Kimberly stared at a wad of yellow gum in the black carpet. Neon red and green stripes were angled perpendicularly across the carpet. There was an oversized boot on the counter with a VHS copy of Terminator 2: Judgment Day peeking out. She planted her elbows on the front desk and closed her eyes.

How the hell did I end up here? she thought.

The chime of the gold bell above the door startled her as a stern woman with puffy black hair huffed her way to the front desk.

Well, this is going to be fun, she thought.

Kimberly stood up and ran her fingers through her straight, highlighted brown hair. “Welcome to Video Boots!”

“More like Video Porn!” the woman said.

She threw a VHS tape on the counter and crossed her arms. “Go ahead. Look at it.”

Kimberly’s hands shook as she picked up the tape. The cover was for Little Rascals. She held the sides of the cover and let the tape slip out.

“I rented this for my five-year-old son,” the woman said.

It’s just The Mask… Kimberly thought.

“I rented Little Rascals and I got pornography,” the woman said.

Kimberly looked past her to the long, white van parked out front. There were at least five kids baking in the Bakersfield heat.

Poor kids, she thought.

The woman slammed her fist on the table and Kimberly dropped the tape. “You should give me four free rentals for this outrage.”

“I can give you one free rental. We’re sorry for the mistake,” Kimberly said.

“You exposed my son to pornography!”

“The Mask isn’t pornographic…” Kimberly said.

“Excuse me? That blond slut was naked!” the woman said.

“There’s no nudity.”

The woman slammed both of her fists on the table. “Get me your manager, right now!”

A young couple walked inside and started browsing the action movie section. The woman turned around and yelled, “They gave my boy a pornographic movie!”

The couple looked up briefly before returning to their browsing.

Kimberly flushed red and walked away. She slapped cardboard Forest Gump on the face as she passed the numerous shelves of VHS tapes, and Sega Genesis cartridges. An artificial woodgrain shelve groaned under the weight of a large customer who leaned against the numerous copies of The Lion King. She tried to ignore the section of his belly that didn’t quiet fit inside his shirt and kept moving back.

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The Employees Only sign on the back door was crooked. She peeled off the sign and tried to stick it back, but straight this time. It stayed for a second, but it fell on the floor, sticky side down. She put her hand over her left eye and sighed. Why did I do that? I’m losing it, she thought.

She kicked it to the side and stepped into the Video Boots break room. A guy with a bleach-tipped mohawk was reading a dirty magazine on a hard plastic chair. Kimberly sighed. “Come on, dude.”

He closed the magazine with a snap and sat up straight.

“Don’t bring that crap to work!” she said.

He smiled sideways as he looked her up and down. “Maybe if you gave me a chance, I wouldn’t need it.”

“Creep. Where’s Jerry?” she asked.

He pointed to a small kitchen and opened his magazine. She could feel his eyes watching her over his magazine as she opened the kitchen door.

Jerry and his ample beer belly were sitting across from Annie with her mini-bun cut. She thinks that having eight mini-buns makes her unique, Kimberly thought. It makes her look like a bratty teenager.

He was leaning back with his mouth open as Annie threw cheese snacks into his mouth.

“A customer wants to talk to you, Jerry,” Kimberly said.

He looked over and took a cheese snack to the eye. “Ouch.”

“Sorry!” Annie yelled. She ran over and kissed him next to the wounded eye.

Kimberly looked at his wedding ring and then back at his eyes. “This lady wants four free rentals.”

“Four free rentals?” Jerry asked. “That’s insane.”

“She thinks The Mask is pornographic.”

“I mean… it’s Cameron Diaz… she might have a point there,” he said.

He winked at Annie. She giggled and he pointed to the door. “Let’s get this over with.”

Annie spanked him on the butt as he walked out. He raised an eyebrow and Kimberly resisted the urge to throw-up. After they passed mohawk boy, she asked, “How’s the wife?”

The vein on his forehead pulsed before going away. “She’s fine.”

He huffed off ahead of her and talked to the woman. Kimberly took her time to catch up. She flipped up the gate and stepped inside the circular front desk.

“Do you make it a habit of giving kids pornography here?” the woman said.

“I’m sorry for the mixup. I can give you two free rentals,” he said.

“Are you hearing this?” she spun around, looking for an audience. “Pornography for children!”

“Three rentals if you stop yelling,” Jerry said.

“A small penance for the travesty committed here,” the woman said.

He reached under the counter and ripped off three free rental coupons. “Here you go.” He glared at Kimberly and made a face before heading to the back.

The woman walked around the desk to where Kimberly was standing. “You know, I remember you from my oldest’s volleyball team,” the woman.

“Oh yeah, that’s why you look familiar. She was a great server!” Kimberly said. Maybe if I’m nice, she’ll leave, she thought.

“I can’t believe I let her go to Bakersfield College,” the woman said.

“Why? It’s a great school,” Kimberly said.

The woman analyzed Kimberly skeptically. “I want my daughters to be successful.”

“Last time I checked neither of your daughters were working.”

A smile slid up the woman’s face. “At least my daughters didn’t make me kill myself.”

Kimberly’s arms started shaking as she tried to keep everything locked inside. She failed. “Shut up, you fucking asshole!”

She covered her mouth, eyes wide. Apparently it came out louder than she expected. Jerry was standing by the employees only door.

The woman stood frozen in place. Lips stammered.

Kimberly didn’t give her a chance to formulate a response. She ran to the door, pushed through, and dashed for her bicycle. Her shaky, sweaty hands fumbled with the bike lock. The store door opened with a crash. Kimberly snapped the lock off and kicked off without looking back.

“Get back here!” the woman yelled.

She didn’t.

I’m dead. I’m dead. I’m dead. I’m so fired. I’m dead. Dead, she thought.