A Day Well Spent

“There he is! That damn Adam,” said Greg, the manager of Uncle Dom’s Deli, as his eager young employee walked into the store.

“Hey, Greg,” said Adam with a smile. “You mind if I start early?”

“Do I ever?” replied Greg feigning gravity. “You know I can always use you.”

“Cool, cool, cool. Just give me a sec and I’ll be right back.”

“You got it, my man,” said Greg, and Adam made his way to the back of the deli.

In the back, Adam took off his jacket and put on his apron that had his name embroidered on it. Apron tied, Adam walked into the restroom and looked at himself in the mirror. He ran a finger over the red cursive letters that spelled out his name and the words “Deli Clerk” under it. Adam leaned over the sink to wash his hands but was startled to see a spider hanging from the faucet.

He left the bathroom and walked up front to wash his hands in the sink behind the meat display. “There’s a spider in the bathroom sink,” said Adam passing Greg behind the counter.

“What’s that?” said Greg. At that moment, a man whose body seemed to be expanding as The Blob burst into the deli.

“I need to speak to the manager, right now!” said the man, stopping the momentum of his large belly before the counter that Adam and Greg stood behind.

Fifteen minutes later, the angry customer with the ever-expanding midsection walked out of Uncle Dom’s Deli with a bunch of meat that he paid for in gripes. As the large man was leaving the establishment, Jerry was attempting to enter and start his shift but couldn’t find extra space in the doorway, forcing him to back up and let the oversized load make its way through first.

“He might want to try a salad,” said Jerry once he was in front of Greg and Adam, to which they laughed.

“Jerry! Do me a huge favor and fix us up some coffee, my man,” replied Greg in great spirits.

“I’m on it,” said Jerry, with a snap of his fingers. He hung his jacket up and went to work on the coffee machine that was supposed to be for customers, but Jerry somehow convinced everyone it was only for employees, even Greg.

Once the coffee was made and Jerry had his apron and hair net on, the three employees stood behind the counter, each enjoying their brew, but were interrupted by a sweet old woman entering the deli.

“Can I have a pound of Muenster cheese, please,” requested the sweet old woman to the men of the delicatessen, as she sauntered up to the counter.

“No!” said Jerry in a tone that woke up everyone in the room. “We don’t sell Muenster.”

“Oh… “ said the sweet old woman. “What about Gorgonzola?”

“Lady,” said Jerry, “ go to Wal-Mart. I promise they have all the cheese you want.”

“But -” started the sweet old woman, but Jerry got himself around the counter in the blink of an eye and had a hand on her back, guiding her out of the deli.

“I’m sure Wal-Mart will have it and have a nice day,” said Jerry once he got the sweet old woman out of the door. She stood on the sidewalk for a moment, bewildered, before puttering away in defeat.

“Jerry,” said Adam, “you know we have some Gorgonzola in the back fridge, right?”

“Yeah,” said Jerry, “but she doesn’t know that.” He chuckled and fired up the coffee machine again. Adam looked at Greg who smiled and shrugged.

An hour later, a buxom young woman in a dress two sizes too small walked into Uncle Dom’s Deli and asked for a pound of Gorgonzola cheese. The three deli workers walked her to the back fridge to show her where they kept it.

The hours passed and more customers came and went. 27 minutes before closing time, Jerry finished up a 13-minute texting spree and said to Adam and Greg, “Billy and I are going to play some pool tonight at The Lounge. You guys want to come?”

“Sounds good to me,” said Adam.

“Jerry, that sounds like a plan, my man,” said Greg, “but I can’t guarantee what time I’ll be there… but I’ll be there.” Just then, an old man walked up to the window next to where the three deli employees were standing and tapped on the glass even though they all saw him coming.

“You boys still serving?” asked the old man, with a jolly smile on his face, as he gazed through the glass.

“No!” said Jerry with weight. “We’re closed!” he continued, and walked over to the door and locked it. The old man’s smile melted into a frown and he walked away into the evening twilight.

The actual closing time came and Jerry was out the door before the second hand on the clock could make another tick. Adam decided to go pee before he left, and as he stepped in front of the sink to wash his hands, he saw the spider from that morning. The spider was dead, and Adam stared at it for a long moment, wondering if he had spent his day any better.