The Package Counter Guy
By: Abba Marie Moreno
I’m Richard Nerrick, 20 years old, fresh out of college and I have a position in Counter Packaging. Okay, it’s not really a profession but be free to call me the Package Counter Guy. Feels pretty good to hear.
I just finished my Computer Science course and I bet my salary that you’re wondering why I’m in a Package counter here in a grocery store. Well, I do need money to spend when I go looking for a job. I’ve been at it for 2 months and I guess that’ll be enough for a few weeks of job hunting or so.
Let me tell you about my day at the Package Counter. Well it isn’t really that bad. I get to see people. What they do. What they look like. All sorts of people and sometimes I just stop to think how great God is to create all of us in such wide varieties. Yeah, it’s fun to look at the people but what’s funnier is what they check in. A few days ago, I saw this bald guy check in a lot of wigs. I mean a lot, I was like: “Man, how many nightclubs do you get into?” But of course that was in my head, I couldn’t really say that out loud can I?
There are a lot of people today at the supermarket. It’s a Sunday after all- lots of kids and kidlike adults. Mrs. Cobblesworth did her shopping today. She did it every Sunday and she’d greet me every time. She reminds me a lot of my deceased grandmother. How she smiles and how she’s so kind to everybody. But sometimes I think all old people are the same- kind and aged with experience. Also, there was this kid I saw today. Her mother left her for a few minutes to buy something quick and she had asked me to look after the little girl who seemed to be about five years of age. She was holding this red balloon, I was staring at it and she glared at me at the most evil way; thinking I would snag the balloon. My thoughts were: “How old do you think I am, six?” and I glared back. After a few moments, I found both of us giggling. Her mother came, that five-year-old girl waved goodbye. Well, I guess I won’t be seeing her. In this profession of mine, people come and go. That’s how life’s meant to be anyway.
Anyway, in the supermarket today, there was this shady guy. He looked like he was in a panic. He was wearing a black coat and a cap. I was thinking that he might be hiding from the police or something but then I always had that weird imagination. He left this box and went inside the supermarket. As little as I do, I gave this guy a smile. Maybe to ease the tension or maybe just he looked like he needed it. He looked at me for a second and said, “I’m so sorry.” Okay… that was super weird. I had this moment to appreciate how weird that was and to post in my mind a small memo that I would never smile at people like that anymore. So far, today was cool. I liked encounters like those of the kid and the weird guy. Things like that are things that would be nice to recall.
And then, I saw her. She was wearing this white nursing uniform. Her name plate read: Darcy, Lisa. Lisa, what a nice name. She was so pretty—flawless skin, pinned up blonde hair and deep green eyes. What a knock-out. She was checking in the things she shopped for earlier and behind this angel of woman was this troll. Okay, it wasn’t really a troll. It was this tall guy who had wild hair and an evil grin. But this troll was holding Lisa’s hand. I don’t mind becoming a troll if I could just hold that hand of hers. Sigh. She was this type of girl that you were so hopeless in that the next time you might see her is the afterlife. She smiled at me and the couple went in the grocery together. I wish I had a girl like that.
The hours passed by quickly, I’m looking forward to go to church this evening. I probably should count how many packages were left unclaimed. An umbrella, a few hardware tools, I think the bald guy left a wig. Pfft. People these days, sometimes they just take things for granted. I bet whoever left that umbrella would need that today, it is raining hard. Those tools, well someone will need ‘em. That wig and the bald guy – one nightclub less to go into. I giggled to myself. Manager left the keys to me, he asked me to lock up early. It is almost eight o’clock.
Beep. Beep. Beep. There was something beeping. It wasn’t my phone or my watch. Beep. Beep. Beep. I walked around the checked in packages to search where the sound was coming from. It was coming from the box that shady guy checked in a while ago. Maybe it was an alarm clock, I better turn it off.
BOOM.
It was a bomb.
Now I know, why he said sorry. SIGH. I don’t really know what I feel right now. A mixed emotion of regret and complacence. I guess I thought that I could’ve lived a little longer though I shouldn’t be sad. I talked to my new manager anyway. I came into his office a while ago; he gave me an offer I couldn’t resist. An afterlife at paradise? Who wouldn’t want that? The supermarket here would open tomorrow, but I guess I just wanted to stay here. Just to think maybe. And maybe I’m still here at the package counter because I’m waiting for Lisa. What a knock-out.
