"Do you feel that deep dark loneliness? It wasn't so bad when you were a kid, it was there when you were a teen but you got distracted by the other glamourous emotions like heartbreak and rage. But now you're an adult all your emotions stem from that loneliness, anger because you've been alone so long, the joy of having something as simple as a date because for a few hours you'll no longer be lonely… why does it feel like i can't survive by myself?" the shopper said.
"Uh i dunno maam, quarantine is wild i guess, but do you need anything else or?" Mike asked.
"Unless you wanna come back to my place, no, I don't think you can help me."
"Ok that was weird" mike muttered under his breath as he walked away. It had been an interesting week for mike. He had done everything he could to stay safe despite the circumstances, his store allowed him to wear a face mask and gloves and they put up plastic guards in front of check out. He'd done well with not risking infection. Up until a lady had a breakdown in isle 3, usually he'd just let that kind of thing play out but this time he had to risk it all.
"Mike is that you *sniff* it's been what 13 years?" she giggled through her waterfall of tears.
"Yeah, how you doin sarah? How's the husband?" mike asked cautiously.
"We broke up ages ago, i moved in with my girlfriend shortly after then we stayed together right up until before quarantine, she kicked me out and i had to go back to my parents house, i can't stand them mike, they're the most homophopic, bigoted people i know. I want to die." she rambled. Mike started re-organizing the products she knocked over while she was having her fit of rage earlier.
"Oh thats painful. Sorry-im sorry for those circumstances, and there isn't really a silver bullet piece of advice i could give, but it's not forever, if you stop looking ahead then it all loses meaning doesn't it?" mike reassured her.
"Can i stay with you after all this?" she asked with big sad puppy dog eyes. Now mike was a strong man, his hands were calloused, he served in the army for three years, he survived a mugging at gunpoint with only his slick words. But there was one thing in the world than made him weaker than a wet noodle, Sarah Mcnully begging on her knees asking for his help. You may have been reading this thinking that sarah is an old crush or something, incorrect, sarah is mikes kindergarten best friend turned enemy, apparently when you grow tits there's a slight chance you become a massive bitch. They had a rivalry of sorts, since sarah's parents were asian they made it a point for her to focus on her school work, thing is teens rebel. Sarah decided what was more important was being hot, going to parties, being bisexual, eating hot chips and not learning how to do her tax returns, in the process she would start hanging with different people, leaving mike in the dust. Mike is an adult now though, with adult emotions. He was going to be mature in this situation.
"Nah bitch sucks to be you lmaooooo" is what mike said in his head.
"S-sure" he muttered out because regardless of how free you think you are in certain situations you can't be a dick.