Another Five Years

Take On Me

*March 1985, Alexandria, Virginia*

"So you're the new kid?" The metal head in his mid-twenties slammed a cardboard box down on the orange linoleum flooring in the back room of the tiny record store David had just started working in.

"Yeah, man. I'm David," he eagerly shoved his hand forward, but the man ignored him.

"Great. Stock this box and the three over there," the man grunted himself into a chair and slapped a set of headphones around his ears while the debut album from Megadeath drifted quietly from them.

"... sure thing," David mumbled and picked up the first box, surprised at how heavy it was. The rattling inside told him it was full of cassette jewel cases and he immediately felt disappointed that he wouldn't be handling the vinyl on his first day. His best friend had pulled a couple favors and gotten him a job at a record store near his school, but so far it wasn't the dream gig he thought it would be. He had envisioned himself earning his weed money by sitting behind the counter listening to the newest records before any of his friends and bandmates had, but so far he was just crouched beside a lifesize poster of a-ha, restocking their shitty music. The bell over the front door chimed and he paused, wondering if it was his responsibility to talk to customers yet. He shrugged, assuming the ogre in the back would figure it out.

After a few moments of silence from the back, David decided he should maybe at least greet the customer, maybe try out some of the 'initiative' he had bragged about on his application. Heading back to the counter, he sized up the newcomer out of the corner of his eye. She looked like the generic popular girl at his high school, baggy MTV shirt, jean shorts and high tops, teased brown hair complete with a scrunchie big enough to be an air filter on his mom's Ford. She had a walkman clipped to her pocket and a set of headphones dangled around her neck. He gathered she was about his age, maybe a little younger, but he had to admit was pretty, even prettier when she smiled brightly at him while plucking a lollipop from the jar on the counter.

"I heard it's your restock day," she finally said when they were face to face.

Well duh, Kimberly or Amy or Michelle or whatever generic name you have. What the hell did you think I was doing over there? "Yup," he replied, leaning forward onto the counter.

"Anything good come in?" she shifted her weight to one leg and tilted her head, making him think she looked a little like those girls in the hairspray commercials. Bubbly and boring as hell.

"Well... the pop music is over here," he said, stepping around the counter and following the obvious signs to the 'P' aisle.

"Pop...," she said thoughtfully as she watched him, emphasizing the last 'p' by putting the candy to her lips. "Okay."

"There's some new a-ha," he said flatly, kicking the box he had left in the middle of the aisle, but she ignored him.

"Someday these two will join forces," she mused, running her hot pink fingernails over the vinyl covers, starting in punk and drifting over to pop.

"What?" he frowned, thinking that was the dumbest thing he had ever heard. Pop and punk would never cross paths, they were far too different. Pop went against everything punk stood for, it had an establishment and a hierarchy, things that punk was morally against. She obviously didn't have a clue what she was talking about.

"They've just been stuck together for so long in all these record stores. Side by side all these years... it's inevitable," she said matter of factly and plucked a cassette from the shelf in front of them before wandering off towards the register.

He glared at her back, wishing she would just buy her stupid cassette and leave when the ogre in the back emerged. He took one look at the girl and waved David down. "I've got this one," he called. "Finish that stock."

Yeah, you stay up there and hit on that idiot, I'll be over here with my punk ethos.

"Hey Darryl," she said flatly, making David wonder if she was a regular customer.

"You got your braces off," the ogre said sweetly to her.

"Yesterday," she replied. They spoke quietly as they finished the transaction and David focused back on restocking the last of the cassettes before she interrupted him again, popping her head around the end of the aisle and grinning at him.

The stick of her lollipop jutted through her perfectly straight teeth as she called out to him, "Thanks for your help, David! Have a good day!"

He waved at her over his shoulder, relieved when he heard the bells chime on the door again. He set the last a-ha cassette on the shelf and gathered the empty box, joining Darryl at the register. "Are they all like that?"

"Like what?" he said distractedly, marking the inventory sheet with whatever that girl had bought.

"Pop princesses skipping in to spend their daddy's money," he watched her snap her new cassette into the walkman and adjust the headphones over her ears.

"Her?" Darryl pointed at her in surprise, then burst into laughter. He gave no explanation as to what was so funny before disappearing into the back again.

David frowned as she tossed a skateboard at her feet and effortlessly ollied over a curb into the parking lot. Curiosity got the better of him and he discreetly checked the inventory list, shocked when he saw Darryl had written The Germs on the last line.