Orange Fan
Mary Lewis
Seth put the last carrot in place to complete an orange fan, centered on a circle of green peppers.
Every morning Seth and Russ or Evie stacked dollies with boxes from the loading dock, and wheeled them in to stock shelves at Foodrite. They’d work fast so the customers would never lack for banana or a tomato. But today the produce delivery was late, so Seth had started to play with the vegetables that he did have.
When Russ came by he jabbed Seth in the arm. “Hey Picasso, what the hell?”
“Looks good don’t you think?”
“You’re taking up all that space with like a single layer of carrots?”
“Customers will love it, makes them look special I think.”
“Yeah but Tony.”
Tony, the assistant manager, was not a guy who appreciated design or color, and his vegetable horizon was limited to the basics, potatoes, carrots, greens, cabbages. Fruits? Oranges and apples. Seth wondered if he’d ever tasted one of the kiwis that came in once a week.
Russ went to the shelves of greens with the hose and misted them. “Whatever man, I’m gonna spray, then go on break, wanna come?”
It needed something more, a halo around the edge, but there weren’t enough avocados, so he alternated them with cucumbers, and liked the long, short pattern they made at the outer edge of the fan. Good enough for now, maybe Tony wouldn’t notice right away.
Seth started toward the break room, but halfway down the cereal aisle he couldn’t help but turn around to admire his fan. The contrast of orange and green made him think of the bright countryside. As he was about to turn away a woman wheeled her cart up next to it, and he watched her reach out for a carrot, slowly, as though she didn’t want to disturb the design. He pretended to arrange boxes of cereal so he could watch her. She wore a long scarf, so he couldn’t see her face, but wisps of blond hair slipped out beneath it. He’d never seen her before.
Evie brushed past him, “Hey man, those boxes of Cap’n Crunch look great, get out of here.”
He could always tell when she was near, because of that flower scent she wore. Funny though, she wasn’t a flowery person, more definite. Something about how the clean curve of her forehead met the one going the other direction above her nose. Or maybe that she said what she thought no matter what. They were pals at work, nothing more.
“Yeah, just a minute Evie.”
She turned around. “What are you looking at? Oh, Natasha, at the carrots.”
“What are you talking about? “
“She could be a Natasha don’t you think? A mysterious ballerina looking for anonymity in a Midwest college town.”
Well, Evie was into literature and such. She was in her last year at Bartlett College.
“Go talk to her Romeo, you’d have a pretty good chance.”
It was a joke between them. True, he wasn’t bad to look at, but this was different.
“No Ev, I just made a new display, and already there’s someone coming by.”
“Yeah, someone.”
“She hasn’t seen me at all.”
“And she loves your vegetables!” Evie skipped down the aisle, wagging her hips somehow. “Sees ya later.”
Seth watched the woman reach her hand out again, which floated over the fan without touching it, as though she couldn’t bear to mar his design. It was like that hand was hovering over his chest, making his heart pound. She was in love with the beauty of his display.
After minutes in which he gave up the pretense of shuffling boxes of cereal and hung onto a shelf to keep from toppling over, the woman of the scarf flung the loose ends back around her neck and started to wheel away towards the melons.
He regained the use of his legs and walked back to the display. Nothing had been disturbed.
But now another cart moved close, a man in a business suit, not common this early in the morning. He picked out carrots and cucumbers. “Wasn’t going for veggies today, but they look so good.” Then he wheeled off to the Starbuck’s counter.
The woman had disappeared into the far end of dairy.
In the break room Russ opened a box of Ho Ho’s, and Evie spooned into her yogurt and granola. “What happened with Natasha?”
Seth poured weak coffee and munched on an energy bar. “She’s leaving Vladimir for me and we’re going out bar hopping tonight.”
Evie gestured a little circle in the air with her spoon, luckily empty, “In this town? Not far enough, he’ll look for you.”
“I’m not worried, he probably has some desk job.”
