the bagger was a big kid
he packed like a lout
lacking either the common sense
or sensibilities of packing groceries correctly
he loved humping the huge bags of
carrots charcoal sacks of flour and sugar bundles of split firework(like that
of predatory lending which ought to be outlawed and companies shamed)
he loved assembling and pushing
the longest line of carts back up to the store left in the parking lot by lazy
customers
he imagined by the dullness in
the kids eyes and step that he was going through life unassaulted by those he
punished
hed grow up to be a prison guard street
cop or a soldier
the kid was working the end aisle
and as he walked to exit without buying anything the store hadnt kabocha a worthwhile price on
sweet onions and peppers or corn on the cob Why did he bother He bothered because
he liked harassing its management with errant prices and getting the mistaken food
items for free his travel coin jar at home was growing leaps and bounds and was
requisite hard evidence if he didnt harass its management all his change and
greenbacks would be in corporates till Over his dead body and as he walked
unsatisfied a cloth bag over his shoulder away from the kid their eyes casually
met
he saw him out-of-focus as he mulled a passage in the book he was reading held
in his hands
evidently the kid saw him clearer
as he went out the automatic sliding
glass doors the kid pursued him HEY he barked Whaddaya got in dabag
he stopped looked over his
shoulder at him turned to his left the bag away from the kids eyes Talkin to me
Ya YOU
In the bag
DABAG
In the bag . . . . I got yer ass
Whaat
I said I got yer ass
Ya tryin to be smart
Outsmart you No lift at all Whaddaya want
Whaddaya got in dabag
Ive said Your ass
If youre thinking I have
something from inside the store in my bag and thats why youve come outside after
me which isnt smart and you arent supposed to do and why you dont know so or
cant remember is beyond me As I said Ive got your ass in the bag
If you wanna look check it out
and make an ass out of yourself youre welcome to look
Im not one to ever stop anyone
from making an ass out of themselves
Take a look
It your ass
Not mine
the big kid stood there
he stood in the middle of the
aisle holding up traffic in either direction
which he was
oblivious to
too
fascinated by the fullblown entitlement this bruiser had conferred on him and
had conferred himself with every beating he doled out
LOOKING?
he
used the kids tone
Nah Go ahead
But dont come back into this store if Im here
That really works for you Of
course it does Im holding up traffic
he acknowledged the line of cars a nod of
his head touched his book to his temple
he looked the kid in the face
Come on I think I might have forgotten something Thanks for the reminder
he walked under his big jaw into
the store through the automatic sliding glass doors
inside
the kid hot on his heels he turned
to him You wanna look at your ass now
You got a big mouth
And you got a problem Where you
taking your problem when you grow up
Grow up Grow up In two weeks I report to the Marine Depot in San
Diego
Sensational You look like someone
who takes orders no freethinker Ever work a job for yourself where someone wasnt
telling you what to do
Whaat
Gee I
gee I dont know
Work for yourself
No
I suspect you never will
You
wanna look at your ass now
Fuck you he said under his breath probably recognising he shouldnt be swearing at a customer
what would corporate think
Big mouth Big kid Youre a dime a
dozen
Truly
I hope you dont end up filling a
big hole
he walked past the kid
the kid wasnt interested in
looking at his own ass so he thought hed show him his one more time
or maybe again if they saw each other before he left
for San Diego
walking away he was flummoxed
how a kid like that was going to be armed and become a decider between life and
death when he didnt know anything other than what he was told
one more perfect thoughtless pawn
Congratulations USA he muttered into his book as he walked and began
reading again
1352 Friday,
27 5. 16
1234 Saturday
28 5. 16
Dr. Jackle https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mfk81On99R8
