A Dying Light

Chapter: II

   I start my morning shift, placing my name tag onto my shirt to show that I work here. It's currently 7:49 am. I grab a box from the front and head over to the chip section. I kneel down and grab some bags, placing them on their shelves. I hear the bell on the door ring as people start to walk in. I glanced around from time to time, sorta just counting the customers that walk in. Once I finished with the first box, I go back to grab another one and check what it contains.

   “bread? ” I tell myself out loud. Not too specific but..I'll figure it out I guess. I pick up the box and head on over to the small bakery area. I placed the box in front of me and kneel down, taking out a box cutter and opening it up. Well..there was some type of bread inside. More like donuts, twinkies, cookies...more like snacks to me. “should have labeled these as bakery items..not just..bread.” I whisper, looking from side to side. I unpack the items and start placing them in there spots.

“hey isuke.” someone tells me. For some reason I couldnt wrap my head around who that voice belonged to. I look to my right and it's just david, fellow co worker. “you need something done or?” I asked, getting up and continuing to keep my eyes on him. “ah well..yeah, I need you to go to the back and work on well...the baked goods since Kathy isn't here to do them.” He told me with a nervous smile. I let out a sigh before turning my head to the items and go back to placing them in their proper section. “Can't ava do it? She doesn't seem to be doing anything anyways. ” I told him. “I mean she can but hahah.. you're also here so I would like if you made them..” he tells me in response.

I slowly turn my head to look at him. “Fine. Finish with what I'm doing at least.” I tell him, picking up the box, walking to him and handing it over to him. I walk to the back of the store where there's a door that leads to a kitchen. I let out a sigh and get to work making fresh made donuts, bread like banana bread, mini pies, you name it.

   Few hours later, I managed to finish all that stuff. Made enough to at least last up until 3 in the evening. I was bringing trays in and out and even had to clean some of them. I work with some lazy co workers...doesn't matter. I'm going to hopefully get out of this job for a while. I stated that it's for college reason when in reality...I just want a break. I have enough money to be fine...and with the money I have stored away from..them..It just adds on. Besides they have accepted me back a few times before so if something does happen, I can come back.

   I walk out the back door and look around. There were a few people getting whatever they needed, groceries, food to go, whatever. I look over at the clock. 11:59 am. I walk back over to the front and look around if there's anything else to unpack, turns out there's nothing. I begin to walk around the store, grabbing items that did not belong in certain places. And I place them back in their proper places.

“excuse me...” someone whispered to me. I look around, then see a little girl beside me. “may I help you with something?” I ask her, tilting my head.
She then points to some candy at a top shelf. “i would like to have some of those candies but...I can't reach.” she tells me , sounding very shy. I look over and grab a handful, then show them to the little girl. “choose out the ones you like..I can get more if you want.” I tell her, she glances over at my palms where the candy say. She picks out a few then smiles. “thank you!” she tells me and runs off to her mother. I nod as I watch her go, then place the rest of the candy back.

Children. So innocent, nice, and have nothing to worry about. Learning and seeing what the world has to give them. 

Made me remember when I was a little girl again. I was always around my mother, even if she was hardly home. It was just always me and my dad. Dad and I.

“Hey Isuke!”
I snapped out of that thought and looked around. “yes?” I say and then spot david.
“I was wondering if you can go wipe down some of the display windows for the drinks over there, when you were gone kids just started putting their hands all over it and it got dirty.” he told me, with that same old nervous smile. As if I was going to punch him or something.
“sure thing.” I told him in response, walking over to the back to get some cleaning supplies. I walk downwards in a long hallway where most of us don't really go. It's usually the janitor coming to the very back and cleaning stuff done. Strange that David wanted me to do it instead of waiting. It is 12:23 pm and more people will start showing up.

I turn to my right and open a door that is labeled as ‘cleaning’, says only janitor is allowed. I work here so...it's nothing. I look around to find the windex, it's inside a box with disinfecting wipes and air freshener. I grab it and then look for a cloth or even newspaper to wipe the spray down.

I hear something behind me in the hallway. 

I turn quickly and look around. Nothing. I walk out of the room and look down the hallway. I won't even bother to say hello, literally the one thing you should not do. I walk back towards the front again and from the corner of my eye I see the same little girl from before just standing in a corner. I turn to her

“what are you doing here?” I ask her as she walks up to me. “sorry...I wanted to see you and you look so pretty..uhm..” was all she told me before she went quiet. “come on now, your mother must be looking for you and we don't want to keep her worrying.” I tell her, extending my hand out for her to grab it. Which she did , we walked out of that hallway, and were in the kitchen. I tell her to stop as I place down the cleaning stuff I got. Then we continue to walk and out the kitchen we were.

  “There you are Jada...where did you run off to! I felt like the world had ended when I couldn't find you...” her mother said. Jada, what a cute name for a precious girl like her. “she was in a hallway and I guess she just wanted to look around miss.” I tell her before her mother gave me a dirty look. “i don't think I asked you young lady.” she tells me before calling her daughter's name to come to her. Jada looked at me for a few seconds and gave me a smile. She lets go of my hand and walks over to her mother. Her mother picks her up in her arms, smiling at her daughter but then...looks back at me with that same dirty look.

“you probably lured my daughter in so you could do horrible things. I saw you giving her candy eariler.” the mother told me as I raised a brow.
“excuse me ma'am are you trying to frame me as a pedo after I was trying to help your sweet daughter get some candy from a shelf she couldn't reach?” I declare. “Yes, exactly. I can't trust a dirty redhead like you.” the mother told me, I just crossed my arms. “Well ma'am, just be happy I found your daughter and be grateful another random person didn't find your daughter first. Have a nice day.” I tell her before I turn back to the back door to head towards the kitchen. But then suddenly...

SPLASH !

I felt something cold get thrown behind my back. Like water! I turn around and the mother had legit opened a water bottle from the shelf beside her, just to throw it at me. “whats this for ma'am?” I ask her with a concerned look on my face. “because you're dirty, you filthy bitch.” she tells me. “ma’am you have a child with you, that language shouldn't be tol-” she cut me off before I could even finish “don't you dare tell me what I can and cannot say in front of my kid.” she told me before she threw that empty water bottle at me. I managed to catch it before giving her a stare. A long stare. She walked off to the front to go pay whatever she had. David comes over to me.

“what happened?” he asked me. I give him a ‘are you fucking serious’ look. “the lady with the child thought I had took her daughter to do some things to her.” I tell him. “did you?” he questions me before I give a shocked look. “are you serious? Do you actually think I would do some sick shit like that?” I ask him before he shakes his head. “no no! Of course not...sorry you had to deal with that I'll help you get clean.” he tells me, I just shake my head.

As if you will be any help now. I go off to the back once more and enter the restroom to check myself in the mirror. Not too bad. I get some paper towlets to get any excess water on my back off. After that's done...I get the windex and cloth I left in the kitchen. Then go to the display windows where the drinks are to wipe them down.

Can’t get any worse.