It was a Tuesday when she finally snapped. Devi s day had been bad from the very beginning. Arriving at work ten minutes late, she was yelled at by her boss even though she had skipped breakfast so that she could attempt to arrive on time. Knowing that the day could only get worse, she took her place behind the cash register.
The bell on top of the door rang, signalling a new customer. Devi plastered a smile onto her face. 'Hello, welcome to Bargain Books, how may I help you?' The man, who appeared to be in his early twenties, smiled. 'Oh I don't think I need your help, I was looking for a book called ''How to Find The Perfect Woman.'' I think I found her.' He winked and leaned over the counter. 'How about you and I go out for a drink tonight?'
Devi leaned as far back as possible.'God, try using some toothpaste!' she thought to herself. She could tell this was the sort of guy who wouldn't take no for an answer. 'Um, I'm already seeing someone,' she said hastily. 'I wont tell if you won't.' The man was moving his hand across the counter. 'HER NAME'S TENNA!' Devi shouted just before he reached her. 'Oh...um. Yeah, I'm going to go now...' The man backed quickly out of the door. 'Thank God for that! I wonder why I thought of Tenna? I might have to use that one again some time.' Devi smiled to herself.
At 10:30 Devi took her break and went into the back room. 'God, I could really use some coffee,' she sighed to herself. Pouring the coffee into the top of the machine, she pressed the button. To occupy herself while the far-too-slow machine was warming up, she paced the room until she heard the click telling her that it was ready. Reaching into the top cupboard, she grabbed her favourite mug, but someone had stacked them wrongly; as she pulled it down, three other mugs came down with it, all of which smashed on the laminate floor. 'Damnit!' Devi shouted at no one in particular. She grabbed the broom out of the corner and swept away all the pieces. When all the visible shards had been swept up, she grabbed another mug out of the cupboard, being careful not to drop anything else. Placing it under the machine Devi exhaled before pulling the lever back.
As the mug filled, Devi sighed contentedly. No matter how bad her day had been so far, a steaming mug of coffee would make everything better. The mug was filled and Devi smiled, bringing it up to her lips. Expecting the comforting, familiar taste of crappy store-bought coffee, she took a sip and then spat it out all over the floor. It was cold. 'Arggghhhh!' Devi half growled, half sobbed.
The boss poked his head around the door. 'Oh yeah, forgot to tell you. The coffee machine's broken. Sorry.' he shrugged as he went back to whatever he was doing.
After cleaning up the spilt coffee, Devi decided to go out for coffee instead. Grabbing her coat she was halfway out of the door when her boss appeared from nowhere. 'Break's over;get back to work!'
Devi was about to tell him where he could stick his stupid job, but remembering how much she needed the work she lowered her head. 'Yes, sir,' she sighed and took her place back behind the counter.
The lack of coffee made the rest of the morning almost unbearable. It was as though she was walking through treacle; she had no energy for anything. But she suffered in silence. There was no one to talk to. Since the incident earlier, not a single customer had walked through the door. Devi occupied herself by organising the new shipment of books that had just come in. It was a long and excruciatingly boring task, but better than doing nothing; it gave her something to think about.
The minutes passed slowly, but they did pass. At half-one Devi dropped the pile of books she was halfway through sorting to the floor, grabbed her coat and ran out the door before her boss had a chance to give her another job to do.
She walked a short distance down the high street to her favourite coffee shop. She came in here every day and ordered the same thing: a cup of black coffee and a chicken salad sandwich. The bell rang as she entered the shop and the guy behind the counter smiled at her, lifting her spirits slightly. Finally, her day was going well; if there was something wrong, why would he be smiling? She stepped up to the counter and sat on her regular stool. 'The regular, please, Jack.' she beamed.
'Umm about that...we're out of coffee but you could have tea or...' Jack never got to finish his sentence.
'THIS IS A COFFEE SHOP! WHY THE HELL WOULD YOU RUN OUT OF COFFEE?' Devi shouted at the now very scared man behind the counter. 'I'm sorry! I can go out and buy some! I'll only be five minutes!' he pleaded. 'I DON'T HAVE FIVE MINUTES! I HAVE TO GET BACK TO WORK!' Devi screamed.
Devi stormed out of the store slamming the door. To make matters worse, the sun was shining optimistically in the bright blue sky. 'What are you so God-damn happy about?' she shouted to the heavens. She was so angry, she failed to notice all the people staring at 'the crazy lady talking to the sky'. She grabbed the door handle to the book store and stomped in.
'Devi! You're a minute late!' her boss shouted spraying spit with every syllable. 'This is not acceptable! Do it again and you're fired!'
Devi clenched her jaw and her hands balled into fists. 'It would be so easy to break his thin little neck,' a voice in Devi's head whispered. 'Do it! You have the key to the cash register, kill him, take the money and run!' Devi smiled at the thought, then stopped herself. What the hell was she thinking?
'Well, what do you have to say for yourself?' her boss demanded. Devi sighed.
'Sorry, sir.' She lowered her head 'And...?' her boss waited. 'And it won t happen again, sir.' 'You're right it won t happen again! It's a cruel world out there, Devi, and I know how much you need this job. You need to face the facts, you're never going to get anywhere with those stupid little doodles! And it's not as if you're ever going to find a man to settle down with! I mean look at you! You're just some freaky goth chick!'
'WHO THE FUCK DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?' Devi shouted at the man before her. 'YOU WORK IN A FUCKING BOOKSTORE! AND YOU SAY I'M THE ONE WHO'S GOING NOWHERE! I'VE JUST HAD THE WORST DAY OF MY WHOLE FUCKING LIFE AND I HAVEN'T FOUND ONE SPECK OF SYMPATHY FROM ANYONE! EVERY TIME I LEAVE MY HOUSE, IT'S AS IF I'VE GIVEN UP MY EVERY RIGHT TO BE LEFT ALONE OR TREATED WITH RESPECT! PEOPLE LIKE YOU MAKE ME SICK! YOU MAKE UP FOR YOUR OWN SHORTCOMINGS AND INSECURITIES BY YELLING AND BLAMING ME! WELL FUCK YOU! YOU SPEAK LIES!' Taking a deep breath all the anger drained out of her head and the red haze before her eyes dissolved. The only thing she wanted now was to go home and have a nice cup of strong coffee. 'I'm leaving now...' Devi grabbed her coat.
'You...you can't just leave!' her boss spluttered out.
'Are you going to stop me?' Devi questioned. He shook his head and she ran out the door, the bell jingling on its frame.