The day off

As soon as his phone was fixed - Zachary sent me a picture. It was of one of the drawings he drew that Saturday, when I was at his place. "What do you think?" he sent under the picture.

I thought he was done, that the last thing he added before we left was all there was into it. But now it looks a lot better - as if I had taken a picture myself but turned a black and white filter on.

I'm guessing, Zachary went back home and continued drawing, got it done today and send me the results which means he is at home. It also means what he was supposed to be up to today, was drawing. I remember, he mentioned that he stayed at home drawing on Monday when he was absent from school too. He says he is going to show me the results when done, as I remember it. Could he be working on it today?

I looked at the picture again. Studied the details he had added and compared the difference from what I remember it from the day before. Amazing. The fur, the eyes, the claws, even the forest behind the kittens. The kittens weren't there when he drew the rest, yet it looks as if nothing had changed from the beginning of the processes to the end - that they were there throughout it all. Simply stunning.

* * * *

Today is Sunday. I'm at work.

I work at a small convenience store. It's twenty minutes away from home if I'd take the buss. Right now, the weather is still cool so I take the bike to get there. It takes ten to fifteen minutes. I would get out a little earlier though, then, I drive slower because that way, I wouldn't risk sweating.

The convenience store is not very big. You can find whatever you may need in an emergency fall but I can manage the business alone. The size of the store is pretty small in other words.

You might think be thinking why I chose to work there instead of a bigger place. The answer to that question is that I don't know anyone that would go to that store. It makes my life easier for that, I don't have to meet unnecessary people that keep asking questions, it's embarrassing. Sometimes people won't consider what comes out through their mouth, it's painful. Adding to that, I like doing it alone - the owner trusts me and that makes me feel good too.

I want to open my own store when I grow up. Most likely, something quiet and easy going, like a bookstore. I tried getting a job there actually, I wanted to see how things work from up close. But, in the end, I didn't pass the interview for the bookstore interview that I'm interested in. I decided worked here, instead. I still like it despite everything; it's small and comfortable. The owner need me every now and then and when he does, I am in charge of everything.

Since Zachary's drawing store is nearby, he would sometimes drop by. Maybe he will come by today.

When I'm working in the shop on Sundays, there would be less heavy shopping and more likely for kids to come. A lot of the them craved ice cream so the shop owner would always make sure there are plenty of snacks on Sundays, Saturdays too. In summer season we would open a soft ice cream machine outside the store, this summer was the first to, after all, I suggested the idea and that's when I started working in the store.

After my shift, I might buy some cat food and go visit the kittens. Of course we would usually leave food to them and they've learned to eat it when it's time, from before I met them.

Then a thought crossed me, how long do kittens live - I don't want them to leave. Thinking about that was too miserable.

As you know, I talked with Zachary about how the kittens will be able to survive when winter arrives, the weather will be getting very cold here. He said that we will find a solution for that and he also said that he's already got something in mind in case we don't come up with something to do about the matter.

"Hello, welcome madam" a costumer came in, Ms, Marshall, she would usually come on Sundays and buy daily necessaries from here. She looks a little chubby but she was previously a well devoted principal, or at least that's what she told me.

"Hi Adrienne, it has been some time" she said, after she came inside.

"Hello, yeah, I haven't been working very much lately.

"I see. I'm looking for cheese for burgers, where do I find some? You know which ones I'm talking about, right?"

"Yeah, we only have on type. It's placed near the sauces on the second shell."

Before this everything was different; vegetables and fruits would be put in the same location, spices and candy on the same shell and the freezers were located in a different place. I thought by organizing that, the owner could get more buyers.

It was in may at that time, I felt upset about something. I took a long walk in a route I haven't been to before. Later, I got thirsty and that's when I saw the store. I came inside to buy some water from there. I kept looking, went back and forth but I wasn't able to find it anywhere. "May I help you with something?" the store-owner asked in the end. I told him that I wished to buy some water and he got it for me instead. It seems that two freezers were placed in front of each other, and I didn't notice.

After I was about to pay, I thought I could tell him. And so I did. "I think the store would attract costumers if you..."

Then he responded, "Miss, if you don't have any plans over the summer - would you consider working here?" He told me about the hours he would need someone and made sure it wasn't late. Then he told be that I don't need to do any heavy lifting, just fill the shells with products and work at the checkout.