My shift at the groserry store started out like any other Munday. I wuz stockin the cereal ille, makin sure all the boxes wuz lined up rite. It wuz early still, not too many peeple around. I liked the morning shift, less caos, more time to just focus on what I wuz doin. My left pinky finger, the one that bends all the way back, it wuz twirlin a little, like it does when I’m just thinkin.
I herd a loud revvin sound from outside, in the parkin lot. It wuz a car engine, but it sounded like it wuz bein pushed too hard, real fast like. Then a screetch. I luked out the big windo at the front of the store, and saw a red sportz car, parked sideways rite across two disable spots. Not just like a little over the line, but like it had just barely missed crashin into a cart return. A young fella, maybe 20, 22, jumpt out the car. He had on a fancy shirt, unbuttoned way low, and sunglasses. He slammd the car door shut and just strode into the store like he owned the place, not even a glance back at his messed-up parkin. He had that kinda walk, like the ground wuz lucky to be under his feet.
I didn’t think much of it at first. Sum peeple just drive like that. But then I saw Mr. Henderson, our main manager, walk over to the windo, his face gettin all red. Mr. Henderson usually keeps a calm face, but this parkin job, it really got him. He went rite out the door, his steps quick. I figured he wuz goin to tell the fella to move his car. This wuz gunna be sumthin.
A few minutes later, I herd voices risin near the front entranse. Not just talkin, but more like arguin. I put down the box of Cheerios I wuz holdin and walked a little closer, tryin to luk like I wuz just doin my job but mostly tryin to hear what wuz goin on.
It wuz Mr. Henderson and the young fella. Mr. Henderson wuz pointin at the car outside. He wuz sayin sumthin about how this wuz private property and that kinda parkin wuz not ok, and it wuz blockin important access. The young fella, he just had his arms crossed and a smug luk on his face. He sed sumthin about how he wuz only gunna be a minute, and that he wuz a good custumer, and he had importint things to do. Like buy cereal or sumthin, I guess. He wuz talkin in a loud, dismissive way, like he wuz talkin to a kid.
Then, from behind a rack of magazines, a lady apeared. She had a stroller with a baby in it, a real little one, all bundled up. She wuz kinda short, with blond hair, and she luked at the young fella, then at Mr. Henderson. She musta herd the loud talkin. She walked up to them, pullin the stroller with her.
She sed sumthin to Mr. Henderson about how he wuz bein too hard on her son. Her voice wuz gettin louder too. She sed her son wuz a very importint buisnessman, and he had to rush, and he didn’t have time to find a proper spot. She wuz sayin sumthin about how we shud be glad he wuz even comin to our store. The young fella, her son, just nodded along, a smirk on his face, like his mom wuz his lawyer. He wuz actin like he wuz all that.
Mr. Henderson tryed to explain that the spots wuz for peeple who needed them, and it wuz a saftey issue, and that the car cud get towed. The lady, she just waved her hand like she wuz swatting a fly. She sed that wuz rediculous, her son’s car wuz very exspensive, and no one wud dare tow it. She then got all huffy and sed that she and her son wuz goin to take thare buisness sumwhere else if we didn’t apolojize to him. The baby in the stroller started to whimper a little, from all the loud talkin.
I wuz just standin thare, watchin it all unfold. It wuz a real mess. The lady then did sumthin strange. She put her hand on her son’s arm and then pointed at the stroller. She sed sumthin like, her son wuz just tryin to help her, a single mother, out. Even tho she wuz standin rite next to him, and he wuz clearly old enuff to be her son, not a random helpful fella. I guess she thought that adding “single mother” to the mix wud make us feel bad and back down. But her son wuz thare, big as day. It wuz an odd thing to say.
Mr. Henderson wuz tryin to explain again, more firmly this time, that rules apply to evryone. He pulled out his phone, sayin he wuz gunna call for the tow truck. The lady’s eyes got wide. She sed he cudn’t do that, that wuz theft! Her son’s car! She then stood in front of the car door, as if to block it from bein towed. The baby started to cry a little louder now, all the noise wuz upseting him.
I thought for a minute. These kinda peeple, they don’t like bein told what to do. They think they know best. So, I walked over, real casual like. I sed to Mr. Henderson, loud enuff for the lady to hear, “Hey, Mr. Henderson, do you think it wud be a good idea to maybe, just as a favor, call the local news? You know, for a story about how sumone almost had thare fancy car towed from a groserry store for blockin disable spots, but then they changed thare mind and moved it?”
Mr. Henderson luked at me, a little confused, but I gave him a quick, subtle nod, tellin him to play along. He got it. He sed, “Hmm, that’s an intrestin idea. Good for public relations, shows we are fair but firm.”
The lady’s head swiveled to me, then back to Mr. Henderson, then back to me again. She had a luk on her face, like she wuz tryin to put sumthin together in her head. Her son, he wuz still standin thare, but he luked a little less smug.
I then sed, “Yeah, and it wud show how smart the person wuz to realize that maybe, just maybe, it wuz a better idea to move the car before any more trouble started. Becus, you know, being smart about things like that, that’s what good peeple do. And then, evryone cud see how you, a smart person, made a good choice all on your own.” I made sure to emphasize the “smart person” part and “on your own.” My pinky wuz twitchin a lot now.
The lady thought about this for a long moment. I could practically see the gears turnin, real slow like. She wuz still huffy, but the anger in her eyes had changed a little. It wuz like she wuz picturing sumthin in her head. Her face started to smooth out, and she even gave a little nod. She then sed, “Well, of coarse. That’s what I wuz just about to suggest. We don’t want any unnesesary trouble, especially with a baby present.” She gestured to the stroller, which wuz still rockin a little with the baby’s soft crys. “My son, he’s a very ressposible young man. He wud never want to cause a fuss. He’ll move the car right away.” She then turned to her son, gave him a little push, and sed, “Go on, sweetie, move the car. Show them how smart you are.”
The young fella, he still had a bit of an annoyed luk, but he walked over to his car. He jumpt in, and with another loud rev, he drove off, out of the disable spots, but still in a hury. I watched him go, wonderin if he’d park properly or just find another bad spot.
Mr. Henderson luked at me, a small smile tryin to form on his face. He nodded, like he understood what I had done. The lady wuz busy adjustin the baby’s blanket, murmurin sumthin to the little one.
Just then, my radio buzzed. It wuz a call from the bak room, sumthin about a spill on ille six that needed imediat attention. I had to go. I just gave Mr. Henderson a quick luk, and headed off to clean up the mess. I didn’t see what the lady did after that, if she stayed or left, or if her son came back. I just herd the soft cryin of the baby fading as I walked away. That little fella, he didn’t ask for any of that. He just wanted a quiet mornin.
