Night Shift

Chapter 3

"Come on, mate, it's just a few dollars. Surely you can let me have it just this once."

I'm feeling feisty tonight. No-one was to try and haggle me tonight.

"Unfortunately, that's not how this works. If you don't have the money to pay for it, then you can't get it, it's as simple as that."

We're arguing over the packet of Winfield Blues that is currently in my hand. He's here every night, and every night he'll get his girlfriend to wait outside, ensuring the door is completely shut, so that she can't hear that he's in fact penniless and can't afford the cheapest packet of smokes we have to offer. Some nights I'll let him get away with it (they really are getting quite expensive), and other nights, such as this one, I like to have the upper hand.

He looks desperate. Not desperate for the smokes, but desperate to please his girlfriend. Just like every night she's standing by the glass door, her back towards us, facing out towards the highway, towards the mines. She always has her arms crossed, all her weight resting on her right leg. I imagine she has a sassy attitude.

She's completely still, almost like she's a cardboard cut-out. It sometimes unnerves me to look at her. I've never been able to see what she looks like. I probably never will.

"Please, I can come back tomorrow night and I can help you out with some of your duties. You don't even have to pay me. Just let me have them!"

I look away from her and back at him. Again, I shake my head. "No means no. Come back tomorrow when you have a bit more money. Please get out of my store if you aren't interested in anything else."

I could almost mirror what he's about to do next. He leans over the counter, breathing heavily, head in his arms. He then looks up at me, spits out a "Fuck you" and then tries to puff out his chest and widen his arms as he walks out the door. He slams it shut behind him, forcefully grabs his girlfriend's hand and they walk away.

I know that it will amount to nothing, but I walk out from behind the counter and try to follow them. This time I believe I'll get to see what his girlfriend looks like. Why won't he ever let her in the store? I have tried on several occasions – more than my toes and fingers could count – to have her come in, but no matter how everything else plays out, he will not let her in.

I walk out the door and call out, "Hey!"

But just as I suspected, I'm yelling out into nothing. They're gone by the time I get out the door. I can never tell what direction they go. I have never been brave enough to walk more than a few metres through the surrounding streets, it's too dark and too silent for me to investigate any further. The council really need to fix the lights in the area.

I stare at the mines, like I always do every night. The ambience that it produces always calms my nerves. It's the only alive thing in this otherwise empty world. The sounds of the trucks shipping out god-knows-what, the overall hum that this entire entity gives out leaves me with a sense of protection. Like going to bed while my parents are still awake, I know that they'll be there if anything was to happen.

I walk back into the shop. I've still got a few hours before my shift ends.