Life in Retail

Training Wheels

I find that I really don't want to go to work today, and it has nothing to do with work. The first week in high school was pretty easy. The second week, not so much. It's like the training wheels disappeared out from under me, and as I walk into Convenience and the bell goes off...

*Ding-a-ling*

I realize I'm about to lose my training wheels here too.

"Welcome to Convenience, the store for all your needs and necessities!" Yukito-senpai greets me with a smile.

I'm really worried about how everything will go with just Taki and I.

Yukito-senpai frowns after a while. "Is everything okay? You seem a little down."

I take a deep breath. "School just picked up a bit faster than I expected is all." I give him a calm smile.

He tilts his head to the side and casually assesses me. "You sure seem calm considering it's your last day of training. Are you really that confident?"

Sweat builds up on my forehead. "Not really..." I admit.

He pauses and then laughs. "Yeah, well you hide it really well. Like I told you on the first day though, it's okay to let people know you need time, or even help. It's all about the communication."

I let that run through my mind a few times and nod. "I'll try to work on that."

"Perfect!" Yukito-senpai claps once. "So, to make sure you feel more comfortable when you're alone, I'm going to let you call the shots today." He suddenly stands at attention. "So, where do you need me?"

I freeze like a deer in headlights and frantically search around for something to do. Um, no customers, nothing needs to be put away, what else is there to do again??

He leans forward, whispering. "Feel free to ask for help at any time." Then he winks.

My shoulders slump down. "Right..." I groan. Just as I'm about to ask though, I get an idea. "Should we walk the store?"

"Is that a question?" Yukito-senpai playfully mirrors back.

I furrow my brows, not appreciating the pressure I'm being put under, but then I remember I won't have him to rely on next week. I have to do this myself. I'm an assassin. I was able to take out the strongest being in the world. And just as I was trained to do that, I was trained to do this. I can do it.

"No, um, I think we should walk the store. There isn't much else to do up front right now and you said there's always something to do if you look." I explain, catching myself wanting to ask for his guidance on whether or not it's the right call.

Yukito-senpai nods approvingly. "You know, I think you're going to do great here."

So we walk the floor.

Occasionally, a customer will enter the store, but the interactions go really quickly and the two of us spend a lot of time just walking around talking to each other.

I handle the scanner and check for things that are out and he straightens the items on the shelf. After I notice a few things that need to be stocked, I start writing them down in my notebook. I fill up a couple of pages and wonder if just writing down the number would've been more efficient.

I'm about to ask Yukito-senpai about getting stuff from the back when Taki walks up towards the front with two carts full of stuff. My eyes get bigger and bigger, going between the items in his carts and my list. How did he know I needed that??

"Hey, I need you two to put these away for me. A lot of things are running low today." Taki lowers his gaze to me and raises an eyebrow. "Um, are you okay?"