It's The Little Things That Make Us Change

What Now?

It was a strangely slow day at The Lotus. Usually people crowded the entry way and packed every bar opening and table. But today, there was no sign of life at the high end restaurant. One or two people had stopped by earlier, but simply ordered to-go and quickly left.
For Delta, this seemed to be extremely odd. She worked the late afternoon and night shift and was used to the place being crammed, her hands full until she closed up. She was just glad today happened to be the day she brought something to do. She flipped through her book, yawning at the pages as she waited for the day to pass on. It really couldn't get anymore dull.
"Delta!" She heard an annoying scream from the back of the restaurant. Sighing quietly, she slammed her book shut and turned towards the voice.
"Yes, Miss Sidney?" Delta tilted her head back and called out.
A tall middle aged woman came from the entryway swishing her hips as she spoke.
"Delta dearie, I need you to run to the store and pick up a few things. Believe it or not, we are all out of onions and carrots. And if you can, find out when our next shipment of lamb will be in."
"Sure Miss Sidney." Delta smiled weakly.
The older woman abruptly shoved a small sack of Belly towards Delta who took it and carefully tucked it in her bag.
"You know where to go, Dearie. And take your time. I'm sure no one will be around any time soon.
"Sure" Delta gave a half smile. Before she had time to say anything else, the Den Den Mushi rang and Miss Sidney raced for it and almost knocked it over before picking it up, clearly desperate for business.
Delta puffed out her cheeks and turned from the woman. She definitely had mixed feelings about her.

Delta strolled down the sidewalk, observing every little thing around her. She intended to honor Miss Sidney's word and take her sweet time. It was still bright out, but there weren't many people outside. Despite the day still being young and the weather perfect as usual, there was hardly a soul that passed her by. It almost made Delta nervous. She clutched her bag closer and blinked her brown eyes. Something just wasn't right today.
"This is so weird" she mumbled to herself shaking her head.
Still feeling off, she lowered her head and quickened her pace. Not far in front of her was the grocery store. But something she saw, even from afar. Made her heart sink. The store's double doors were shut and a white sign was plastered between them.
Delta didn't even bother to read it. She knew exactly what it was. It was saying the store was indeed closed, but it was also forwarding all customers to the next available grocery store.
"Oh god why..." Delta whined, dropping her bag and hanging her head low. She had heard from other employees about the legendary "next available grocery store"... In area 1-29...The area of the island that was crawling with outlaws, pirates, escaped prisoners and other ungodly people. Delta had been lucky enough to avoid being the employee that got sent to that dreaded part of the island. That was usually a morning shift issue. But at least the morning shift had the luxury of bringing another co-worker or friend along. But now, it would be night soon, and Delta always worked the night shift alone. Except for Miss. Sidney, but Delta could never get her to go in a million years.
She recalls one evening where Miss Sunday was going on with one of her usual evening rants and said "No one would ever catch her on that part of the island unless she hit rock bottom".. Up until then Delta had already assumed she hit rock bottom. Miss Sidney was so scandalous for her age, it was almost..sick. Delta remembered the woman always encouraging her to dress more...undressed. Saying that it would bring business and do Delta good in the long run. Delta would nod and agree, but hardly did what she would say. Delta was a somewhat simple girl. She prefered to dress her way. Odd, yet cute. But for work she was forced to wear a little black dress and black heels. Delta hated every moment of it but she needed the money so she accepted it. In no way was she a tomboy, but she wished she was allowed to be more comfortable for work.

Delta suddenly realized she was daydreaming...or trying to come up with some excuse not to go to the other part of the island, she wasn't really sure. But she knew Miss Sidney would have a fit if she came back empty handed. Which meant in a cut of hours in which she could not afford.
Delta sighed loudly to herself. She looked up into the sky once again. It was gradually turning from a soft blue to a warm orangish pink. She could see several stars peeking through the leftover blue, telling the sun it would be time to start setting soon.
Delta sat down and thought to herself for a minute. It was probably about a 45 minute walk to the other side, it wasn't that far away. So, if she could make it there by dark, she could race to a hotel, call Miss Sidney and try to reason with her that she would stay the night at the hotel and bring the produce in the morning before opening. And work an extra shift to cover her absence. It sounded reasonable. As long as she got the food back by opening, Miss Sidney wouldn't be too mad. And she couldn't force Delta to come back that night anyways.
Her eyes shifted to her clothes. If there were questionable people there, she didn't want to do anything to provoke them. She was a typical female, well-endowed. A little less slim than most and maybe a little wider in the hips but she was pretty. She just preferred to not show it off all the time. She tended to attract a strange breed of people. Delta rummaged through her bag for her grey sweater and pulled it over her arms and shoulders. She had a pair of leggings and flat boots that she slipped on quickly after tossing her heels in her bag. She didn't care if she was in the wide open. It wasn't like anyone was around to see her.
She slung her bag over her shoulder as she stood up. Delta took one look around before cutting into the lush forests. As she quickly tread through the grass, she focused on the bubbles forming and popping around her, doing her best to ignore the fear and excitement welling up in her gut.