No, he's already weirded out enough

Dan shook his head and tried to get the image out of his mind. He needed to focus on work and not his mother's chest.

"I need a drink," he muttered as he strode toward the front door.

Just as he closed the heavy door behind him, he thought he heard his mom call something. The scene in front of him made all thoughts of mothers and breasts run out of his mind. Water erupted from the fire hydrant as two firefighters rushed to get out of the way. The torrent slammed into a parked car across the street. He winced when one of the back windows burst.

"Get back!" one female firefighter screamed as she waved her arm toward two onlookers.

It took fifteen minutes for the man in charge of the scene to let Dan leave in his old beater. He'd gotten the car for a steal when one of the neighbors didn't want to transport the twenty-year-old vehicle across the country.

Traffic was light as he drove to work. The only good thing about his job was that it was close to home. Big Bucks, a popular box-store chain, paid just above minimum wage. The retail job helped pay the bills, so he didn't mind the work too much. He'd heard his boss talking to the others about the large truck coming in the previous day and hoped his day wouldn't suck too badly.

"Dan, how are you today?" Fred asked as he limped across the parking lot to where Dan parked.

"I'm alright, you?" Dan answered as he secured the window handle so it wouldn't spin if someone pressed on the glass. He got out of the car and locked the door before pushing against the driver-side window. He sighed when the glass slipped about a millimeter lower but didn't fall completely down.

"Leg's doing a little better. They have you at Customer Service today," Fred said as he fished in his patched slacks and drew out a faded name badge. It was said Fredrick Walts was an employee for Big Bucks when they first opened the store thirty years ago. Fred never confirmed nor denied the rumor.

"Oh, joy," Dan grumbled as he too put on his name badge. "Want to switch?"

"No on your life, son. I swear, the customers are getting meaner and meaner as time goes on. Oh well, that's what you sign up for in retail"

Dan grunted his agreement and followed his older coworker into the building.

It didn't take long to get clocked in, grab an earpiece and walkie, and make it out onto the floor. He nodded to his coworkers or said hello as he passed them. It felt like everyone had the same expression, of abject misery. He wondered if his face showed the same feeling.

Customer Service was not fun for Dan. He liked to be left alone to stock the shelves. He didn't have to deal with too many customers and complaints, but most of all, he didn't have his boss, Ms.Carmen hovering over him.

"I'm glad you made it on time," Carmen said in a clipped British accent. "Work the last register and let me know ten minutes before your break. Someone will need to cover you."

"Yes, ma'am," Dan called as he took his position behind the antiquated register and tried to put on his best smile. The first lady in line all but sneered at him as she pushed her shopping cart up to the counter.

"You! I demand a return."