Who: Laura and Finn What: Books and A Job When: Wednesday, 10th April, early afternoon Where: Bibliomania Warnings: Language Status: Complete
After so long running the store Finn knew the routines of customers, like with most retail businesses there were rushes and lulls throughout the day and Finn and whomever was on staff could work their days around these daily events. Today it was pretty quiet, it was just him and one clerk in the store and now that the lunch time rush had gone Finn was at the counter checking the new shipment against the invoice and adding a price sticker to back before they went into a pile to be put on the shelves. It was definitely not the most exciting job in the store but an essential one and always a good thing to do while there weren’t many customers in the way.
With the last box of books checked and priced Finn put the invoice from the supplier into the folder and went around in front of the counter to help put the last of the books out on the shelves and help straighten up anything because it seemed like people on their lunch breaks didn’t seem to care about putting things back in the wrong place. He still had a few books cradled in one arm when there was a soft jingle, the bell on the door that alerted them to someone entering or exiting the store. Looking towards the front of the store he smiled when he saw a familiar face enter.
___
For the last eight or so years, Laura visited Bibliomania about once a month. Books had always been her escape from the doom and gloom of her life. They offered her a view of the world that she would never have otherwise, helped her to meet people… er, characters, who she connected with more than she did with most in her daily interactions. In a book, she could travel, see the world, be happy. In life… well. That was a different story.
After her daughter was born, when she was at her happiest, Laura had started chatting with the store clerk and over the years they developed a friendship, of sorts. Except Laura didn’t have friends. That’s what she told herself anyway. During that time in her life, she was a different person: vibrant, friendly, funny, smart. And after things fell apart, she fell back into herself once again. She read even more than before, and there were times she’d spend her last pennies on a book and skip a meal or two instead. It was worth it. It was always worth it.
Today, Laura stepped inside the familiar shop slowly, after a long time away. She’d lost track, but it had been nearly two months now since her last visit. Things had been hectic, not in a positive way, and even though she had finished her last book weeks ago, she hadn’t gotten herself motivated enough to go in. Taking a deep breath, she inhaled the welcoming scent of printed pages and looked to smiling Finn. Laura forced a small smile to him and offered an awkward little wave. Her left hand was bandaged, more now to hide the unsightly healing condition than to protect any sort of wound. That, and her lackluster greeting was probably enough to explain that her absence had not been for an exciting reason. “Hello.”
___
Books were an escape for most people, getting lost in the story line and pages of a well written novel helped forget reality, even if only for a while. The emergence of audio and e-books had worried a lot of store owners and more than a few had shut up shop but there were still many purists, like himself, who preferred a proper book made from paper, something tangible that you could physically turn the pages of. As long as they were around bookshops would still be needed.
If there was one slight advantage of working in a store like this it was that Finn had learned over the years to read people, to pick those who wanted help or a chat from those who just wanted to browse and be left alone. Laura's small smile and awkward wave was enough to tell Finn that she wasn't in the chirpiest of moods and that was before he saw her bandaged hand.
“Hey.” Finn replied, usually he was pretty chipper and all smiles when he saw someone for the first time in months but he could sense Laura didn't really need that at this present moment. “I just got a new shipment of those saucy ones you like in. Otherwise you know you're free to browse and give me a yell if you need me.” He never wanted to pressure anyone into buying something they didn't really want, books were a personal thing and everyone was different, just because he didn't like the trashy romance novels didn't mean others wouldn't, hell they were one of his better sellers.
___
Smoothing back her dark hair, Laura nodded a little to Finn. She liked him, he knew when to chat and when not to. A lot of people didn’t pick up on those cues. So despite her rather depressed mood, his patience and respect for her space made her want to talk to him more. Just… not about the things that were keeping her away and pushing her down.
“Oh? Thank you. I’ll take a look at them. How have you been? Anything exciting happening around here lately?” Dark eyes scanned the shop before returning to Finn, genuinely interested in how he had been since their last chat.
___
While he wasn't usually one to initiate a conversation, other than the usual 'If you need a hand let me know’ when he was dealing with customers Finn would engage in it if someone showed genuine interest and it seemed like despite her mood that Laura was up for talking.
