Whut

In response to finding out that her glasses were broken: "I'm not really sure I wanna see that much anyway." - Carole

"Could I grab a stalk of your aloe plant? I left mine in Florida." After a pause of wondering if this was a normal request or not, I said, "Yeah, sure."

"Hey boss. I got you a 2012 vintage edition Coca-Cola." An older man cuts in front of a few customers in line to put an open and bubbling-over-its-edge Diet Coke on the counter.

"Could I get your last name, please?" "It's Watson." Ten second pause while I finish the transaction, and he asks, "What's yours?" like he's getting me back. I tell him. He doesn't react, and I hand him his receipt.

A lady walks in and says, "Oh they've got one of those robots that sits at a computer with one hand on a mouse."

Two little kids, a girl and a boy maybe around age 9 walk up to the counter with a parent nowhere in sight. They stare around aimlessly, and then the boy says quietly, "This looks like a pawn shop." They turn and walk back toward the window section in no apparent hurry.

Regular customers who are in five out of six days of the week ask on an almost daily basis how late we're open. It's 9 to 5 Monday through Saturday and hasn't changed in the near 8 months I've worked here. I doubt it changed in the years before that.

Customers come to counter with items, learn the price, and then go out to their car to get money. Then they come back to pay.

Dream Weaver

The trees show a path between the trunks and I follow. In the midst of a clearing there's a carving of a wooden rabbit. On it is a note that seems to have been left recently, since it's stuck to the rabbit with the leftovers of a melty red popsicle. I struggle to pull the note from the popsicle without getting red goop on my shirt. Somewhere in the woods I swear I hear someone snickering.

"GIANT LIGHTER - $4.50"

The note is a receipt. I look down at the wooden rabbit. It seems to be facing the moon with a great despair. Why'd they have to carve it to look so sad? I look up at the moon, and I can barely see it through the clouds. There's a smokiness that suggests maybe it's not clouds but a campfire smoke.

I realize I haven't seen my friends in a couple hours. Feeling my pockets, I grapple at something oblong and plasticky. It's the novelty lighter.