Errands

I was lucky enough to live a couple blocks from a really well-stocked bodega, and only a few more blocks from a large supermarket. I tried to support local businesses as much as possible, only using the supermarket when I needed something the bodega didn't have, but that day I felt like being out and about amongst the people, so I headed to the market.

It was a weekday, traffic was light and the place wasn't too crowded. I moved through the aisles as quickly as I could, checking things off my list, and was surprised to find myself caught in a small traffic jam in the dairy section.

Craning my neck to look over people's shoulders, I saw a middle-aged woman yelling at one of the store employees. It took me a few seconds to understand what was going on, but it seemed like she was throwing a fit because they had run out of a certain type of cheese. The young man she was yelling at was cringing, acne-ridden face flush with embarrassment as she berated him over and over again, blaming him for the failures of an entire supply chain. He looked possibly on the verge of tears.

I left my cart and squeezed in through the small crowd, muttering 'excuse me' and 'please let me through,' until I was inside the ring of people. The angry woman had picked up a block of some hard cheese and was shaking it at the employee, and I was worried she might throw it at him. I stepped in between the two.

"Please stop yelling."

The woman cut off, collected herself, and immediately launched back in at a lower volume. She had transitioned from complaints about the store to insults about the kid's intelligence and work ethic, and I was having none of it.

"Enough." I stepped forward to block her view of the kid. "If you don't have anything nice to say, please don't say anything at all."

Her voice died in her throat and she gaped, flapping her mouth like a fish. She glared at me, shot a dirty look behind me, then spun on her heel and stormed away, shoving through the onlookers. I turned to the young man, who looked like he might be about to have a panic attack, and put my hand on his shoulder.

"Easy, man. You okay?"

"Y-y-yeah," he stammered, "I'm, uh, I'll be okay. I just need to catch my breath."

"Absolutely. Breathe, take a moment. Here," I flipped over an empty crate. "Take a seat."

He sat heavily, elbows on his knees, face in his hands. I looked up at the watching crowd.

"We're all good here, guys," I said, waving my arms. "Go ahead and move on. Please."

The people started to disperse, and I turned back to the kid and took a knee. He was doing better, just needed a little time to pull himself together.

"How are you doing..." I checked the name tag on his apron. "...Kyle? Still in one piece?"

He chuckled a little. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm... Whew. What a bitch, huh?"

"Totally. You did nothing wrong, it was just someone overreacting. It doesn't reflect on you as person, got it?"

"Thanks, dude. I needed that." He was looking almost 100% now, just a little worn out. "This fucking job, man. Every day it's something else."

"I hear you. I worked in a grocery store for a year when I was in high school. Everything that was shitty about it back then is probably worse now."

"It's not easy, but it pays rent, right?" Kyle smiled at me and extended a hand. "What's your name?"

"Rick. Pleasure to meet you." I grasped it and we shook.

He stood up with a groan and stretched out his back, then looked at me. "Thanks for the help, but I should probably get back to work before my manager gets pissed. I really appreciate you stepping in."

"I've been on the receiving end of those a few times, I hate to see it happen to other people. Have a good day, Kyle." I turned to leave, then stopped and turned back to him. "Hey, do me a favor and please work hard, make smart decisions, and do what makes you happy. Got it?"

He laughed. "Sure thing, Rick. See you around."

I was able to get the rest of the things I needed fairly quickly and headed up to the front to check out. On my way out the door, I made sure to swing by the customer service line and leave a nice review for Kyle, just to hopefully keep his manager off his back for a while. I walked the half mile or so back to my apartment with my bags and enjoyed being alone with my thoughts for a few minutes.As soon as I got home, I set to work making my space look nice. The food was stowed away in the refrigerator and cupboards, sheets were changed, living room tidied. I even took the time to vacuum the carpet and sweep the kitchen and bathroom. On the table, I laid out a small tablecloth and rotated it 45 degrees, then took a large bowl from the kitchen and filled it with fruit as a centerpiece. The couch cushions were settled and I placed the throw pillows symmetrically on the arms. An old blanket was folded in half and draped over the back of the couch, then removed, then put back as I tried to decide whether or not I liked it there.

I had to admit to myself that I was nervous about seeing Kimmy again, hence the cleaning and redecorating. Even if what I had planned was successful, having her in the apartment at all was giving me a small amount of anxiety.

After my cleaning frenzy, I checked my phone to find that it was barely ten minutes before Kimmy was supposed to arrive. Not knowing what to do with myself, I slumped on the couch and idled with my phone to pass the time.