North Star

05 | red

2019

"Good morning! Welcome to—"

"We're just looking."

"Well, fuck you too," I whispered as the couple walked into the showroom, weaving through the furniture displays like they were on a mission. Most people were when they went furniture shopping, but that didn't mean they needed to be rude.

Mondays were never good. I wasn't surprised to be in a bad mood.

Someone had called out sick so I had contended with the surprise morning rush all on my own and wasn't due for my coworker to show up for another thirty minutes, which in retail time felt more like an hour. I probably could have called over Tracey, the office manager, to watch the store while I went on a quick but much-needed break. Maybe if I had any self-preservation, I would have. Having to work was quite possibly one of the most draining experiences of my life.

The curse of being a mildly independent adult.

The side door opened and in walked one of the only friendly faces I associated with at this store. Not that I worked with any vile personalities; I just didn't seem to care enough about them to extend beyond a hello and goodbye in passing. Then again, most of the staff at this store were about a minimum of twenty years older than me and any point of reference regarding current pop culture went in one ear and out the other.

Calum Hill only started working here about six months ago but had quickly become my one and only real work friend. I mostly chalked it up to our relatively close ages. Cal insisted it was because we both appreciated the superiority of the Jurassic Park score.

"Time to turn that frown upside down." He slapped his hand onto the countertop that separated us. The ironed aloha shirt he wore for work every day was a stark contrast to his relaxed, easy-going nature.

"I will do no such thing."

"And why not?"

"That would be letting capitalism win."

He laughed and hiked his backpack higher on his shoulder. I found it funny how being at work often felt like living a second life. These people saw me more than my own family sometimes, and definitely more than my friends, and yet I knew next to nothing about their lives outside of work. Whenever I moved onto a new job, which would likely happen sooner than later since I was getting fed up with these abysmal benefits—these people would all be cut out of my life as soon as the ripcord took effect.

"Do you want me to cover?" he asked even though he was early to work and didn't technically work in my area. Our furniture store was divided into three divisions; Calum worked at Wu Home Design, the main store that catered to luxury selections, while I worked at Red, a more modern division meant to attract a younger clientele. "They finally fixed the vending machine yesterday. You can grab a snack or something."

One thing I had come to understand quickly about Calum was his ability to read people well, even within seconds of meeting them. On his first day on the job, he told me I looked like someone that stared too long at the ocean thinking it would reveal some hidden truth. When I asked him why he got that impression, he just told me he knew somebody else like that. One of his best friends.

It didn't surprise me that as his eyes traveled around my face, he instantly recognized how tired I was.

Before I could take him up on his offer, the door chimed with the arrival of a new customer.

"Well then."

Calum turned and followed my gaze to where Nikau had just walked through the front door. The breeze pulled past him into the store, carrying him inside as he took everything in. Since our cash wrap was on the left side of the store right after you first entered and he started on the other side, he didn't land on us until after he'd made a clean sweep of the rest of the store and recognition flooded his senses as quickly as it had mine.