“Around here? Nothing overly exciting.” Finn said with a shrug, it was pretty boring as far as the store was involved. “I did head up state to visit my parents last weekend. They're going well and I think that my mother has finally stopped trying to pry into my private life. She didn't bring it up the whole time I was there.” Finn had confided in Laura more than once over the years about his mother's almost overbearing desire to try and meddle in his love life, from trying to find him dates to the almost guaranteed question of 'Seeing any one?’ which drove him crazy. “I almost wanted to say it's a miracle when I left.”
___
Laura smiled faintly, listening as Finn spoke. She remembered hearing about his family before, and despite his complaints, they seemed like nice people to her. Then again, Laura didn’t have parents or siblings, so she didn’t know what to expect of a family as one aged. The questions about his personal life were probably annoying, but it sounded like it came from a source of love. “Sounds like it was a good visit over all then.”
___
Finn was sure his mother's meddling was done in love but it still drove him crazy. At least she had learned long ago that there was a very slim chance that they'd get any grandchildren, maybe it was the fact they were once hippies that they weren't shocked or sad when Finn came out to them. “It was. I'm hoping to get a few more days off in the middle of summer and head back there to go hiking, the nights are still a bit too cool to do much.” He loved the outdoors and needed to get away from the city from time to time, especially during the warmer months when it turned into a sweat box. “How is Caitlyn going?” Asking about her daughter was a safer subject than asking how she was going as Finn could see it wasn't going all that well.
___
Laura smiled faintly. Sometimes she was a little envious of Finn. He had a good life, but she wasn’t sure if that was due to circumstance or choice. More and more lately, she wondered what it would be like to have a different life. To take herself out of this dreary story she was trapped in and transplant herself somewhere else. Maybe better things would happen.
At the mention of her daughter, Laura shifted uncomfortably. The girl was her entire world, she’d never had a problem chatting about her casually before. But now it stung. Finn had no way of knowing Caitlyn, and her father, were the source of Laura’s current depression. She forced a little smile regardless. “She’s doing well. I think she might be spending more and more time now with her father. So I’ll probably be wandering around here looking for something to do.”
___
It was a combination of both circumstance and choice that Finn ended up in New York, sometimes he did wonder what he would have done if his uncle hadn't called him up that time, he always thought he'd be a music teacher or something back in Woodstock but he had grown used to his life in the city and thoroughly enjoyed the bookshop.
Finn did notice Laura's uneasy shifting as he was paying pretty close attention to the woman, trying to gauge the good and bad topics and he had touched on a bad one. Her comment about looking for something to do while she was alone did spark an idea in Finn's head. “You know you're always welcome, if it's too quiet at home or you just don't want to be alone you can always come here and sit in that armchair in the corner with a book.” He nodded in the direction of the chair that he himself often sat in and played the violin. “Or if I'm not working we could do something else.” Having gone through his own mental health battles he knew that sometimes just having someone else around could be helpful and stop the mind from over thinking.
___
“Why?” Laura’s immediate reaction was suspicion and confusion. She’d long had difficulty trusting people, with good reason. And while she’d warmed to Finn over the years, she’d still kept a wall up. More for his protection than her own. But she felt vulnerable now, and she knew too well how people could take advantage of her in that state, making her think she could trust them and in turn be coerced to do regrettable things. Or… things she should regret.
She softened slightly, and looked down in shame at her reaction. “I mean, that’s really nice of you to offer. But are you sure about it? I’m not safe to be around.” Which is why your daughter wanted to leave you… Even though things were settled now, it left a lasting mark on her heart. She couldn’t trust people, and she shouldn’t be trusted with them. It was a lonely experience.
___
Finn had kind of expected a reaction like that, most people knew that he was human and that made them even more cautious of him, so many had been hurt by humans in many different ways and while Finn couldn't make up for the hurt caused by others he wasn't going to cause any to anyone, human or gifted. He knew his own dealing with bigots because of his sexuality couldn't hold a flame against what the gifted had suffered but in his own way he knew what it was like to be looked down upon.
