It was a rainy morning. The rain came down the night before and until now, didn't seem to show any sign of stopping. Although it wasn't pouring heavily, more like a drizzle, it still caused a frown on people's faces as they hurried along to get a cab or any public transportation to get to their destinations.
Wisteria kept staring outside through the glass door of the convenience store. Standing in front of the cash register with nothing to do, she found herself smiling softly. The world outside was shrouded by the mist-like rain and everything seemed soft, dream-like and unreal. The sudden noise of someone making his coffee through the coffee brewer-grinder broke her reverie.
There were only a few people in the store- mostly sitting down by the glass window while drinking their coffee. They were also her regular customers who would never miss a single day unless something came up like the old man, Mr. Ramires.
The first thing he would do the moment he walked into the store was to grab his daily newspaper and head to the register to check out. Wisteria or her cashier on duty would add a medium-size coffee to his transaction. After paying, he would head to the coffee station, grab a medium-size cup and choose Colombian coffee. The moment he pressed the cup size button, the store would be enveloped by the sound of the machine grinding the coffee beans and turn it into the dark-roast coffee he loved.
Holding the insulated cup in his hand, he would draw it close to his nose to inhale the aroma of his freshly-brewed coffee and admire the crema for a bit. He would sit on a seat against the glass window at the rear of the store.
Today, however, Mr. Ramires didn't pick Colombian. He seemed resentful when he looked at his small cup of Decaf and wordlessly went to his usual spot. Wisteria found it strange but she tactfully kept it to herself. It seemed to her Mr. Ramires was in a bad mood. She blinked. It must have something to do with the weather.
Behind her, in the small office, Rainy Days and Mondays by Carpenters was playing. The singer's soothing voice floated in the entire store. It made everyone in the store feel relaxed. Even Mr. Ramires eased up and his brows relaxed.
What I feel has come and gone before
No need to talk it out (talk it out)
We know what it's all about
Hangin' around (hangin' around)
Nothin' to do but frown
Rainy days and Mondays always get me down
Feeling contented, she took a sip of her favorite coffee while savoring its flavor, aroma, the scenery, and the music. If every day were as relaxing as this, she wouldn't mind working 24/7.
She glanced at the time in the lower corner of her screen. It's twenty minutes passed 7:00. Her day had just started as a manager of the convenience store.
Wisteria went back to the office when she saw her morning shift, Lea, coming out of the restroom. Wisteria had to do some paperwork for inventory and financial management. Looking at the pile of invoices and papers on her desk, she sighed helplessly. Her assistant manager could be incompetent at times, she thought.
It took her half an hour to finish everything. Luckily, it's a rainy Monday therefore, there were only a few customers and her cashier didn't need her assistance at all. Of course, few customers wasn't a good thing, but once in a while, she liked it. The store's sales had been very good the last two years after the renovations and changes she did to it. The cost was, of course, something that made Wisteria's little heart bleed.
When she signed for the loan, she gritted her teeth and went through it. The result was a homey convenience store with a big cooler and a beer cave. Not only that, but there were men's and women's restrooms - something you couldn't find easily in many convenience stores in the country. Even the coffee and cappuccino machines were imported from the US. You could say the layout was something very different from the stores commonly found here.
At some point, Wisteria planned to settle in the US with her paternal aunt, Cecilia. In order not to be a burden on her aunt, Wisteria worked at a gas station for three years until she got promoted to assistant general manager. The gas station was a big one with big drink coolers and a beer cave (a walk-in beer cooler) colder than she could bear. It was safe to assume that her store now was like a replica of that gas station.
While she was lost in thoughts, the door alarm rang indicating a person had walked in. After hearing no greetings from the counter, she checked the camera monitor next to her computer and Lea wasn't at the register and someone was standing in front. Where on earth did Lea go?! She knitted her brows for it was someone she didn't want to deal with. But given no choice, she reluctantly got up and walked out of her little office.
In front of the register stood a man dressed in a tucked-in white dress shirt. He was tapping his pointer finger on the counter, looking annoyed and impatient. Wisteria wanted to cry but had no tears. Why did it have to be him?! As for her reaction, it happened two weeks ago.''
