It was a Saturday, the kind where everyone in town decided to hit the supermarkit at the same exact time. I was just tryin to get my groceries and go home. My legs was already aching from standing on the hard floor. See, I got this thing where sometimes, if I stand too long, my knees feel kinda wobbly, like they might just give out. It ain’t a big deal, just annoying. I had my basket, mostly frozen stuff cause I was gonna make a big lasagna later, and I was in line for what felt like forever. The checkout line was moving slow, like a slug trying to cross a salted sidewalk. I was at the third register, behind a lady with two kids who was yelling about candy, and she was behind an old fella who was paying with a stack of pennies.
I was just staring at the back of the candy display, trying to distract myself from the slow pace. The light in the store was kinda bright, made the red on the candy rappers seem extra bright, almost hurt my eyes after a bit. I could hear the beeping of the scanners, a kinda flat, green sound in my head, like a weak pea soup. Usually I just ignore it, but today it was kinda getting to me, all the noise and the waiting.
Then this fella comes up. He was maybe early twenties, wearing a nice shirt but it was untucked and kinda wrinkly, like he just rolled outta bed. His hair was all gelled up like a porcupine. He had just a few things, like a energy drink and a bag of chips. He just walked right up to the front of the line, past like ten people, and stopped right next to the lady with the two kids. He leaned on the counter like he belonged there. He didn’t even look around, just kept staring straight ahead at the cashier like he was the only one in the store. He acted like the whole line didn’t exist, like we was all ghosts.
The lady with the kids, she stopped yelling at her kids for a second. She looked at him, then at the line, then back at him. She opened her mouth to say something, but he just kinda put his hand up, like he was shushing her without even looking. He just said, kinda loud, “I’m in a hurry, I just got these two things.” His voice was kinda high pitched, almost made the edges of my vision go a bit yellow, like a weak lemon.
Nobody said nothing right away. I guess everyone was just too shocked to speak. The cashier, a young fella with tired eyes, just kept scanning the old man’s pennies, real slow. The lady with the kids finally spoke up. She said, “Excuse me, sir, there’s a line here.” She wasn’t yelling, but you could tell she was mad.
The young fella, he finally looked at her. He kinda smirked. “Yeah, I see it. But like I said, I’m in a hurry. My time is important.” He said it like his time was more important than anyone else’s. Like we was all just standing there for fun. He then turned back to the cashier, like the conversation was over. The cashier, he just looked down at the register, trying to pretend he didn’t hear nothing.
I was starting to get real hot. My knees was still kinda wobbly, but now my face felt hot too. This fella, he was something else. I ain’t usually one to make a fuss, I like to keep to myself. But this was just plain rude. I shuffled my feet a bit, kinda wanting to say something but not wanting to make a scene. My left knee felt like it was getting a cramp, just a dull throb. I hate that feeling.
Then the lady behind me, she started to get real loud. This was a different lady, not the one with the kids. She had a kinda frumpy purple jacket and her husband was with her, pushing the cart. He just looked kinda defeated, like he’d heard it all before. She started talking to her husband, but loud enough for everyone to hear. “Can you believe this, Carl? Just can you believe the sheer audacity? People just think they can do whatever they want these days. No respect for anyone! It’s an absolute disgrace, Carl!” Her voice was kinda scratchy, a deep, brownish-red color in my head. Her husband, Carl, just mumbled something and looked at his shoes.
The young fella at the front, he ignored her too. He was just tapping his fingers on the counter, looking annoyed. The old fella finally finished paying for his groceries. The cashier, he looked up, real hesitant. “Next in line?” he asked, kinda quiet. He looked at the lady with the kids, then at the young fella. He was caught between a rock and a hard place.
The young fella just pushed his energy drink and chips forward. “Yeah, that’d be me,” he said, real confident. The lady with the kids, her face went red. “No, it’s not! I was next!” she shouted. One of her kids started crying then, a real high-pitched sound, made my vision go even more yellow, like a canary. It was starting to get real loud in this part of the store.
That’s when I spoke up. My voice was a bit shaky at first, cause I don’t usually talk loud in public. “Hey buddy, you gotta go to the back of the line,” I said. I ain’t never called someone ‘buddy’ before, but it just came out. I took a deep breath. “There’s people waiting here. We all got stuff to do.” My knee really ached now, and I just wanted to get home and sit down.
He turned his head slowly and looked at me. His eyes were kinda narrowed. “And who are you?” he asked, like I was some bug he just found on his shirt. “I don’t think you get to tell me what to do.” He looked me up and down, like he was judging my old sneakers and my kinda faded t-shirt. I could feel my own face getting hot now, matching his anger. My patience was wearing thin, and that high-pitched yellow sound from the kid crying was still kinda there, making my head feel buzzy.
“I’m a person in this line, just like everyone else,” I said, trying to keep my voice even, but it was getting harder. “You can’t just cut in front. That ain’t how it works.” The lady in the purple jacket, she was still going on, “It’s a disgrace, Carl! An absolute disgrace! Someone should call the manager!” Her husband just nodded miserably.
Suddenly, the lady in the purple jacket, she kinda swung her arm out while she was making a point and she knocked over this big stack of cereal boxes next to the checkout. They wasn’t real heavy, just lots of them, and they all tumbled down with a loud CLANG and a rustle of cardboard. It made everyone jump. One box of Lucky Charms rolled right to my feet. It was a funny kinda distraction, but it just made the yellow in my vision get brighter for a second, like a flashbulb went off in my head.
The young fella, he just rolled his eyes at the noise. “See? All this drama for nothing. Just scan my stuff so I can go.” He said it to the cashier, who looked like he was about to cry. The cashier looked at me, then at the lady with the kids, then back at the young fella. He looked trapped. He didn’t say anything, but he slowly reached for the energy drink. He just wanted it to be over. I could see it in his eyes. He didn’t want no more trouble.
“Hey, you can’t do that!” the lady with the kids yelled. “Call a manager!” I tried to speak up again, to say something else, but my words felt stuck in my throat. The young fella, he had a real smug look on his face. He watched as the cashier scanned his items. The beeping was green again, but it felt colder now, like a deep green-blue. The cashier told him the total, and the young fella pulled out his phone, paid with a tap, and then just grabbed his things. He gave us all a look, like we were the idiots, and then he walked away, real fast, without another word.
He was gone. Just like that. The cashier just stood there, kinda slumped. The lady with the kids was fuming, pulling her cart forward. The lady in the purple jacket was still telling her husband about the disgrace of it all, and Carl was still nodding. I just stood there, holding my basket, my knees still aching, watching the spot where he was. The bright yellow in my vision faded, leaving just the dull green of the scanner. I guess some people just get to do what they want. It ain’t fair, but that’s how it went. I pulled my basket forward, it was my turn now.