“I do. I've said for years that as long as you leave your abilities by the door, anyone is welcome and safe here. I don't need telepaths manipulating people's minds, hydros causing a flood or pyros burning things but it's not like you can choose what you get, you learn to control and live with what fate has dealt you.” Part of Finn wanted to reach out and take Laura's good hand and show he wasn't afraid but he didn't know how she'd take it. “Over the years you have never done anything here that says I can't trust you Laura. You are always welcome here, anytime.” His voice was soft and his words genuine, he would never take advantage of someone, let alone someone who was having a tough time.
___
When he said ‘pyros,’ her reaction was a dead giveaway. She shrunk away again, not because of the term but because of the damage she knew she was capable of. She could do so much more than just burn things. But Finn didn’t need to know that, or ever find out for himself. Taking a deep breath, she listened to his words and nodded slightly. “Thank you. That means a lot.”
___
Finn was definitely not stupid or naive when it came to mutants and their abilities, he also knew the dangers of running a business that openly welcomed them but it hadn't stopped Edward from running the store for years before he had taken over and it wasn't going to stop him either. Everyone deserves to be treated equally.
“It really is no worries at all. Sometimes we just need to be around others so we don't get lost in our own minds.” Which everyone did and that was usually when the negative thoughts would sneak in. “But come on, let's have a look at these new titles.”
___
Laura watched him curiously, but nodded in agreement. She got lost in her own mind far too often, and it was not a great place to be. She didn’t really have anyone who’d ever tried to stop her from doing that either. This was an unusual, but not unwelcome change. Nodding, she decided to let Finn lead the way toward where he kept the new titles he spoke of, even though after coming here all these years she could wager a guess at where they were.
As he walked, she fell into step behind him, glancing around the shop before speaking again. “Don’t you ever worry? About people taking advantage of your kindness?”
___
He knew that Laura could find her way around the store without a problem but Finn felt like she could do with a bit of company, if only for a few minutes. It was also up to her if she decided to come into the store if she was feeling lonely and just sit and read, he wasn’t one to push but it was in his nature to offer his help in any way he could.
“Oh, all the time!” He said truthfully. “I’ve had more than one person take advantage of me, both here in the store and personally. The majority of people are nice, friendly and accept that I’m just trying to make the world a better place, but there are those out there who just get a kick of manipulating others to get what they want, even if it’s just a few books. I installed extra security cameras in here since I took over to hopefully deter those kind of people from trying to get things for free. Theft is theft, no matter how you do it.” Though he had come across some people who didn’t care and would use their mind control methods on him or other staff to walk away with a $10 book, just because they could.
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Laura has meant something more sinister than theft, but his answer still made her frown. She’d never had much money, and she always went without something she wanted or needed. But Laura had never intentionally stolen anything from anyone. Even from those who seemed to enjoy throwing away their money, Laura couldn’t allow herself to take advantage of that.
She made a mental note about ‘forgetting’ a few extra dollars begins next time she made a purchase at the bookstore. If she made any good tips, that is. Speaking up softly, she stayed a step behind. “If anyone tries anything again, let me know. I’ll handle it.” She knew that probably sounded absurd, but she meant it.
___
Finn had gotten manipulated into doing other things by those with mind related abilities, but even now he still felt embarrassed by letting himself get into that situation though deep down he knew it wasn’t his fault. It was all a bit too personal to share with anyone, let alone someone like Laura, she didn’t need to know about what happened in his… evening activities, or that humans were just as bad at manipulating situations.
He turned around and gave Laura a quick smile before stopping in front of the shelf that stocked most of the romance novels, there were more on the next shelf along but she knew that already. “Thank you. If I catch anyone on CCTV trying anything I’ll let you know.” Finn wasn’t sure what Laura’s ability was but he had a very strong feeling that she definitely wasn’t the type of person you’d want to be on the bad side of. “Most of the new titles are here and the rest are scattered along the shelf, hopefully you can find something to keep you entertained.”
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Her brow furrowed a little but she said nothing. A CCTV couldn’t catch everything, not when it came to technopaths or teleporters, or a host of other abilities. But she didn’t want Finn to be as paranoid as she was.
Taking a look to the stacks, Laura nodded as dark eyes scanned the shelves. “Thank you.”
