SOMETHING CALLED LIFE
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"Thank you, enjoy your ice-cream." I said, handing her a napkin.
As soon as the counter was empty, I whipped out my magazine of Women's Weekly. I know, it sounded like some sort of saddo consolation for middle-aged females, but... hey wait, it was. No, don't get me wrong, I wasn't a middle-aged female, nor was I a saddo... well... the only reason why I got this was because the main article caught my eye.
"How to deal with a break-up." I read, sighing at my desperation. Don't you hate it when you suddenly realise how unbelievably pathetic you've become? And it usually resulted from something that you promised yourself that if you ever get depressed over it, you'd shoot yourself? That was me, then.
It was incredibly stupid and I don't even remember how I got into it. At first, I wasn't even sure if it happened because I was so shocked. What was it? A month ago, this guy started pestering me at the parlour, morning 'til night. He was like a little leech, and despite my continuous words of rejection, he just wouldn't give up. I couldn't take it anymore, so finally I gave in because a person can only take so much of constant buzzing in their ear. We went out a few times and then I realised he was pretty cool. That was my big mistake. He was in fact this really creepy idiot that used to take pictures of me when I was sleeping. God knows what else he was doing then? I was glad I caught him in time, otherwise I might have just fallen in love with a psycho.
After all that hellabalooza, I ended up ditching the guy. Well, what else?
Now I'm back in my ice-cream parlour, crooning over old ladies' magazine in my hands. When would I ever get a chance to be happy? I mean, I was happy with my parents and my home, but that was not what I meant. I wanted happy as in... love happy. Or even a few friends at least! Ever since I was made to move out there, I hadn't interacted with anyone on a social level outside of my job! What was it? Why couldn't I receive some sort of fun in my life? I felt like a techno-monicolour movie, or whatever it's bloody called as long as it's black and white for goodness' sake!
My unstable thoughts got me so pissed that I started to angrily clench the pages in my hand, ripping my magazine to shreds. Like usual, there was nobody to ask me what was wrong. Like usual, the only other person working there besides me was too busy filing her nails! The only times we spoke were when she didn't know how to turn on the bloody waffle dispenser! Stupid bimbo!
I was getting hotheaded again, it was the third time that day. I couldn't help it, my temper was atrocious, I was just made that way. I doubt it was that that made people avoid me, though? Well, whatever it was, it looked like I was going to have to deal with it seeing as there were no other options for me. A nineteen-year-old stuck in the middle of nowhere. School was a big no-no. My family was two hundred miles away. I had no friends. Things could only get better, right?
Deciding there was nothing left to do, or read for that matter: the magazine had been dismantled, I picked up the damp cloth in front of me and started wiping down the counter. It wasn't much of a difference, though. Well, at least it gave me something to do until I was faced with yet another customer who couldn't care less about the life of the person serving them.
"Excuse me, Miss?" came the usual greeting. I looked around for Chantelle, but she wasn't there to see. But then again, when was she ever anyway?
I drew up a fake smile, as always, for the awaiting customer. "Yes, Sir what would you like today?" I chanted. Yes, it was a chant. But wasn't that the definition of chants? Something that is constantly repeated in order to provoke a reply?.. So that might not be the exact definition, but I knew a chant if I ever heard one, and 'Yes what would you like today?' is the mother of all chants, I can assure you.
Why the hell was I rambling about chants?
"Hmm, le'me see." he procrastinated, eyeing the list of flavours on the tabletop. "Well, I don't know." he shrugged happily. I wasn't in the mood for games, I shot him a glare.
"Might I recommend chocolate?" I asked him in possibly the most dull voice imaginable. He glanced at me testily, as if mocking my impatience. What a Bastard with a capital B.
"Hey..." he slowly mumbled, stroking a non-existent beard. Like I said, I was not in the mood for games.
"What-" I started slowly, "do you want?!" finishing the sentence with words dripping off annoyance. I glared at him with maximum pupil laser power and it seemed to do the trick. He took his hand off his idiotic idea of a fake beard and coughed to regain a straight voice.
"I'll have strawberry, please, Miss Marron."
I returned my eyes back to the man, having wandered them off to the side in a journey of rolling them. Did he just address me by my name? Did he call me Marron?
"What?" I uttered in shock. "What did you call me- why?"
The man shifted in his spot and shrugged again, just like before. "Unless you're wearing someone else's nametag, I guessed it was your name... right?" he chuckled. "If not, sorry!"
For the first time that day, I smiled. My lips, out of their own accord, curled into a small smile. I was intrigued, this man had just made me smile. He made me smile!
"Uh, yes that's my name." I corrected him, my spirits having been lifted a small portion. "So what did you say you wanted again?"
"Strawberry, please." he asked with a smile. I nodded and went to get him one, making sure that the scoops were extra big. That was the first time ever in my eight months of working at Le Glace Osciller that someone really took the time to glance at my nametag and address me by it. Handing him the cone, I could not help but incur an urge to ask his name. "Here you go, Sir..."
I hesitated, not really knowing how to ask for his name. Sure, a simple 'What is your name?' would have been enough, but in a nervous state of mind, I never thought rationally.
"Thanks, Marron." He nodded towards my direction, and paying before he turned to leave. Damn! That was it? Nothing else? Not even a 'Can I get your number, Marron?', but that's not fair! Was it because he already had a girlfriend? I wouldn't be surprised... but it just wasn't fair! If I didn't say something, who knows how long it would be before I got another customer as nice and considerate? When I'm in my thirties, perhaps?
"Do you come with a name tag, too?" was the best I could manage. I know, it was terrible, but at least it was something. "I-- er..."
It seemed I was talking to no one, him having already halfway left the shop, but that was not the case. He turned around, flashed me a toothy smile, and cheerfully hopped back to the counter, ice cream in one hand, sunglasses in the other. I was so relieved, now was my chance to strike up a lively conversation!
"Yep, the name's Goten."
He did a mock curtsey, lifting up his 'dress' to lower himself before me. Wow, this must be my big break! A cute guy with a lovely personality. Now if only I had the guts to say something. I wasn't actually attracted to him, I was just very flattered at his caring enthusiasm. Maybe this was the friend I was looking for?
"Goten, would you be my friend?"
Damn me and my inability to speak unlike a retard! Again, my mouth opened and closed like a suffocating fish, and when I realised what I was doing, I think I turned beet red, which made me look like an overblown balloon! Instantly, I shifted my eyes to the side to avoid humiliation in front of a potential friend.
"Like we're not already?" I heard laughing a few feet away and looked up to see a smiling Goten. Was he laughing at me? Hello, anyone? Was this man laughing at me? Do I have something on my face? People?
No, he wasn't laughing at me, he was just laughing because... well, he wanted to. Because that was something you usually did without a reason..?
"Uh... no, I was just checking..." I meeped. Yes, I meeped. And I'm not going into full-rant mode again. Figure it out yourself what meeped means.
Stupidly, I bared all my teeth in a grin, trying to copy the way Goten did it. Needless to say, it didn't work and everyone probably thought I was mad. As if I couldn't look any more like a freak, I displayed my two fingers of my right hand into a peace sign.
Goten laughed and walked out.
But he was coming back, right? He did say we were friends, did you hear? Yes? Hi?