Broccoli

#3

JOHN

"Hey Jo, you wanna take a little walk with me?" Gary posed at my counter and made selfies with his cellphone.
I was standing behind the counter watching him. I never get why some people are taking selfies every moment in their life.

"Hey Jo, am taking to you."
I looked at Gary. Now he started editing the selfies he took before. Normally after that he will upload them somewhere.

"I know and please don't call me just Jo. That sounds like am one of the kids from the bad neighborhood or something."

"Hey bro, what's wrong with you? You are a kid from the bad neighborhood, you know?" I interrupted him like I have never done before.

"Probably you're right because my big sis dropped out of school and gave birth to a baby when she was just sixteen and my younger brother is a graffiti sprayer. I know all this things. But that doesn't mean that I wanna do the same with my life, you know? I wanna become a better person than they'll probably become. I wanna go to the Academy of performing arts in New York City. That's why I have this store. Yeah Gary that's the only reason why I still have it. Do you ever thought about how hard it is to work for me here? Remember am a vegetarian and am proud to be a vegetarian! And before I forget it, no Gary I don't wanna walk around with you. Do you wanna know why not doing that am?"
Gary just starred than he nodded shyly.

"Because of Broccoli! Because she is the person who made me brave enough to tell you my opinion! She is the person who inspired me to make up my own mind."

"Okay John, calm down. Remember you never ever had your own opinion. You ever did what I told you. Do you really think it was wrong for you? Call me, if you need help with your "Broccoli". I know you have a crush on her and you also know that am the perfect person to ask for help just in case you need some."

After he finished his last sentence he left.
I stayed alone in the store and I felt very alone. I looked at my watch. 4:45 p.m. 15 minutes left until Broccoli comes.
Oh no. It was already 5:45 p.m.

Where was Broccoli?
She have never been too late before. I started to feel afraid about her.

Suddenly the door opened and one of my usual costumers came in. It was the woman.

"What can I do for you, lady? " I greet her.

"Well, today I need nothing. Am just coming to excuse Paris. She didn't want to tell you the following thing by herself." I needed a few seconds to recognize that Paris and Broccoli are the same person.
"Well, how can I explain it? Paris thinks that you are a really nice boy but she has to leave tomorrow. Probably she told you that she cannot stay at one place forever. That's why she is moving every half year." This woman seems to feel sorry for me. What she said made me really sad. I wanted to cry.

"Where is she moving? " I heard myself asking the woman who was still standing in front of me on the other side of the counter.

"To Toronto. Am feeling so sorry for you."

How many miles are between Toronto and the city where I live?
I don't know. Unfortunately a lot.

"Are you sure about buying nothing? Probably a Bratwurst in memory of Bro...Ehm...Paris?" I tried to behave myself. Broccoli was leaving. She was leaving. Without me.

"Why not... I think I take one for her."
I prepared the food. While I was doing that I started crying.

"Oh dear, you don't have to cry." The woman came closer to me and closer and closer. Now she passed the counter which had separated me from her. Finally she hugged me like a mother hugs her child. My real mother never cared about me. She was the whole day at work. Working at a supermarket was a bad job for her. She wanted to become a ballerina. In fact she went to a ballet school. In her second year there she had an accident. After this she couldn't dance anymore. That destroyed all her plans forever.