It was a very busy Friday morning and given it was rush hour, the store was completely packed. The people standing in line at the registers reached the cooler which was against the wall. Wisteria couldn't get out of the register to check if the coffee creamers were empty or not. When she finally had the chance, she went straight to the coffee area only to be greeted by a man, almost two heads taller than her, looking so pissed and at the brink of erupting. He was holding an empty bottle of French Vanilla creamer (fancy and not a cheap one at that!). Wisteria was about to smile and ask politely if there was something she could help him with when he interrupted her first.
"I just want to let you know that you are out of creamers," he said.
There was irritation and impatience in his voice. And the way he looked at her was like she owed him some money.
She chocked on the words that almost left her lips but very quickly composed herself.
"I'm sorry, Sir. Our delivery truck is running late and we're out of French Vanilla. How about Sweet Cream or Half and Half? Those two are a hit."
She tried her best to sound polite and smile for the sake of customer service. However, he didn't do or say anything. He just stood there looking at her and in every passing moment, his frown grew deeper and deeper. Wisteria started feeling uncomfortable with this fellow. She was about to say another customary thing when he, while still looking at her, dumped the entire cup of coffee directly into the trash can next to him. Once he was done, he gave her a displeased look and in front of the stupefied her, walked out of the store.
Just what on earth was wrong with that fellow?! Argghh. Wait! That's not the point. How could he just waste a cup of coffee just like that? Doesn't he know how expensive those imported coffee beans are?!
Feeling like she was about to go crazy, she turned to Lea. "Did that bastard at least pay for the coffee?!" She was glaring at the door.
Lea had no idea what happened. Sea looked at Wisteria in confusion.
"The tall, handsome guy in a white T-shirt?"
Wisteria just gave her a look that made Lea clear her throat.
"He did." Lea raised a 50-peso bill. "He didn't even take his change back."
......................................
She thought that person would never come back to her store again and yet there he was, standing in front of her. Since he was way taller than her, he looked rather intimidating and Wisteria found herself tensed and nervous. She told herself to calm down and think back to those years she spent working in America. She had to deal with many people who treated her like trash and she survived despite reaching the point of re-evaluating her worth as a human being... Yes. Calm down. She's the boss. She got this.
"Good morning."
She greeted him with a smile that wasn't a smile. He stopped tapping the counter and looked at her blankly. She stretched her lips even wider.
"How may I help you?"
No worries. I made sure all the creamers are stocked. If you dare act like an asshole again, I'll ban you from the store!
With an unreadable expression on his face, he ordered a large size coffee. With a fake smile, Wisteria punched in his order. After telling him the cost, he took out a 100-peso bill. She finalized the transaction fast and gave him his change and this punk didn't even say a single word of thanks. When he was about to turn to the coffee area, something possessed Wisteria and an evil glint flashed through her light, brown eyes.
"We got your favorite French Vanilla this time," she said in a voice sickeningly sweeter than honey.
"I hope you have a wonderful day!"
She really felt she should emphasize some words for a bigger impact.
The man couldn't help but stop and turn his head towards her. He gave her a weird look and she gave her what she thought was her sweetest smile.
The moment he opened his mouth wanting to say something, Lea popped up out of God-knows-where for Wisteria wasn't paying attention to her surroundings right now.
"Where on earth did you go? How could you leave the register without telling me?"
Her eyes sparkled in glee that her savior arrived in the most perfect time to help her get out of this situation. Lea stood there rather confused as Wisteria "scolded" her for not telling her she was going to leave the register.
When she was done with Lea, she went back to her office. She couldn't stop smiling wickedly. She felt so victorious and it was so satisfying! Although the song had long ended and it was now We've Oly Just Begun playing, she couldn't care less and hummed the lyrics of Rainy Days and Mondays.
Lea just stood there dumbfounded. Was her manager berating her? How come she looked so happy? Did her manager wake up on the wrong side of the bed today?
So I'm using the dark theme and the text is black. I'm sure you see the problem.
I'm loving the story so far though.
Thankies!
so petty i love it
Thank you :D I actually encountered someone worse than this dude. He cursed and slammed the entire cup of coffee (with coffee still in it) into the trash can. He slammed his hand on the counter and cuss again xd What can I say... Welcome to the fun world of retail???