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.
