“Well, your degree sounds a lot more in demand than mine; I’m sure you’ll get a good job!”
He grits his teeth again. “Yeah… a good job at seventy hours a week. Can’t have a girlfriend with a schedule like that.” Luke leans over and gives Marcie a quick kiss, which she tries to make last as long as possible while still being “quick”.
“You’d make time for me, kid,” Marcie responds slyly, leaning into his shoulder. “Though speaking of time, woah, I think we’d better get going. Place closes at six; they’ll probably be kicking us out soon. Where do you live again, Cecile?”
Cecile shakes her head as politely as she can, holding up the last remnants of her roast beef wrap. “Oh, no, it’s okay, I only live like two miles away, and I want to finish this up. It’s fine; I like walking! You two go and be your four wheels or whatever.”
“I don’t think that’s how that saying actually goes,” Luke observes out loud as the swinging door creaks on the trash bin behind him.
“I know, but, well, I like making up new things to say, too. I like a lot of things. Like that crossword puzzle up there; that’s a really nice crossword puzzle!”
Marcie nods, slinging her purse over her shoulder. “That… wow, you’re right, that is a really nice crossword puzzle. Well, I hope you had fun today Cess; sorry, can I, do you mind Cess?”
Cecile tilts her head indecisively. “I only call myself Cess sometimes. It’s better than Cees, you know, with the long E? Because, you know, that’s be wrong.”
“Yeah, yeah, gotchya. Well, see you later, Cess!”
“Mhm, don’t be a stranger!” Luke adds as he tries and fails to beat Marcie to the door so he can open it for her. Cecile watches the pair longingly as they climb back into the dusty jeep and back out onto the street and into the slowly winding-down town. The day had to end sometime, after all.
“Are you going to kick me out at six?” Cecile inquires of the auburn-haired employee from before, currently tending to the counter. A quick canvas of the establishment reveals that she’s the only customer left, and the minutes on the wall clock are indeed very few between now and closing time.
The woman glances at the clock, and says blandly, “Can if ya’ want me too.”
“I’ve always been too scared to try and get kicked out at closing time. It makes me feel like I’m making the workers’ day worse, and they’ve probably had enough stress already.”
Living in a Lowenly World 