Tidbits

Primal Landscapes: Californian Suburbs

Author's Note: The prompt for this was to write the first 500 words of a story set in your hometown: you can either use characters in the story, or just describe it.

Getting a job at Alligator's Bar feels like the end of the road, but it was all I could get. There aren't many jobs in Antioch, California, and I don't have a car. They were supposed to put in a BART station two years ago but they're still building it. I hope they manage to get it built before Alligator's inevitably goes out of business - the four restaurants who used to exist in its location all did. When it was first built eight years ago it was supposed to be an Italian place, then it was another Italian place. Then it was a Fresh Choice. That was when I was in high school. My friend and I skipped class there to attend the open interview only to find the whole town lined up for the same opportunity.

My boss, Mrs. Ellis, loaded up my lunch box full of old greasy potato skins and wings, but I still stop at the gas station for my daily Sugar-free Rockstar before I begin my trek home.

The convenience store here is owned by Mr. Koc, the landlord of the entire shopping center. Currently, the shopping center consists of the convenience store, an orthopedic footwear store, a dying frozen yogurt store, and my workplace – Alligator's Bar. There used to be some place that sold burritos, gyros, and sushi, but that turned out to be a laundering front and closed down. There also used to be an actually good frozen yogurt store. That used to be the go-to place. Trendy interior design, bean bags, board games, and a piano. Then Mr. Koc decided to drive the rent up so high that the owners couldn't afford to keep the place, and after they closed, opened a new yogurt store in the same location.

Which makes me feel just a little bad about patronizing Mr. Koc's corner store every day, but lately I've become so tired that convenience outweighs morals. This is the closest place to buy the caffeine I need to get me out of bed. I've finely honed my caffeine tolerance to the level that I can fall asleep after drinking it, but always wake up after four hours. Allowing me to fall asleep at midnight and be up with enough time to shower before I begin my daily foot commute.

"Dashae!"

I hear my name and turn, in shock, to see someone I once knew, approaching with a wide smile – still familiar, even though his face had changed. In high school, even on graduation day, he was lanky and still had a bit of a baby face, with wide eyes and soft features. Now his face and body have broadened – he's gained weight, but you can tell there's some muscle underneath it all, and his brown eyes are still wide and inviting. "You remember me, don't you?"

"Robbie!" I exclaim. "Oh my god!"

The old lady in front of me finishes paying for her lottery ticket. I keep my eyes on Robbie as I go to the counter and fish for my debit card in my purse. The cashier, one of Mr. Koc's sons, never bothers to make conversation anyway, so I don't feel bad about keeping my attention on Robbie. "How have you been?"