___
He knew that his security system wasn’t the best out there, but for now it seemed to be doing the job and crime was pretty low considering it was New York City, there would always be thefts and altercations, especially out the front on the street but as long as the fights didn’t come into the store and disturb Finn or the customers.
“If you need me, just call.” He smiled, leaving Laura alone to look at the selection, there were still a few books to put out and it was easier to do that before the post work rush came.
___
Laura smiled faintly and watched Finn move away to get back to work. She was tempted to continue talking to him, something she didn’t really feel like doing lately. But for now she didn’t want to take him away from his duties. Looking over the selection, Laura took her time choosing three books to purchase. Usually she limited herself to just one, but she knew with the extra time and added stress she would need the distraction. It would be well worth skipping lunches for a couple of days.
Once she made her choices, Laura wandered over toward the children's’ section to see if there was anything that Caitlyn might enjoy. Choosing two, Laura ended up returning one of her own selections back to its appropriate place on the shelf. Moving to the register, she set her purchases down, but still looked around the store thoughtfully.
___
While Finn was the boss and could’ve talked to Laura all afternoon he didn’t want to take up too much of her time, after all she was here to buy books and not just converse in idle chatter. It was also a bit rude of him to stand around and talk with someone while his employee did all the work, not that putting the last half dozen books onto the shelves took all that long. While Laura was still deciding another customer who was in the store came up to the register and paid for their purchases, Finn always did like seeing people leaving the store smiling and hopefully happy with their books.
He smiled again when Laura came over with her books. He flipped them over, scanning the barcode on the back into the computer system before discreetly typing in a discount, Finn liked rewarding his regular customers and a few dollars off now and then didn’t hurt him or the business. Telling Laura the total cost, he started putting the books into one of the paper bags he used in the store, much better for the environment than plastic.
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Laura had already estimated the total in her head, so when it was lower, she frowned a bit. Handing over a bit more cash than he’d asked for, Laura offered a faint smile. “Are you ever in need of another clerk? Or maybe someone to do stock or cleaning?” She certainly did not need a third job, but when she had too much free time on her hands, Laura’s default was always to work first and relax second. Or never. By day at the coffee shop she was a constant flurry of motion, and things were not much different in the evenings at the bar. But as they say, idle hands and idle minds..
___
Darn, Finn should’ve realized that his sneaky attempt to give Laura a discount wouldn’t go unnoticed. He took the cash that she presented, still feeling bad about taking it all from her. An eyebrow raised as she asked if he was in need of another clerk, while he had a few employees on the roster there was always something to be done in the store and if it helped Laura get out of whatever rutt she was in Finn could add another. “Now that it’s starting to warm up again, I wouldn’t say no to an extra set of hands. It’s not an overly exciting job but it does come with some perks.” He smiled, because free books for a booklover was a definite perk.
___
Laura watched Finn curiously, wondering if he was just being nice again. She offered a little shrug in response. “I like to keep busy. If you were looking for someone. And if no one else was looking for a job. I’m at the coffee shop five or six mornings till about noon, and then at the bar at nights about three days a week. But other hours, I’m probably free.”
Caitlyn had school and dance and her friends, and then went to stay with Cas. Laura didn’t want to be a pest to anyone. But having something purposeful to do, and bringing in maybe a little more spare cash, and some books, well… it might be worth it.
___
Finn was being nice, but with one of his casual workers wanting more time off to study now that spring break was over there actually was a gap in the roster. He nodded as he listened to her say when she usually worked and he could definitely work around those. “Are there any set times or days you’d like off?” Finn asked, after all Laura was a mother and there was school runs and things that needed to be done for Caitlyn which might impact the hours she could work.
Truth be told he always had people dropping in asking if there was any work available, most of these people he had never seen before and were just cold calling, Finn would rather give work to someone who frequented the store and kind of knew their way around. “And if anything unexpected comes up, we can figure something out.”
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Laura bit her bottom lip lightly, honestly surprised that Finn was actually going to allow her to work there in the shop. “No. Not really. Mid day work is probably the easiest to commit to without a problem, but I can move other things around. And I can give you references.” She was a hard worker, and loyal, and despite the rare emergency, she was always willing to work. And work hard. She wouldn’t let him down.
