Julie opened up the coffee shop. Her head was still ringing from the night before. Who thought drinking the night/morning before opening was a great idea? Greg. That's who. Dickhead manager.
She got the key into the door on the third attempt. As the lock clicked, all she could think about was how her friends would be in bed for another five or six hours. Some of them together. Stupid friends.
She put the keys on the hangers behind the counter, flipped the light switch for the back room and collapsed into the hammock chair in there. When she worked up the strength to open her eyes, she strained to point them towards the clock. It was 5:47. Jez was meant to be here too. Jez was late. Stupid Jez.
5:52. She stood up and got to it. Pulled the switches to give the coffee machines their juice. That was really annoying. Jez was fun. Well, at least more fun than opening alone. Things had been awkward between them since...that random Easter party. Why they celebrated Easter with a piss up in Camden was beyond Julie.
6.15. She tied her hair back with her gangsta bandana, rolled up the sleeves on her arms and flipped the 'closed' sign. The door didn't burst open instantly, thank Christ. This gave her chance to sort out her playlist for the shift. That was one benefit of Jez not being there, his music sucked. Like major suckage. There was a reason no one remembered Third Eye Blind.
Half an hour had passed. Only a couple of suits had ventured in on their early morning rush. All lattes, no breakfast. There could be no future with a man like that. The place was empty. Julie turned her back to the door to clean the foam off the steamer. The door opened and shut.
"Morning, how can I help you?" Julie's barista instincts kicked in.
"Yeah...Jez sent me?"
Julie turned. There were shoes, nothing but shoes, in a man sized pile. Converse, Nike Air, Birkenstocks; all kinds of shoes in a disorganised mess. Julie stood and blinked. No one moved.
"He said I could cover his shift for him?"
Julie walked round from behind the counter. She poked the shoes. They leaned back, none fell. All the while, Spoon leaked out from the store's speakers. It was a serene scene.
"Are you ok?" The shoes asked, after regathering their balance.
"I thought I was...so, how do you know Jez?"
"We went to Uni together. I've just moved here, he said I could pick up a couple of his shifts while I looked for work."
This didn't compute with Julie. Jez didn't seem like he cared about footwear, why would he take so much of it to Uni? And then offer it his shifts? Why was a big pile of shoes looking for work anyway? So many questions and it wasn't even 7am yet.
"Are you sure you're ok?"
"Sorry, yeah, dazed out, early start today. Have you and Jez checked this with Greg?"
"Who's Greg?"
"The manager."
"Ahh, we were thinking that we'd keep this on the down low? It's all above board, but why waste time on paperwork?"
Julie like the cut of these shoes' jibs.
"Ok, I could do with the help. So what do I call you?"
"Saul."
------------------------------------------------
Other musings
Being ill sucks.
There's a new My Bloody Valentine record out.
Moving house soon. Party.
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Friday, February 1, 2013
always a little patience and other musings
Jenny sat outside of the Anchor waiting for Jeff. The sun was shining but the wind has picked up since she sat down. She took her sunglasses off so she could see her iPod screen. As she tucked her auburn hair behind her ear, she sighed. Jenny lamented ever letting her ex-boyfriend put so much junk on her mp3 player. Gone were the days were she could just hit shuffle. Now every journey into her music library was a dangerous adventure in which she would battle suicidal pseudo-country songs or ten minute atonal farts, both of which were more dangerous than ROUSes. Music snobs. Never get involved with music snobs.
She hit play on a Billie Holiday collection and put her sunglasses firmly back on her face. Everything was too bright to look at without them, especially after spending an hour underground. The sun bounced off everything. It even made the Thames look a shade that could be mistakable for blue. It was revoltingly pleasant.
'Would they be angry if I thought of joining you?' Billie crooned. Jenny wished she brought a book with her. She needed something occupy her while she waited. She would have gone to get a drink at the bar, but it was lunchtime on a Sunday and she had no idea what sort of meeting this would be. Jeff probably had some news on a client proposal they'd been working on. Jeff had presented to the client on Saturday, so the Sunday meeting wasn't completely out of place. She hoped that it wouldn't turn into an embarrassing occasion to be flirted at. Jeff was nice, so it upset her to shoot him down. Plus he was married, and that played with her conscience more than she was pleased to admit.
