My Day at the Bookstore

Tuesday, 27 April 2021

"Rice Krispies or Koko Krunch?" I asked Hailey while waiving both boxes in the air. My entire family was all cuddled together at the living room while watching TV at 6:30 in the morning. They all wanted to sleep more, but then the sound of a construction for a new commercial complex nearby could be heard in the neighborhood.

"Koko Krunch!" Hailey responded, full of energy despite her interrupted sleep.

"How about you, Robin?"

"Rice Krispies." He was half asleep when he said this, trying to open his eyes.

"Marie?"

"I'll have Rice Krispies, too." She sounded and looked exactly like Robin when she responded.

"Papa?"

"I'll fix one for myself, son. I'm not one of the kids. And I think you're spoiling them. You know they can fix themselves their own bowl of cereal." He didn't look sluggish like Robin and Marie because he's been awake since five. No matter what time he sleeps, he's always awake by five.

"I know. I just wanted to do something for them before I go to work." I carried five bowls from the kitchen to the dining table and realized something when I looked at papa, whose face showed anticipation for something unwanted to happen. "You don't want me to prepare breakfast, do you? 'Cause I might drop or break something." I gave him a simpered smile for knowing exactly what was on his mind.

"I'm not worried. Those bowls are unbreakable." He casually said, trying to convince me, but I didn't buy it. The bowls may be unbreakable, but I could still make a mess by pouring too much milk on cereal, or by spilling something else. He's a very organized and clean person, so I know any mess I make would bother him.

With that in mind, I carefully poured cereal on the bowls, took out 2 cartons of milk from the refrigerator, and put them on the dining table. I did the same for the cold pitcher of water and glasses. "Let's all have breakfast now." I smiled. It was a smile of victory for not spilling anything. I wanted to show them that my presence in the kitchen and dining room wasn't a threat to the cleanliness of the house. I promised myself I'd pay more attention to people and it would start with my family.

Last night, I came home at eleven, feeling so satisfied for finishing The Great Abraham Lincoln Pocket Watch Conspiracy. Thanks to that, I could start reading the sequel once I get the chance. The amount and quality of reading were all possible because of the beautiful fountain which became my new reading spot. I couldn't be happier because I loved the ambiance there. It was so comfortable as if it were really built for me as a special place to read and relax my mind.

Papa and I were across each other at the table; it's our usual seating arrangement. Hailey's spot is always on my right side, Robin's on my left, then Marie is always sitting between Hailey and papa.

"You look happy today, son. I know you're always happy when you're holding or reading a book, but it's the first time I'm seeing you without one. You didn't spill anything today because you weren't distracted." He gave me a contented look.

"Yeah, I've decided to stop multi-tasking. I realized that there's a perfect time and place for reading."

"Wow, whatever or whoever made you decide to make that change, I'm grateful." He smiled while chewing his food.

I smiled back.

By 8:30am, I was on my bike headed for work with my book on the front basket as usual. It only takes five minutes to go to the bookstore; I think everywhere in my small town takes less than 10 minutes.

Today, I wore a clean white shirt that emphasized the big built of my body. I have muscles too, you know. Just enough to show my manly physique. I also wore blue jeans and white Fila sneakers. My comfy and casual attire should look approachable enough for me to connect with customers. Most people in the town don't bother talking to me because they know I'm always busy reading a book. That should change. I want them to start feeling comfortable around me. Comfortable enough to talk to me at least. I mean, I can't change instantly and consistently, but I'm willing to try.

At nine, I flipped the bookstore's sign from 'Closed' to 'Open.' It was hanging on the right side of the door. Our bookstore is a rectangle-shaped one-story shop that has yellow borders and beige exterior. There's a transparent square glass on the left side with yellow border, and an acrylic calligraphy that says, 'A book is a gift you can open again and again.' The double door in the middle also has yellow borders and it's showing the 'Open' sign I mentioned a while ago. Then, on the right side is another transparent square glass with yellow border and an acrylic calligraphy that says, 'Reading gives us someplace to go when we have to stay where we are.' Both quotes have the name of the quotee or the one who said them. There's also a big brown signage at the top that says, 'The Pilgrim Bookstore.'

I sat on my desk and started reading License to Quill (the sequel that I told you about), but I assure you I'll put it down once the customers start coming in. There's not much to do for now, although I do have a variety of tasks to do within the day; mostly related to cash sales, credit card purchases, reordering, stocking and pricing of merchandise, invoicing, and handling refunds although this rarely happens.

When there's not that many customers, there's not much to do and I normally do the inventory an hour before the closing time. We close at 5pm. Although my work isn't rocket science, it can get really busy and crazy when school starts, so both papa and I need to be at work at the same time. When it's summer vacation, we just have enough customers to get us by. Mostly the ones who are avid readers, the ones who love magazines, and the ones who love art because aside from school supplies, we have art supplies, too.

The desks look neat because papa always makes sure they're neat. They are two black L-shaped desks, each with a cashier and desktop computer; underneath them are built-in drawers. Most importantly, we have awesome high back swivel chairs with headrest, the most comfortable office chairs anyone can have!

A sound alerted me to put down my book as two customers came in. There's this cat wind chime hanging on the upper part of our door, so there's a clinging sound whenever the door opens. It's a cat with six tiny copper bells hanging. Such a beautiful ornament really.

After maybe 15 minutes, one of the two female customers, whom I instantly recognized as a valued customer, approached me, so I smiled, making sure my dimples were showing. "Hi, how can I help you?"

"Hi, I can't make up my mind about these books. They're all bestsellers, but I could only buy one for now. Which do you think should I choose?" She must be in her late 30s. She was wearing eyeglasses, skinny jeans, a printed green top, and her hair was in a high bun, kind of like a ballerina's hair. She handed me the books. They were The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides, Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng, and Verity by Colleen Hoover.

"The Silent Patient is a crime mystery and psychological thriller and it's the author's debut novel. I loved it. You'll be shocked at how it ends. The setting is mostly in the hospital, or an asylum if I can remember it correctly. Basically, a painter's husband dies and everybody thinks his wife did it. His wife stops speaking after the incident, and that's the mystery that has to be uncovered. Verity has the same genre, it's also a psychological thriller. Except, this one has explicit or erotic contents. It's about a writer who signed a contract to continue writing a book series for Verity, an author who got disabled from a car accident. But then the writer discovers very disturbing things about Verity when she came across a manuscript. I think amongst these three books, this one is the most gripping. I really did not put it down until I finished it. Also, for me, it's the best Colleen Hoover book because it's different from her other novels. Now, this one…" I was referring to Little Fires Everywhere. "Is awesome because it's about two family in Shaker Heights who were brought together by their children. There's a lot of family drama and teenage issues here, so if you're more into this kind of theme, you should pick this. It's all about motherhood and the crazy things mothers and children do. It's also a Reese's Book Club pick, and it was turned into a mini drama series in Hulu."

"Wow, you've read them all! And they all seem really, really good! I don't think you've helped me decide on which one to buy though."

"Oh. Sorry."

"Which is why I am buying them all!"

"Wow, that's great!" I said with much enthusiasm.

A teenager who looks exactly like her except way much younger, also bought one Teen Vogue magazine. They're probably mother and daughter. After paying, they stopped by the door to wave goodbye, and I responded by waiving goodbye, too. But then my heart stopped as my eyes grew wide from the shock of seeing the next customer who came in. It was a woman. My ex-woman. The woman who made me a man. And she smiled at me as if she hadn't been gone at all. The nerve of this beautiful sexy woman…