Beep...
Beep...
Beep...
Beep...
Oliver mentally sighed and put on a pleasant smile for the elderly woman in front of him, Mrs. Moth Balls as he liked to call her. He knew the old biddy very well by now, as he had seen her every Sunday and Wednesday for the past month. Who wouldn't forget her when she would pay for her groceries in, exclusively, change.
His lips and cheeks hurt from the smile that would never, outside of work, grace his plain face. However, the woman meant well, so he thought that donning his regular scowl would have been a little much for her poor heart.
While waiting for her to pick out the correct coins from her coin purse, Oliver looked around absentmindedly, taking in the little grocery store, the only grocery store, the small town he just moved to had to offer.
It was... different to say the least. He was used to supermarkets the size of football fields, but over the past few weeks, he learned that those weren't really necessary. People that had spent their whole lives here had lived off of this tiny store and were perfectly fine, although if you asked them if they had ever tried double stuffed Oreos, they would think you were trying to sell them drugs... Ugh, what he wouldn't give for some Oreos right now. Truthfully, these people probably knew what Oreos were, but Oliver had always been sarcastic and bitter by nature.
The store reminded him of a farmer's market he had visited with his mother years and years ago. Fresh produce and various other things like milk or honey came from the locals or neighboring towns, driven over by the people that were selling it or picked up by a few guys the owner of the store hired. Only a couple of employees were needed to run everything and the pay was decent. It was an honest business. It was easy, and the lack of stress was just what Oliver needed.
He had moved away from the big city, moved away from the drama and the nonsense that came along with his family and so-called friends. Oliver decided that... he just didn't want to participate anymore. There was absolutely no reason for him to keep up with petty quarrels, who's dating who, the latest scandal, and so on.
He didn't have enough patience and, quite frankly, didn't give a shit about it all.
So, he left.
And now, here Oliver was, in a place he never thought he would be. Imagining himself behind a cash register older than his grandmother, serving a smile and an ear to local hicks that wanted to blab about who knows what, would have been out of the question not so long ago. But... something in his gut told him to do it. Something told him that such a drastic change would be good for him, and almost completely cutting himself off from his previous life would do wonders for his blood pressure and the twitch his eye had a habit of catching.
The blood pressure part was on point. He didn't feel like a vein would pop out of his forehead anymore and his frowns... they were starting to lose their hardness. There was nothing to be upset about or annoyed of anymore. Well, except for the small things like Mrs. Moth Balls and her five minute battle with her coin purse.
Thankfully, she seemed to be a bit faster today and smiled triumphantly while handing Oliver the money.
"Thank you for being so patient with me, dear. I really need to look into exchanging all of these coins in for bills so I can get out of your hair faster," the woman chuckled kindheartedly, and Oliver almost felt bad for being annoyed at her. Almost.
"It's no problem, ma'am. I look forward to seeing you again soon. Have a nice day," Oliver said, struggling just slightly to make sure his voice sounded as cheerful as the façade his face was putting on. Apparently she bought it because she nodded with a smile and started to slowly make her way out.