(sigh.) bigayan ng stipend ngayon. :)) P1200 X) not enough for the hard work and the sleepless nights X)
anyway, that's not the point. today na it was given is like the 8th time i got it. WHOAH. X) third year na pala ako. it was just like yesterday that i was a freshman; feeling ultimately different. i remember the people i used to hang out with. back when i was in my first year, I DID NOT COME HOME AT PAST 7pm(during schooldays)! X)) all those people i left. all those people i miss. X|
second year came, and yeah. their almost the same people i am with right now.
same faces :) new phases :)
on days AND nights, that i thought i wouldnt make it alive, i actually did! i even learned how to do a project a night before the deadline :)) i learned that brown envelopes can actually save your life in keeping all those darn quizzes your teacher asked you to compile. i learned that all the stress, all the hard work, all the sleeplessness, is all worthwhile, when you have friends there beside you. awwww. :))
it's january 09. i remember my first day of high school, june 6 06. [666] other people thought it was the end of the world, but it was a beginning for ours. :D
a few more months i'll be a senior. a fourth of me wants to end it! but all the rest doesnt want me to. life in mandsci has not been like any other feeling i felt. here are a few scenes i like:
sigh. those are just a few. even though it is hard to be like this. always stressed and out of sleep. through all the crushes and crushees. through all the teachers and their loads of homework and tasks. through everything... mandsci in itself makes it worthwhile with friends and its charm. :)
sigh. well this is not really an ode. it's just something that gives a click in the title :]] not that i want everyone to read this but well, i just like it that way :D
well i TOTALLY admire this guy. totally ADMIRE. nothing more. X]
the way he sings with his guitar just leaves me totally taken. he loves what he does and he enjoys it a lot. the emotion he shares is just magical. how he interacts people, how he talks and walks. his charm. his joy. well i know i'm not making any sense... but i dont have to. :]] sense is just the interpretation of the human mind of words and letters. as long as it makes sense to mine. :]]
his carefree attitude. his smile. his lyrics. his abs [oops!] his voice. his "i'll go wherever the wind takes me" attitude. we could just run away and he could sing to me forever into eternity. :]] siiiggghhhh. though finding a guy like this is totally impossible. unless you're somewhere out there... XD
:]] God is soo good.
^^ i really like how yesterday ended. :]] really cool. it ROCKS! XD and you're wondering right now, what's with that word. well that was our team word. we kept on repeating over and over. XD
first it was like this. We were sooo late compared to our set departure time from school cause ms. frias was still at the division office singing. and we were like...
"We're late. we're disqualified." and somethings like that. well i most of the negative thinking came from me. X] as kuya amiel said about me: "You were born a pessmist..." XD
well my pessimism and my thoughts dont usually happen and they didnt. mam frias arrived just in the nick of time. and we arrived there before anything could start! God is Great!
the elimination and semifinals just proceeded... even though it was carried out it an orderly fashion it managed to kill 3 hours. spelling takes soo long to finish.well anyway. we were crossing our fingers and praying all the way and we managed to get into the finals with Lourdes. God's grace again.
****okay. why do i keep on saying things about God's grace. well i've learned that if you offer things to God and let him manage everything, he'll do the best for you. before in contests i used to pray: "Lord, please let us win..." and stuff like that but for the past contest and the Science Olympiad... i prayed.."this is for the exaltation of your name..." and boom! :] he rewards those loyal to him. words are incomparable to how i feel about this.
okay. the finals were really tense. sobrang close fight. nagtie kami for like 2 times. they got ahead two times too. :] my three words were: provocateur, pseudonym and connoisseur. i spelled provocateur wrong. :\ but it's fine! kuya amiel managed to spell all of his right. and our winning word was... Euthanasia. --yeah. mercy killing. XD
well we came home with high spirits, some stuff and a trophy. but what i valued the most is the friendship we created between ourselves. how i made kuya amiel and regeanne laugh soo hard. and how andrew made me laugh so hard. :]] we even used one pen for all the written rounds. ;] quite cool. :D
we returned to school to get our stuff. it was dark as heck. :0 and scary too. i went home. and the day ended with me scared... 0_0 hotel626 is some game. :]] hahaha.
lalalalalife. you win some. you lose some. :]
| Rating: | ★★★★★ |
| Category: | Books |
| Genre: | Science Fiction & Fantasy |
| Author: | Eoin Colfer |
"Writing is like being in love..." Marjorie Evasco looked at me and said those beautiful words. I didnt know her personally or i wasnt a big fan of her works but we had one thing in common - we loved writing.
When she said those words to me, i knew how she felt. WRITING is like being in love. You create characters, stories, lives even! I felt like crying in front of her. I knew how she felt -- how good it was to write, to make people appreciate things written in paper!
BUT
Why cant i stand up for it? Why wont i do it for the rest of my life? *Has the world's nonsense standards engulfed me in its pitiful spiral of lust and death?
It's pretty sad to know. I LOVE WRITING and POETRY. but i cant stand up for it.
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