Page 85 of Seasons of Love
The late shift is hard because I don’t get to read Sara a bedtime story and watch as she falls asleep for the night. But it’s the best shift at work.
As everyone finishes their jobs, they come in for their last-minute groceries, so we get busy. And busy means time goes by fast.
It also means there’s a chance I’ll see one of my favorite customers. Which is the highlight and one of the worst parts of my working day.
Ugh, it’s awful having a crush on someone and being so tongue-tied you could literally spit out a scarf.
I settle in at my usual register.
“Psst. Hey, Milo.”
I roll my eyes and turn around in my chair to face Jimmy, who should pay attention to the customer he’s serving. I point to the customer, and he shrugs, so I shake my head and turn back around. The last thing I need is Jimmy getting us in trouble because he’s bored and wants to chat.
Gerald has a way of sniffing out when someone so much as sneezes in the wrong direction, and then he’s there, in your face, ready to lord over his menials.
The store gets busy, and I lose track of time as I serve one customer after the next until they all blend into one. Well, almost.
Like my mom said, sometimes there are those breaks, and Ethel is one of them.
She always picks my checkout lane, and I adore her.
“Hey, sunshine,” I say as I scan her groceries. I do it slowly and help her bag everything up to ensure nothing falls out of the basket in her walker.
“Hey, gorgeous. Have you found yourself a good man yet?”
“Not yet, Ethel. I might just have to marry you after all.”
She gives me the biggest smile and takes out her purse to pay. I make sure she’s all set before she goes. I know her son or grandson is waiting for her in the parking lot. Ethel is nearly ninety, but she’s fiercely independent and says she can still do her own shopping. Thank you very much.
“Oh, I almost forgot,” she says.
“What’s that?”
She looks for something in her purse. “Oh, there it is. I‘m practicing my crochet. I prefer knitting, but you‘re never too old to learn something new, right, dear? Anyway, I learned how to crochet these little fish.” She takes it out and places it in my hand.
“It’s for your baby girl. I hope she likes it.”
I have to bite my lips to stop myself from laughing as I hold the gift to my chest.
“Thank you so much, Ethel. Sara will love this. She’s been really into…fish recently. I’m reading her a book about the ocean.”
Ethel nods, and off she goes with a spring on her step.
I jump when I see Jimmy right next to me.
“Christ. Warn a guy.”
“Dude, why did Ethel give you a crocheted butt plug?”
I snort as I look down at my hands, and he’s right. Okay, so it vaguely resembles a fish…if it was a butt plug going to a dress-up party dressed as a fish.
“Bless her. Her eyesight isn’t what it used to be. It’s the thought that counts, right?”
I see Gerald coming straight at us, and it’s too late for us to return to our respective posts. I only have time to put Ethel’s gift in my back pocket.
“What’s going on here? Are we on vacation? Is this time out?” he says, and I can smell his horrible tobacco-and-coffee breath.
“Not at all. We were just helping Ethel. You know how she is,” I say, pointing toward the parking lot.