“Thank you. For the chance.” Maybe working with someone… with a friend, would be nice. A definite improvement from awkwardly working along with someone who claimed to be a friend, but at most was a poor decision for a one night stand.
___
Mid day shifts would be no problems, there was usually a lunch rush and one later in the afternoon, plus it seemed like delivery drivers didn’t work on a set schedule and deliveries of books could arrive any time on any day. He waved his hand at her offer of providing references. “I’ve known you long enough to know you take your job seriously, they won’t be necessary.” Finn knew that she had worked in that little coffee shop for longer than he had known her, Laura wasn’t one of these people who worked a few months in one place before moving on.
“Have you got some free time now? I can run you through the basics. And before I forget...” He opened the till up again and took out one of the notes and handed it back to Laura. “Staff discount.”
___
Laura felt happy that Finn trusted her, but she would probably still ask her other employers to put in a good word for her just in case.
Glancing to her watch, she nodded. Caitlyn wouldn’t be out of school for over an hour, so she had time to get oriented now. When he tried to hand the money back to her, Laura frowned and shook her head no. “Consider it a donation, then. I can take advantage of the discount next time around.”
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Finn put the money back into the till and smiled. “Next time.” He got out from behind the register desk and stood beside Laura. “As I said before, it’s not an overly exciting job and there are quiet moments where you’re just standing around but I like to use that time to straighten things out and put things back in their rightful place… you won’t believe how many people change their minds and leave a book in the wrong section.” Or maybe she would.
Leaving the front of the store in his clerk’s capable hands Finn lead Laura through the doors at the back that had a sign ‘Staff Only’ on it, this was the behind the scenes that most people didn’t know about. He showed her sections of the store room, while deliveries were usually through the front door they were usually brought to the back to be checked against the invoice and any discrepancies noted, if a book arrived damaged in any way or there were less than stated on the invoice this was to be noted so Finn could follow it up. After a quick run down he then showed her where the staff bathroom was and most importantly - the break room. “You can come back here at any time, even if it’s to destress after an extremely annoying customer.” Which did happen and Finn would prefer his employees take a few minutes time out than have an unexpected outburst of their abilities.
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Listening carefully, Laura nodded. At her other jobs, she was always finding productive ways to use the time, always moving, always cleaning, always tending to something. It made some of her fellow employees shift away from her, and sometimes she didn’t mind that so much. She was a hard worker, and she didn’t like to surround herself with those who didn’t have that same work ethic.
Following Finn to the back, she looked around slowly, making note of where important things were located. She offered a small smile to his comment about customers. She couldn’t imagine customers being any worse here that at her other jobs. Especially the bar, when after a few drinks people got handsy and rude.
___
That was the kind of attitude Finn liked in his workers, he had his fair share of slackers who just stood around during the quiet times playing on their phones instead of doing work or serving the odd customer who came in, they didn’t last long. From what he knew about Laura he wasn’t going to regret hiring her.
Finn had a short fuse for those so called customers who harassed his staff, this bookstore was a safe place for all and anyone wanting to ruin that environment was definitely not welcome. “How about you come in tomorrow for a trial shift? Get a taste of what it’s like and then we’ll talk about all that boring tax related stuff.” He asked, and if Laura didn’t really like the job then no harm, no foul.
___
Laura nodded hesitantly, biting her lower lip again. “Sounds good. But I… usually get paid under the table.” It was more than the fact that she was technically an unregistered mutant. Laura wasn’t even her real name. But only a very small group of people knew that. If she had to tell Finn, she’d explain, but most employers were happy to avoid the taxes and paperwork if given the chance.
___
“Ah.” Finn replied, recognition coming over his face, it wasn’t really that uncommon for some of his potential employees to ask to be kept ‘off the books’ and he could do it, there were enough ‘official’ ones that he could sneak Laura in without it showing up on his paperwork. “In that case I can’t offer sick leave or any of those benefits, you’ll be paid for the hours you work and of course, first pick of any new titles that come in.”
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“That’s alright. Thank you for understanding. It’s… complicated. And you’re probably better off not knowing the details of why.” If he asked further, she would tell him. He had a right to know if she was going to be working in his shop.
