My Friend From Work

Part 1: The Stranger

I'd debated not even showing up. Nobody would've blamed me. Except maybe Todd, but he thought the sun rose and set for shoes. Looking back on it now, I really should've just stayed home. It wasn't worth the seven dollars an hour I earned to show up for my last shift at the shoe store. In fact, no amount of money would make up for the terrible events that would transpire simply because I decided to show up for my last day of work.

But I did, because that's who I am. Or, who I was. Always taking the high road. Never wanting to let anyone down or cause any unnecessary inconvenience to people - even if they totally deserved it.

So I walked into the little store that Saturday afternoon. I'd only been working at Celebrity Shoes about a month or so, but today was my last day. I had just accepted a full-time corporate job offer, something I'd been working endlessly to achieve since I graduated college in May.

Todd waved from behind the counter as I entered the store. He was the store manager, and he was probably the only person who was not so happy that my career was finally taking off. It meant that I would no longer be working for him; enduring the long hours, the small paychecks, the rude customers, the disgusting trash, all with a can-do attitude and a customer service-friendly smile plastered on my face.

I waved back with a smile. I was always so goddamn friendly.

I headed toward the break room to clock in, which was less of a break room and more of a glorified closet. Dusty shelves lined the walls, holding old defective shoes we couldn't sell, shoeboxes we told customers we'd recycle, and any random crap people left in the store and never came back for. There was a desk in the corner with an old desktop computer and a walkie-talkie charging station. The monthly schedule was taped to the wall beside the desk, which was what Jody was looking at when I walked in.

"Hey," I said to her with some surprise. She was another sales associate at Celebrity Shoes. We didn't typically work together, since she worked mornings and I worked evenings. I'd only ever talked to her in passing, as I was clocking in and she was clocking out. It looked like she was getting ready to head home for the day.

She had long golden-brown hair, almost reaching her tailbone. She wore little or no makeup, which made her look very young. But there was a confidence about her, a security in her own skin and in the way she interacted with people, that made her seem older. I couldn't tell if she was my age or in high school - it was always hard to tell in retail.

"Hey," she replied, turning to smile in my direction. She turned back to the work schedule and said, "It's your last day?"

"Yeah," I said. "I got a new job." It felt good to say it.

She smiled, revealing dimples in her full cheeks. She looked so young again.

"Congratulations! That's great news," she said. "What will you be doing?"

"I'll be working full-time doing marketing for the museum downtown," I said, happy to talk about it. "I don't start for another two weeks, but I wanted to give myself a break before I start full-time."

Her deep brown eyes lit up, "That sounds so cool. I'm hoping to go into marketing too, actually," she said. "I start at Forest Park University in August."

She grinned, showing her dimples again. If she was just starting college, that meant she was about 18 or 19, I estimated.

I was excited. Jody was just a few years younger than me, we both lived in the same city, and she was interested in my career. I'd been trying to make new friends ever since I moved to the city after graduation, but so far, I hadn't had much luck. I had my boyfriend, and sometimes we hung out with his friends, but it just wasn't the same as having your own real friend. I could see myself getting to know Jody, maybe even mentoring her, giving her career advice and helping her with internship applications.