It was Monday. As usual, there was nobody in the store.

A Story by JameHSteel

Just a story about retail. It's rough, but I like it.

I left my register to go straighten up the men’s aisle. I saw Jim folding some shirts and made a bee-line for him. I had to be quick, stealthy almost, because my least favorite manager was working. If she saw me talking to Jim, there would certainly be trouble. I picked up a shirt some lazy customer had thrown on the table and started folding.

“Sup.” I said.

“Sup.”

Jim didn’t seem right. He had an unusual focus on the task at hand. I mean, it was just a pile of messed up shirts after all.

“You ok man?”

“Yea, just having some problems with Wendy.”

Wendy was Jim’s girlfriend. She had been married before she met Jim, but he took care of that. She didn’t even know what hit her. Guess her husband didn’t either.

“So what’s the problem?”

“I don’t think I love her. I mean, how do you even know when you’re in love? What is love?”

“Well it goes a little something like this,” I said

“Gonna find my baby, Gonna hold her tight, Gonna get some afternoon delig-“

Jim dropped his shirt annoyed, “What are you doing?” He said.

“I’m singing afternoon delight. I thought you wanted to know what love was?”

“So you’re making jokes. Thanks for the help you a*s.” Jim said.

Jim sighed, “If you’re just going make jokes then-“

“Calm down” I said.

Jim picked up a shirt and got back to folding

“I don’t know why you’re even asking me about love, you know I don’t believe in that nonsense.”

“What nonsense?”

“Love. It’s the greatest lie ever perpetrated on the American people, next to global warming of course.”

Jim clearly didn’t appreciate my cynicism. I wasn’t the person to ask about love. I didn’t buy into that whole scam, just a holiday made up by hallmark to rob decent Americans. Just shameless I thought.

“Well I believe. Jim said.

“Well Wendy probably believed before you fu-“

“Ok. I get it. Just help me out man.”

Jim was a reformed a player. I didn’t get why he was asking about love and stuff. It just didn’t seem right for someone like him to be talking about love. It was like listening to Stalin complain about the lack of human rights in China. Just not right. Not right at all.

“Well what do you think love is? What comes to mind?” I said.

Jim dropped the he working on, again, and looked off into the distance. He closed his eyes and a serene look took over his face. It was like he could actually see love.

“I can see it man,” Jim said smiling, “It’s third person, yea. Just me and her walking on the beach.”

“Wendy?” I said.

“No. I don’t know, maybe. I can’t really see who it is, it’s a little hazy.”

Jim began pacing, trying to focus his vision of the perfect women. He finally settled, and continued.

“She’s wearing a white skirt and a pink shirt, no blue, no it is definitely pink. The skirt is not too long, or too short. It’s just perfect man. Perfect.”

“You’ve obviously put some thought into this.”

“Yea man, I have. Can I continue?”

Jim briefly opened his eyes.

“Sorry.” I said.

“We’re just walking on the beach man. We’re not holding hands though.”

“No hand holding?”

“Naw, that’d be trite man.”

“Trite? Really?” I said mystified by his use of the word trite.

“Yea,” Jim Said. “We’ve been together for a while. There’s no need for us to hold hands, we’ve got something too deep for that.”

“Deep?” I said.

“Yea, like an aura. Like there’s some sort of cosmic connection between us. And if I didn’t already believe in God, I would have to now, just because of this aura.”

“Deep.” I said.

Jim had gone off the deep end now. He was posing next to one of the female mannequins, trying to make his dream a reality.

“Yea, like it was ordained for us to be together, we wouldn’t need to hold hands to show it. We’d just walk side by side and stuff, just bask in the sun and the aura. And if we only knew each other for a little while, we’d know it was real because we’d fell it, as if we’ve know each other forever. Maybe even longer…”

Jim had to stop and catch his breath. His rant had really taken it out of him.

“That was beautiful man. That probably would have moved me if subscribed to that whole love-industrial complex.” I said.

I was actually moved. It didn’t last.

“Then what happens?” I asked.

“Then we find a secluded place and bone. Yea.”

I pinched the area between my eyes in annoyance,

“Crude man, just crude. You’re…battling some demons man.”

“Well, that’s what love means to me man.” Jim said

“Well there still my original question,”

“What’s that?” Jim asked.

“Is the girl Wendy?”

Jim was silent for a moment. He finally looked up at me and answered.