Patience is a Virtue (Promo Sample)

Chocolate

The beeping of a grocery store filled the silenced mind of Patience as she slid each item across the red scanner making the light find her face and disappear. The slower she moved to work for the customer, her occupied thoughts and soul on the verge of another untouched world as the other woman who seemed fully footed on their own planet tapped the card reader impatiently. "84.50" the young bored girl rang like a used alarm. Her fingers pushing the appropriate buttons on the register as money was brought her way.

The disgruntled customer grabbing her bags and leaving without another glance at their change that Patience still counted out in her hands. Once she noticed her customer was gone she whispered her routine "Have a good day." Before putting the change back and leaning against her work station. She looked at her watch that read a few minutes early but she decided her slow walk would be able to use up that time. She grabbed her closed plaque and put it on the conveyer belt just as an old man pushed his cart in. Her emotions not budging for him as she turned off the light that read five and grabbed her book that she had stolen from the clearance section.

"Your leaving early today." Veronica seemed less interested than the younger girl as she laid across the couch in the break room that resembled that of an 80's western while scrolling endlessly on her phone.

"I have an appointment."

Shaking her head but being careful not to cross her newly braided hair into her hoop earrings the woman smacked her gum a little louder. "You back in court?"

Patience found the humor in that but she only blew air out of her nose to show it. "Feels like it sometimes." Opening her locker, she folded her apron up for her next work day and slammed the metal door knowing she still had a minute before she was able to clock out. "Elton asked about you."

Her phone came down as she smiled brightly. "He did?"

"No." Patience heard the other woman's exasperation as she counted down in her head. Her time clock securely in her hand ready to be punched.

"Girl I'm so tired of you. Stop playing like that all the time." Her long nails scratched her own head. As Patience stuck her tongue out to finish her work day by punching the hole and putting the card back in her slot. "Have fun."

Not responding the young girl went out the back door hoping she wouldn't have to interact with anyone else. Even as she boarded her usual bus she put in her old headphones even though she had nothing to connect them too, it at least kept the average person away and it gave her reasoning to ignore whoever tried speaking to her. Someone always ended up trying, most of the time it being from a tourist family who found it detestable that they ended up on a public transportation with poor people. Patience would look out the window instead of helping though, the questions of assholes going in through one covered ear and out the other.

The drop of was only a few blocks away from the new office, it was only the second time she visited the small building so there was still so much to look at as she waited in the waiting room with a man who seemed so anxious his knee was going to fall off from how much it moved. Patience only watched him with furrowed eyebrows and wondered how anyone could live with that much emotions. Is that what people meant by her not being like other girls? He wasn't a girl though.

"Patience."

Looking up at the doorway, she suddenly found herself getting a glimpse of that man's life. Her eyes stayed put on the tall Italian woman who watched her back with a stoic face, until she finally allowed a smile. Taking her hands out of her pockets so she could feel her chest to see if it was working ok, the young girl walked past the woman who smelled so strongly of fragrances Patience couldn't place, maybe expensive perfumes or soaps were just unknown to poor people like her.