Who: Casey & Cecilia. What: Fate steps in with a first meeting. Where: Grocery store in Seattle. When: 9:30 PM. Warnings: Cuteness?.
Yogurt was on sale, it swept by in a dizzying rush of french vanilla and key lime Yoplait. Everything was feeling mechanical now, like so many other aspects of her life. Days flashed in blips and bleeps, registered by the gun in her hand. Her laser ran red and scanned a few dozen coupon barcodes before retiring to the holster beside her register so that she could issue a price check on breadcrumbs. For reasons Cecilia could never describe, her eyes always ran to the clock in these final hours. Which was ridiculous, it's not like she ever really wanted to go home, so why did she ache against the choke of a timeclock?
Families walked through the doors, hand in hand. Children pleaded for candy, and were sedated by their parents' compliance. Every instance felt tough to witness, at once plunging her into jealousy and admiration. Cecilia dutifully examined her nails, clipped short with beds that bordered on an anemic blue.
The conveyor belt started up again, channeling streams of paper plates and chicken cutlets. Somebody issued a price check on sanity, and it took Cecilia several moments to realize they'd actually asked for a check on stationary. It was enough to make her smile to herself, because she must have been finally too tired to function.