“Excuse me, could you help me?” I turned from the baseball display I was arranging and almost dropped the bat out of my hands. “I’ve never been to this location and I was looking for the shoes.”
“They’re uh, they’re right over there, Mr. Barakat,” I pointed to the huge sign that said “Shoes” hanging right behind me. He didn’t even look in the direction my finger was indicating. Instead he ran a hand lazily through his hair and smirked.
“Do you think you could direct me to the Nike section?” his voice was slow and smooth and I found myself becoming more comfortable.
“Just follow me,” I walked towards the shoes and turned to make sure he was behind me. “What exactly were you looking for, Mr. Barakat?”
“Uh, why don’t you call me Jack from now on?” He chuckled and I turned to the shoes to clear my mind. “And I’m not really sure. You’re the expert, why don’t you tell me?”
I looked up at him, trying to figure out if he was making fun of me; the grin on his face reassured me otherwise.
“Well, Jack, personally, I’m a sucker for the high tops, but to each his own,” I smiled at him over my shoulder before turning back to the shoes.
“I’ll take them,’ he decided almost immediately; surprising me. “Where do I pay?”
“I can take you over here, come on.”
I felt his eyes on me as I rang up the shoes and told him his total. He handed me his credit card and his fingers brushed against mine. I handed him his bag, tucking the receipt inside.
“If you were satisfied with your service today you can go online and give me a review, my name’s Savannah,” I smiled at him. “Have a nice day.”
“Oh I will,” he winked at me and I watched him walk out the door, trying to process what had just happened to me.
*The Next Day
“Hi um, could you athist me?” I felt a tap on my shoulder and turned around to look into brown eyes that turned gold at the center.
“Of courth, what can I do for you thir?” I mimicked his lisp and the resulting laugh could have revived the dead.
“Well, I took your survey but I wanted to show you my satisfaction,” he leaned in closer to me. “How about a date later?”
I didn’t respond, mostly because I couldn’t, but thankfully, he interpreted my silence correctly.
“I’ll pick you up at 8 then,” he saluted me. “I’ll just be in the shoes.”
