I walk outside on a dreary morning hoping to come across something different. The road still has its excavated pebbles that stick to my flip-flops and the grass is still emerald green awaiting the first frost. I glide to my bus stop and wave to the lady I see every Saturday morning before work. She always waves like a queen, fingers clenched together with a cupped palm.
Birds fly over my head and cover the sun for a few seconds, leaving me in darkness. The tips of maple and oak leaves are turning yellow, although that alone is the only change I notice.
People whizz by in their old, rattling pick up trucks and rusted ancient cars. Tires shoot damp rocks onto the sidewalks and I watch them bounce, like a stone skipping over water. I contemplate the amount of force it would take to send the pebbles so far, but I push my Grade 11 Physics lecture out of my head. Todays a Saturday and I refuse to work on science at nine in the morning on my way to work. My sister's voice pops into my mind, "Nerd."
The city bus picks me up and I get to work fifty minutes early, as usual and grab an everything bagel with plain cream cheese and a medium steeped tea. As the tea flows down my throat, it rids the dry brittle voice I had earlier. Warmth fills me as the tea reaches my stomach, calming my shivering body.
I march towards the opposite side of Mapleview Mall and strut into West 49 for my shift. After a year of working I still get butterflies, perhaps its because you never know what retail will throw your way.
Steve grins at me as I bolt in the door, unplugging my headphones from the white Blackberry.
"Hi Steve,"I say. My boss smiles and returns his sight to the register, most likely filling out the hourly low-down. We have goals each employee must reach in order to make budget, although lately we've been pretty behind.
Before shuffling to the back room I gesture to Tyler and Mitch. The two are behind the skate counter building skateboards and chucking used grip tape at each other. I chuckle as I walk by and listen to the rumbling heater laying above my head. The ceiling is exposed, revealing the silver piping and air ducts. It has always reminded me of a congested machine.
After the fifty minutes come to an end, I place my finger-tip into the machine outside the office door. Once the beeping finishes, indicating the beginning of my shift I toss on a lanyard and trudge onto the sales floor. Gliding up to the register, I check my goal and cash threw a customer waiting impatiently at cash.
"How are you today?" I force a smile and regurgitate the introductory line I repeat everyday...
