The Cusp of 30 (Working Title)

Chapter 10: "I Thought You Saw That Coming."

It was Discount Senior Sunday, and we were slammed. I immediately clocked in and hopped on the line, opening up a register and scanning bottles of Ensure, Metamucil, and 2-for-1 Jello packs. Being busy and hustling was my favorite part of the job, especially since Zeke would always call me out in front of everyone for being the fastest, but he was just as fast and we both knew it.

The lines were still crazy long when Zeke arrived about an hour after I had. Without skipping a beat, he hopped right on board. He wasn't one to stall, taking his sweet time hanging his jacket in the back, or claiming he had to take a shit, or all the other excuses employees often used to not get straight to work. He was better than that, and that's why he was just about the only person I could tolerate in that damn building.

I could see his naturally strong back scanning from two registers over, and I just loved how he would nod his head, saying good morning, to every guest, and even though I couldn't see his face, I knew he said it with a big smile. I got annoyed that Calvin's head sometimes blocked my view, but it was still nice knowing Zeke was just a shout away. At one point, I caught him turning around to peak at me, and so I winked back. He smiled, then lowered his eye line so that he was looking at my boobs, not that I had anything to write home about, but he was trying to flirt—confirming he was still thinking about last night, and so I just folded my arms and laughed.

"Hello?" said a very elderly woman with just a few strands left of box-dyed fire-red hair. She caught me off guard, and I quickly jumped.

"I'm sorry, mam'," I said, grabbing her box of Cheerios and dragging it across the scan board.

The next time I picked up my head, I saw Antonella had entered the store and was looking around. Her eyes glazed right over me and landed on Zeke, who had just finished up with his last customer. I heard her walk over to him and say, "Hey, I'm looking for the assistant manager. She—"

"Hey!" I shouted.

I quickly looked back over to the woman in my line, but she was so old that my sudden shout didn't damage her ears anymore than they already were. I was relieved.

"Oh, hey!" Antonella said. She then looked back at Zeke and smiled, saying thanks anyway before coming over to me.

I scanned the woman's final item and took her cash, then I turned my register light to off.

"How did it feel to drive to work today?" Antonella asked.

In truth, it was a stressful drive, but a stressful drive is still better than a stressful bus ride. I rolled my eyes at her. "Just wait here while I go in the back and get you an application, okay?"

When I knocked on the office door, Don Sr. eagerly waved at me to enter.

"Hey, Don," I said. "I have a friend outside who wants to—"

"Perfect, perfect timing," he said. "I was just calling a meeting."

Don picked up his phone and spoke into the intercom: All employees, but the attendant of register 4, please report to the break room.

Don Jr. then entered the office. He had a cake in his hand and said to his father, "Just let me set this on the table, Dad."

"Oh," I said, turning back to Don Sr.. "is it someone's birthday?"

"Nope, just a treat from my wife for my retirement."

"Right," I said, pulling out a few strands of hair from the bottom of my ponytail. "About your leaving, I'm not so sure if—

"I'll just be saying a few words," he said. "Then I'll help you with whatever you need." He got up from his chair and left the office.

I already knew where they kept the applications, and so I went into the cabinet behind his desk and took one out of the folder.