Mouth full of chocolaty crumbs, Russ said, “Right, and you’re this buff American who can still kick and pass.” He slumped back in his chair and put his feet on another one.
Russ should talk, in his mid-thirties he could do the same. As a quarterback he kicked ass in high school.
Seth plopped down on a chair and tilted backwards which lifted the front legs off the floor.
“We’ve got a bet on for when you’ll go too far,” Russ chuckled and swilled coffee.
“Great, you’ll all lose. What’s at stake?”
Evie tilted her head sideways at him, very somber. “Big stuff, a day’s share of donuts.”
“Yeah, that shows how confident you are.”
He could banter as well as the next one, but today it was on auto, because he kept wondering who that woman was by his carrots.
He chomped down the rest of his energy bar and said, “OK, got some restocking to do already, my veggies are going at a clip.”
“So they’re like your sons and daughters?”
“I’d never sell them.”
“Face it man, all that merch out there is someone else’s stuff. They just hire us to help them move it and turn it into money so they can go to Cancun.”
Evie said, “Russ is going deep again. Jeez man, you should hook a DJ job and start a revolution.”
“You know it’s true Evie.”
He’d get morose now, and why shouldn’t he? With a stupid job like this at his age.
But this was going nowhere, especially when Seth wanted to be somewhere.
“Ok, I’m off to put some more of that stuff I don’t own on the shelves.”
When he left, Evie gave him a swat with a towel on his behind. “Go for it. Can’t wait to see what you come up with next.”
He turned and caught a flash that he’d seen once or twice in her eyes when they opened wide or something.
Back at produce, he watched two women at his display. Like Natasha, neither was touching it, as though it was a painting at a museum.
He came closer.
One said: “Isn’t this a surprise. Someone took the time to pay attention to beauty.” She was at least fifty and dumpy, maybe one of those who was trying to eat more vegetables.
But the other one, maybe her daughter. Yes, her daughter. “Sure Mom, and they’re doing that to get you to buy more. Probably those overpriced organics.” College? Snooty enough. Cute though in her short skirt with legs coming down.
Seth hadn’t interacted with customers much, unless he happened to be stocking and someone asked him about freshness or price. But this time he could start. He walked up and propped up a cucumber that had fallen sideways.
“These aren’t organic, but the carrots are from a farm nearby. We buy locally when we can, and take extra care to place them carefully on display.” He cradled a pepper, like it was a tiny baby.
The younger one rolled her eyes, but then they settled on him, like for a moment more than she meant to. He could do that to women, with just the right glance.
The older woman picked out peppers, carrots, and an avocado. The daughter started to go, but straightened her hair in the same move.
He said, “Come back again, we’re exploring different display patterns every day.”
“Oh yes, this makes shopping so much more fun.” The older woman, was that a wink?
All the rest of that day he had to restock his design more than any of the other displays, and found ways to introduce purple cabbages, shallots, and bunches of kale. The fan became a face with red potato eyes, bunches of lettuce for hair, curved zucchinis for the mouth.
He watched another conversation between moms, with their kids grabbling at the beautiful carrots and peppers, and a little tyke reaching for a zucchini. His sister scolded him, that the vegetable man won’t be able to eat anything without his mouth. When he came over to resupply, a mom with a toddler and five-year-old in tow said, “Way to go, maybe I can get these muffins to eat vegetables.”
“Just doing my job ma’am.”
She laughed and loaded up her cart with so much, there must be more than those two kids at home.
All this attention was great, but he couldn’t forget the woman from this morning, and that delicate reach with her hand that couldn’t bear to disturb his art. He had to see her again.
In the break room mid-afternoon, Russ took him aside. “I saw your artwork out there, but what do you think Tony’s going to say when he sees it?”
Yeah, he’d thought about it, Tony was an organized guy who liked veggies to stay in their own corners.
Evie was more upbeat. “Rembrandt here, has been hiding his talents from us until today.”
“Something came over me.”
