There was a slight tap on the glass of the counter by a woman wearing black stilettos paired with a neon green shirt and dark jeans. All eyes were on her as she beamed with such confidence. However, there was a problem, the store was full of people and every attendant is busy at the moment. One is helping a man buy a present for her wife as anniversary gift, another is handling customer complaint while the others are busy on the counter and others are attending to customers question regarding their recent collection. This is the time when the manager approached a lady who is currently getting her things packed in her backpack.
The manager in her forties with long brown hair and perfectly drawn eyebrows of the same color, now halted in front of the lady. "Lot..."said the manager in the most endearing way possible.
Lot then stopped from picking her things and greeted the manager.
"Ma'am, bakit po?"
"May, ipapaki-usap sana ako sayo." while holding the lady gently in her right arm.
"Ano po yun ma'am?"asked Lot.
"Pupwede ka bang mag-overtime muna ngayon?" her eyebrows curved downward as if pleading the lady to say yes to her.
"Hanggang anong oras po ba ma'am?"
The manager delighted by the answer.
"Kahit hanggang 8pm lang sana, sobrang dami kasi ng tao. Hindi na makayanan ng tao natin sa labas."
Lot looked outside to have a peak of what is really going on, she immediately nodded. An answer her madam hoped for. "Thank you!"
After their conversation, Lot zipped her bag again; put on her high heels and retouched to look presentable for the customers. She went to the counter and attended the lady with neon green shirt. With a smile on her face Lot uttered,. "Hello ma'am, how may I help you po?"
"I'd like to have the shade B506 of this lipstick." the woman presented her an empty container of the lipstick.
"For a moment ma'am, icheck ko lang po."
Lot reckoned they stopped manufacturing this type of shade, as their company moved to a new formulation. But she still validated in their computer whether they still have stocks of the B506. Unfortunately, there are none left so she went back to the customer, bracing herself of whatever may come. Holding the empty bullet lipstick she explained to the customer. "Ma'am, I checked in our system. But unfortunately we stopped manufacturing this shade po and there are no remaining stocks left. Perhaps I can help you in choosing other products."
"Oh okay, is there anything in your line that looks similar to it?"
"Yes po, madami ma'am. Please follow me po."
Lot lead the way and she let the woman take her seat while she rummaged through their new and existing line of lipsticks and picked what is best suited for the woman. She thought that their latest one is what fits the woman's taste.
"Here ma'am, we have the latest collaboration from an artist who views life skeptically." As Lot presented the whole collection, the woman was amazed by it. Her eyes lit up when she saw the design of the bullets. The primary outside color of the bullets are white embedded with sapphire toned mandala art. There are waves, diagonal lines , circles on circles, triangles on pentagons and never ending dotted line. This collection focused on the coral colors, which very much suited the skin color of the woman.
"I'll take whole line."
Lot was in disbelief at first as no one has done it before because this collection costs hundred of thousand. Later on she gained composure and said "Okay po ma'am, I'll just wrap it po. You may proceed to the counter."
On the counter when the woman was finished of her purchase, she thanked Lot very much. "Hey, before I go. I'd like to give you this. Take it, for your good service." The woman was giving her one thousand pesos but Lot politely declined.
"Thank you po ma'am for your generosity but I'd have to decline."
"I understand. I guess thank you is the best I can give you."
Lot slightly bowed and bid the guess farewell. She continued entertaining customers in other areas of the store now.
When it is near 8pm Lot went to her manager.
"Ma'am excuse me po."
Her manager currently busy tallying the sales for the day turned to her. "Ikaw pala yan Lot, bakit?"
"Mag 8pm na po kasi ma'am, papaalam lang po ko kung pwede na ko makauwe?"
Her manager looked at their wall clock and said to her "Oo naman Lot. Pasensya ka na ha sobrang daming tao lang kasi kanina hindi ko na din namalayan ang oras. Pwede ka nang umuwe. Bukas nga pala ikaw ang mid-shift para naman makapagpahinga ka."
"Okay po ma'am, thank you din po."
She returned to her backpack and finished packing. Before going home, she went to the bathroom, changed her clothes from uniform of maroon skirt and blouse into plain black shirt and worn out jeans. Tired, she told herself "Konti na lang uuwe ka na."
