JANUARY
The train is packed. I mean, what did you expect; this is New York; trains are always full, in the morning, at night, at every time; that’s the sad thing about not having a car or when your job is far from home, at this point you just have to deal with it, I took another sip of my lukewarm latte, the train finally stopped to my destination, I took my phone out of my pocket to message Suzy ‘yes yes I know I’m late!! I’m close’ I walked as fast as I could to be at Rose’s on time. 8:50. nine minutes before opening, I opened the entry; the little bell above the door made a soothing sound announcing my arrival; Suzy was putting new books on the shelf, and she stopped when she heard the door open “Finally!!” she said, holding her hands above her head “What took you so long!?” as stupid as it was I don’t want to lie to her “Wrong train.” yep, she’s disappointed, I can see that “Just flip over the open sign, will you?” I gave her a thumbs-up. “Got it.”
10:22. Eleven customers came, most of them were students; it was exam season, so borrowing books was necessary; it was also snowing, the perfect time to stay in bed!
“Daydreaming again?” uh oh “N-No.” “Yeaaah sure.” she rolled her eyes, knowing I was lying, “Here, eat this.” she handed me a Tuna sandwich and a can of Soda. “Don’t tell me you forgot lunch.” should I tell the truth? “I was too focused on my work and-” “And daydreaming.” shit “I wasn’t daydreaming! I was thinking!” “Thinking about what?” Suzy tied her long blond hair before unfolding the paper that was wrapped around her sandwich, taking her first bite. “Have you heard about any kidnapping news lately?” “Kidnapping? why?” “I heard two girls talking about...a student who went missing for a year; they think she got kidnapped near Queens, I think?” Suzy put her half-eaten sandwich down, thinking about what I said for a minute “Oh shit, I heard about it, but it’s still a rumor; wait. that’s where you live.” That’s right, I live near Queens; that’s why I’m getting kinda concerned, Suzy continued chowing her sandwich unbothered. Mine, on the other hand, is still untouched.
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8:00 evening, “Thank you for coming.” I smiled at the last customer of the day; when the customer left, I let out a long sigh, patting myself on the shoulder. “Good job, me.” the bookstore is officially closed, so I went to the ‘STAFF ROOM’ AKA Suzy’s small office. “I’m done!” “Today was busy; I’ll tell you that.” I sat on one of her chairs. “You tell me!” I said excitedly. “I bet you’re excited about your paycheck.” I shrugged my shoulders. “Shouldn’t I be?” she chuckled. “Nope, you should be; you have been working hard this month, so you deserve it.” “Very professional of you to say.” “I’m being honest. Okay, big girl, here is your check.” she stood up took a mini envelope out of the drawer, and handed it to me. “There you go.” Suzy is two years older than me, she understands the struggle I’m having, her friendship is what I needed the most, and on top of that she offered me a job, how cool is that! “Thank you.” “Now, let’s get some dinner, shall we?”