"Prompt:
Go eavesdrop on a conversation and write about it, but make sure they don't know you're listening."
7:03 in the dead of night, Walmart in the distance. 7:05. Getting closer. 7:08. Stop light... wait a minute. 7:10. Parking lot. Get out of the car. Go inside, looking for baby toys. Sister's a new mom. 7:15. Get to the back, there's the diapers. There's the baby books. Also, the toys. Would she like a rattle? Baby was born a month ago. A little pink sheep, perfect. Fleece shirt on sale. Tag says 18 months, she'll grow into it. 7:25. Walking past the electronics. Turn your head to the side, there's a confused man in the wrong department.
"Sir, we can't help you." Says the man at the counter, wearing a thick pair of glasses and a butterfly collar. His name tag says George. Maybe he's 25.
"Why not?" Customer asks, demanding reassurance. You hide behind the DVD rack in order to listen. He's not angry, but he seems confused.
"Because we're the electronics department. Maybe go to the canned goods aisle."
Customer scratches his head. What? No. Not possible. "Sir, you don't understand. No one was there. I just want to know where the gluten free spaghetti sauce is." Doesn't understand that George only works in the electronics. Nothing more, nothing less.
"No," George continues. "I can't help you. Please, ask someone else."
"Why? You should know where everything is. You work here. Where is the gluten free sauce? Don't keep it from me. It's no secret. Come on, I know you know where it is." Customer begins to get restless. It's obvious that he doesn't know where he is or what's going on. Is he okay? You don't know, neither does George. George just stays calm. This man is confused. 7:40. George continues explaining to customer that he cannot leave the electronic department to help look for the gluten free sauce. Gluten free sauce? Isn't sauce already gluten free? Gluten is flour, isn't it? Customer doesn't make sense. George realises that, soon. 7:50. Customer yells at George and tells him he can't do his job right. There's a Karen among us, ladies and gentlemen.
8:00. You walk off, male Karen is still heard across the store. He is screaming about the fact that George doesn't know what he's doing, he's lazy and cannot do a job, and how he is offensive. George does not understand. He did not do anything wrong.
The customer is not always right.
KAMU SEDANG MEMBACA
Creative Writing: All of the short stories I wrote in my senior year of college
Cerita Pendek[Published originally on April 29th, 2021] Here is a compilation of all of the written works I did while in my Creative Writing course in college. I haven't edited any of them, just uploaded straight from their original documents. Some are funny, so...