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For the most part mutants without physical differences were often hard to tell apart from the rest of humanity, Finn didn’t know how many people who visited Bibliomania were mutants and how many weren’t but he treated everyone the same. He might be blond but he was far from stupid, he knew that for years - if not decades - gifted people had been subjected to tests from all kinds that were far from legal, and although it was never officially mentioned he was pretty sure that’s what happened to Dorian. If Laura was another victim of them then it was no wonder it was complicated.
“I don’t care that you’re gifted and unregistered, you’re not the first and you won’t be the last wanting to fly under the radar either.” Finn hoped that his assumptions were correct, from her earlier reactions and the fact she wanted to be paid off the books he was sure of it. “Forgive me if I am wrong, but as long as you’re not going to kill me or wreck the store I don’t need to know the details.” He did realize just how ignorant that made him sound, but Finn wanted to see the best in all people.
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Laura’s brow furrowed at his words. It wasn’t the content of what he said specifically, but she always saw herself as more ‘cursed’ than anything else. But Finn had always been so nice to her that she felt the need to explain a little more. “I’m not registered. Not under the name you know me as. But I am under my given name, and if the government could find that person, they’d probably want to keep a much closer eye on her than they do on me as Laura. I’ve been hiding for so long, it’s just easier to stick with the… alias.” She never really referred to it that way, but that was what it was. Other than a few random medical records, Laura Kramer did not exist on paper.
“But I would never harm you or damage the store. I swear.”
___
Finn took a step closer and put a gentle hand into Laura's shoulder. He was grateful that she had shared that information with him and knew it took guts, most people would've come up with some kind of lie and stuck with it. “If you want to tell me the story one day I'll listen, but I kind of like the Laura I've come to know over the years, that's who I'm hiring. The government with all their rules and regulations and whatnot can go fuck themselves.” He said with a bit of a smirk on his lips. “Is there anything else you wish to know?”
___
Laura smiled faintly at the compliment, and smirked at his views about the government. She didn’t even tense when he touched her shoulder, and she let very few people that close. He would feel that her body temperature was much higher than expected, but she certainly didn’t seem feverish.
Laura shook her head no to the question and glanced around again. “Not that I can think of. But I’m sure some questions will pop up once I am actually doing work. Thank you, again, for giving me the chance. I won’t let you down.”
___
Finn was a pretty tactile person, though he'd usually ask permission before doing something as simple as resting a hand on someone's shoulder, he was glad that Laura didn't flinch at the unexpected contact. He did feel the heat under the material of Laura's shirt but it wasn't hot enough to burn which he was grateful for.
“I'll write a rough roster up tonight and check it with you tomorrow. If for some reason you're running late or can't make a shift just send me a message, I'm here ninety percent of the time anyway.” Which was true, sometimes he'd just come down and sit on the chair in the quiet corner and people watch or play his violin. The rest of the staff just put it down to their quirky boss. “You're more than welcome to sit back here and read if you don't feel like heading off yet.” He offered
___
Laura nodded a little. “Thank you. Hopefully things like that won’t happen, but I’ll let you know as soon as possible if it does.” She considered the offer, but then shook her head no. “I should probably go for now. I want to make sure I have everything else taken care of and planned out so that when I start here things are all set.”
She’d have to get Caitlyn from school soon anyway, so she’d rather be earlier for that and maybe get to spend a few unexpected and extra moments with her daughter.
___
“Okay.” Finn smiled, he hoped that Laura was going to fit into the atmosphere of the store, and more importantly that the customers would warm to her too. “I'll see you here tomorrow. Say twelve thirty, quarter to one?” Hopefully that would give her enough time to get from the coffee shop to here.
“Would you like me to walk you out?” He was still a bit of a gentleman. He also knew that if things went okay tomorrow and Laura liked the work that there was someone he'd have to inform about the situation, and it wasn't something he was looking forward to.
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Laura nodded with a faint smile. “That sounds perfect. I will see you then.” She shook her head to the offer with a little laugh. She appreciated the sentiment, but it wasn’t necessary. Gathering her purchases, she headed to the door and out. “Have a good day, see you tomorrow.” And off she went to go to the next bit of her day.