letting Sparkplug live in the broom closet after I found out he had nowhere to stay, worked out well for me, was paying him under the table to do all the mopping and such. Anyway it was a humid summer morning, I was tearing down some old ads from the front window and replacing them with ones that hadn't yet been sun faded into complete obscurity from their original message. As I at least attempted to breath the water thick air I heard the dinging bell of a customer entering the store, I straightened my back and peered past the wall of pro lung cancer propaganda that I had just hung, only to see the store empty, I heard it again, I looked around and found the source of the sound behind me, a glimmering oasis just across the street, air conditioned, well lit, clean and new, a 7/11.
Cool, I went in a couple times for a slurpy, but slowly I realized that we got almost no customers anymore, Kreeg and Mrs. Boneshrew were the only people who came inside anymore, I spent most of my time watching Sparkplug doodle which was sick, kid's got some talent but after a couple days a thought struck my mind: We only made $16 this week, fuck. I'm going to lose my job. I can't let this happen, I just got my own apartment, I had a date that Friday, this is BAD. I went to talk to Doug immediately, "Good." He said as he picked at his teeth with a straw, "Pardon me??? How do you not care about your business losing money??" I responded with as much emotion as I could muster. "Look kid, I've run this shithole for 66 years, I would enjoy a break."
Obviously as he was being no help, I left him be. I sat behind the register watching Kreeg fill up a soda cup while it teetered on stool we put there for our vertically challenged customers and stewed in my misery. Trying hard to think of a way to increase sales, and as it waddled up to the checkout and was crushed by a falling shelf it hit me. "LIL HOMIE! CLEANUP IN MAIN AREA!"
"Oki, Erl!"
As Sparkplug skittered out to mop up the mess I was on my way to Doug's office to present my idea, he tolerated it! I began the set up the next day, outside in the blistering heat I taped a big rectangle of cardboard I had Painted at home, the few words I was sure would save the store now hung in striking white on it's window, 'BUY 1 GET 1 ON EVERYTHING!!!' As I stood with my hands on my hips admiring my genius I heard someone begin to laugh, I cocked my head over my shoulder to see Merl, the cashier of the 7/11,
"That's cute."
He clapped slowly as he stepped closer, his accent (I honestly couldn't tell if it was Indian or northern English) made his words sting, he always seemed like a bit of an ass, but this was beyond my expectations. "Pardon me?" I said with sweat beading down my face, he ran his fingers through his well combed black hair. "You think your bargain shack can fight back, it's cute!" He smiled wide causing dimples to form in his perfect brown skin on either side of his mouth. I turned fully around now, looking up at him (he had a solid few inches on me) and struggled to come up with the words for how I felt, the only thing in my mind was everything I've worked for being taken away by a godamn corporate gas station. I couldn't tell if the burning feeling was the sun or my rage.
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"You're unpleasant." I finally chocked out and turned my back of him. (Definitely not how I expected to meet my soulmate but that's a story for another time.) My idea as it turned out, brought in enough business to keep us afloat for another week. But not much after that, wasted inventory mostly. Out of desperation, I made a move the following Friday (a stupid move looking back) I had just left the cinema down the street with Cathy (the girl I was seeing at the time, it didn't work out, something about being around me 'ruining men forever' hear she's got a wife and kids these days so good for her) and she needed to stop for a piss, she asked if I could let her in Crapola since I worked there, I informed her that both of our restrooms were currently being investigated due to their biohazardous properties, and so I accompanied her to the 7/11. Whilst I waited for her I saw that the cord for the slushy machine was completely exposed, as was the outlet.. I unplugged it and cut the cord with my multi tool.
This unsurprisingly had very little effect, it was fixed in a matter of days, turns out when you're a corporate chain you actually get stuff fixed. About a week later, Eric came in asking for his usual expensive tech, Doug and I told him the same thing, "We ain't got it, we're practically out of business, sorry to tell ya" he stared in silence for a moment "Is that so?" His ear bleeding whispered voice sounded almost sympathetic, "How come?" He finished I simply pointed at the 7/11 and before I knew it, he was gone, in the blink of an eye not there. Doug told me that night before we left that tomorrow would be my final shift before he shut the place down. I didn't sleep well that night, and I walked to work with my head sunk into my shoulders, but when I arrived to the doors Doug was sat on the sidewalk and the 7/11 was a smoldering husk, he was muttering something about 'so nearly free' I kept the job and The business flowed back in as it used to, I didn't see Merl again for a long time, and John dealer parked his van in front of the remains of the 7/11 for months until a furniture store was built there.
I'll probably have a more interesting story next time, the register calls.