Jenny shifted in her seat. She had been in a rush this morning and hadn't planned her outfit probably. Her trousers were new, but the material was itchy - the hazards of online shopping. She had to do most of her online activities at work as the internet reception in her flat was atrocious and her flatmate/landlord was shitty at getting anything done. Her parents sent her an old VCR player, so when other young twenty-somethings got home drunk and put on iPlayer, Jenny at least had her VCR recorder. She hoped she had set it right this morning. The Beeb were putting on 'Niagara'. Jenny didn't allow herself many clichés, but her unabashed love for Norma Jean and Audrey Hepburn were too deep rooted to remove now. She smiled. Last time she saw 'Niagara', she wasn't paying much attention. Fumbling on a couch had sidelined her attention. That was with Derek. Derek was a friend of a boy she was involved with. Last time she saw Derek was at a five-a-side tournament. He was throwing up after a stray kick caught him in the yarbles. He moved to the States shortly after. Jenny wondered how he was.
"Jenny!"
Jenny turned. Emerging from the tunnel under the bridge was Sarah. Sarah dressed and looked like a super model. Jenny hated her, maybe because of how Sarah made her feel about herself. It didn't help that she always looked naturally posed for a photo opportunity at every moment. Sarah approach the table like she was on a catwalk. Jenny mustered up a smile.
They chattered for a while. Sarah definitely had no information filter. Her and Jenny barely knew each other, but she had no problem relaying all of the previous night's adventures. James and Kate went home together, Will got into a fight, Eve lost her bag and had to stay at Hanna's. Exactly the same thing that happened last week, but at least it was some kind of story.
---------------------------------------------------------
Other musings
I promise that next time I'll write a story where something actually happens. Efficiently too.
Zero Dark Thirty and Django Unchained. Both are aimless and long, but one is a lot better than the other. Neither have anything to say.
Rashes are pretty cool huh?
She hit play on a Billie Holiday collection and put her sunglasses firmly back on her face. Everything was too bright to look at without them, especially after spending an hour underground. The sun bounced off everything. It even made the Thames look a shade that could be mistakable for blue. It was revoltingly pleasant.
'Would they be angry if I thought of joining you?' Billie crooned. Jenny wished she brought a book with her. She needed something occupy her while she waited. She would have gone to get a drink at the bar, but it was lunchtime on a Sunday and she had no idea what sort of meeting this would be. Jeff probably had some news on a client proposal they'd been working on. Jeff had presented to the client on Saturday, so the Sunday meeting wasn't completely out of place. She hoped that it wouldn't turn into an embarrassing occasion to be flirted at. Jeff was nice, so it upset her to shoot him down. Plus he was married, and that played with her conscience more than she was pleased to admit.
Jenny shifted in her seat. She had been in a rush this morning and hadn't planned her outfit probably. Her trousers were new, but the material was itchy - the hazards of online shopping. She had to do most of her online activities at work as the internet reception in her flat was atrocious and her flatmate/landlord was shitty at getting anything done. Her parents sent her an old VCR player, so when other young twenty-somethings got home drunk and put on iPlayer, Jenny at least had her VCR recorder. She hoped she had set it right this morning. The Beeb were putting on 'Niagara'. Jenny didn't allow herself many clichés, but her unabashed love for Norma Jean and Audrey Hepburn were too deep rooted to remove now. She smiled. Last time she saw 'Niagara', she wasn't paying much attention. Fumbling on a couch had sidelined her attention. That was with Derek. Derek was a friend of a boy she was involved with. Last time she saw Derek was at a five-a-side tournament. He was throwing up after a stray kick caught him in the yarbles. He moved to the States shortly after. Jenny wondered how he was.
"Jenny!"
Jenny turned. Emerging from the tunnel under the bridge was Sarah. Sarah dressed and looked like a super model. Jenny hated her, maybe because of how Sarah made her feel about herself. It didn't help that she always looked naturally posed for a photo opportunity at every moment. Sarah approach the table like she was on a catwalk. Jenny mustered up a smile.
They chattered for a while. Sarah definitely had no information filter. Her and Jenny barely knew each other, but she had no problem relaying all of the previous night's adventures. James and Kate went home together, Will got into a fight, Eve lost her bag and had to stay at Hanna's. Exactly the same thing that happened last week, but at least it was some kind of story.
---------------------------------------------------------
Other musings
I promise that next time I'll write a story where something actually happens. Efficiently too.
Zero Dark Thirty and Django Unchained. Both are aimless and long, but one is a lot better than the other. Neither have anything to say.
Rashes are pretty cool huh?
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