Their first date was at a downtown restaurant. Marley had suggested they go to a movie, but Henry had laughed at her as if the idea was too childish for him. Marley pondered this a moment. Maybe going to a movie was very high school, but she thought it was a good thing to do on a first date. At a restaurant, conversation could die and all romance could fizzle, but at a movie, none of this was a problem. If things went wrong at the restaurant, the date would be miserable, but if things went well at the movies, they could go to a diner and continue the date with milkshakes and fries. Point is, going to a movie with someone served as a vetting process and if conversation died after fifteen minutes, the movie would begin, breaking the silence.
Luckily, though, their date didn’t need a vetting process. In fact, it was perfect! The restaurant was nothing special, but it was a step above going to a diner or getting fast food. The atmosphere, though dated, was charming. The walls were decorated with vintage things like old parasails or license plates. There was no theme to the decorations, but somehow, the items managed to give the restaurant a charmingly eclectic feel. The restaurant seemed to match Henry’s genial personality and quirks. Marley and Henry talked easily like they had been friends forever rather than just colleagues who had worked together for a few weeks. The date made Marley crush on Henry even more. Marley hoped that Henry would feel the same way as she did. She thought that he did; after all, he gave her a goodbye kiss.
And, man, was he a good kisser. The kiss hadn’t been long and they hadn’t even gone as far as making out. Still, the kiss was gentlemanly and passionate. Henry’s lips were soft and it was obvious that he had lots of practice. Marley wanted to keep kissing Henry forever, but she stopped herself. It was only the first date; so, she didn’t want to get ahead of herself. Henry gave Marley one last peck and bid her goodbye. Yes, she decided, she really liked Henry.
That next Monday, Marley was working her usual evening shift, but she wasn’t working the cash register. Instead, she was stocking door busters in the front of the store. She was nearly finished with her task when a young man walked through the store’s doors. Marley immediately noticed his handsomeness. His hair was a dark brown with gentle curls. The guy was muscular but not bulky. No, he was all lean muscle. His eyes were a mossy green and seemed uncertain.
Given his uniform, it was obvious that he worked at the store, but given his nervous state, it was equally obvious that it was his first day. The guy was visibly nervous; he looked shaky and his confident smile seemed to falter. Though he tried to seem self-assured, Marley could tell that anxiety was eating at him. It was bizarre; the guy looked so polished, but at the same time he looked a little unhinged. Marley was about to introduce herself to him when she heard “Marley to your register. Marley to your register,” echo through the store. Marley inwardly groaned, annoyed by the interruption, but despite this, she left the cart of stock where it was and headed to register #3, dragging her feet.
She flipped on her light and watched the mad dash of customers fleeing other lines, trying to get the coveted first spot at Marley’s register. Marley watched some of the other customers, the less zealous ones, and watched as they made no effort to change lines. They just stood in their own lines with blasé faces of disinterest. These calm, laid-back customers never seemed to come to Marley’s line. No, she only got the customers who were in a hurry and fanatical about coupons. At times, such people could be entertaining, a story to retell to her friends; however, the same people could quickly become neurotic and grate on Marley’s patience.
The winner of the mad dash to Marley’s cash register made Marley inwardly chuckle. He was a stereotype in the flesh. He was a little on the short side and was bulky with a beer belly; though his arms were muscular and his biceps had a heart tattoo with ‘mom’ on it. His bald head shined under the fluorescent light, but his facial hair was salt and pepper colored and scruffy. To complete the look, he had a fraying denim jacket with the sleeves cut off. He looked gruff and unapproachable, but then he spoke, picking up a ball of yarn from the conveyor belt. “I’m using this to make socks.”
Marley was taken aback by that. It wasn’t so much that the man was knitting socks, but she wondered why he felt the need to tell her as much so abruptly. Not knowing how to respond she said, “I’m sure they’ll be nice.”
“What I mean is that I need you take the tax off.”
Marley was still confused. “What?”
“The sales tax. They deduct it from stuff like yarn if it’s to be used for clothing. That’s how it is in this state.”
“Oh,” Marley said. She didn’t know if he was telling the truth or not, but Marley didn’t see why he would lie about that. It probably would have been best to call the manager and ask before taking the sale tax off, but Marley didn’t feel like going through the trouble. So, she just took the tax off and said, “Sure, I can do that for you.”
“Thanks very much, missy.” The man replied in a tone that sounded more like a grandpa than a tough biker.
“Have a nice day.” Marley said, saying the same thing she recited every time a transaction was finished.
“You shouldn’t have done that.” Henry said when the checkout crowd had diffused.
“Done what?”
“Taken that tax off of that guy’s yarn. You could get in trouble for stuff like that.”
Marley shrugged, “It turns out that he was being truthful. I checked on my phone after he left. Tax can be deducted from stuff that’s used to make clothes.”
“You shouldn’t have been using your phone either.” Henry scolded.
“What’s with you? Are you the secret Super Stock police or something?” Marley said to Henry jokingly, but she wasn’t focused on him. From a distance, she looked at the new guy, who was being shown around the store by Patty. He was significantly calmer to the point that he had an air of cockiness. His personality had flipped in a complete 180.