She walked around to look at him face to face, in that way she had of really seeing. “What gives, Seth, you’re like a big old bud that’s finally blossoming.”
He looked to the side, picked up a fishing mag. “What are you talking about?”
Before he sat down he rolled his shoulders and arms in a way that finished with a good flex of his biceps. He wanted to get right down and do a dozen clap pushups but it might look like too much.
Evie sat next to him and put her hands behind her head. “Nice work. You’ve got plenty in your wheelhouse.” She nodded at Russ who was fiddling with the coffee machine and looked back at her over his shoulder. He had just started using “wheelhouse” himself for just about everything. “But just so you know, women love sensitive men.”
The door banged open and Tony clamored in, with more than his usual bluster. Was his face actually red?
“What the F is going on with that stupid face out in produce?”
Seth’s heart sped up, even though that was silly. He cupped his hands in his lap and tilted his face up at Tony’s red one. “I thought I’d try something new.”
Tony struggled with his coat but had trouble because he hadn’t taken off his gloves first, and one sleeve dangled to the floor. “Get this straight, no one changes the operation around here without my consent.”
Best thing to do when he was in a snit was get out of the way. Of course he’d put himself directly in the way with that display. “I’ll go change it back if you want.” He got up and moved to the door.
Russ went to his locker and fumbled around in there.
Evie stood up and followed Seth. “I’ll go help you.”
Tony finally freed his second arm of his jacket and flung it to the floor. “Damn it, both of you stay put.”
So they did, standing with their backs to the door.
“Seth, I’m sure you’ve heard of the chain of command. You’re a hard worker, but you can’t go around with your own ideas.” Tony was ex-military, though not really ex, so this made sense.
“I was only trying to make it more appealing.”
Tony pushed a hand through what was left of his hair. “You know I could fire you over this.”
Except it was pretty hard to find help these days.
“I know boss, you’re right.”
Evie cleared her throat. “You know Tony, might be good to see what the customers think.”
“Of course they love a pretty display, but veggies aren’t just to look at, as I’m sure you know.”
Seth wasn’t going to say anything but did anyway, it was a perfect setup. “I’ve had to restock that display more than any of the others today, so customers have no problem messing up the artwork.”
Except for Natasha.
“Look, you go put it back right now, and maybe I’ll let you stay.”
Around the newly disciplined table with carrots in one compartment, peppers in another, Evie said, “That guy is a prick, but he could fire you.”
“I can make sure of that, but I’ll wait till tomorrow.”
Evie got that glint in her eye again, but said no more.
The next morning Seth launched into a new design. This one was mostly fruit. Bananas, kiwis, apples, clementines in diagonal bands with grapes around the edges hanging down as though from the vines they came from. Again customers admired, and he had to restock like crazy. But even though he kept an eye on it all day, he didn’t see the woman in the scarf. Well why would he, she was just here the day before.
In the break room he gathered the things in his locker into a box, and wiped out the insides.
From the table Russ watched him. “You’ve got balls, man, gotta hand it to ya.”
When Evie came in for her yogurt she handed him one from her stash. “My last peach one, all yours.”
Her fav, though he liked cherry better, but she was out of cherry.
This time when Tony came in he was all spit and polish. He tugged on one finger at a time to remove his gloves, then neatly folded them into a pocket of his jacket, before draping it on a hanger in his locker, which as the commander, was much bigger than the others.
“I see you’ve messed with the fruits, after I gave you a direct order not to.” He glanced at the box Seth had put together and then stood a foot in front of Seth. Seth did not back away.
“It’s OK, if you don’t want what I can offer, I’ll go somewhere else.”
If you’re thinking Dawson’s will want you to screw around with their vegetables, I feel sorry for you.
Their arch competitor. Hmm, that might be fun.
Seth picked up his box and went to the door. Why not, he gave Tony a casual salute. “I’m on my way, bye Russ, Evie.”
Evie followed him out, but not right away, she still had a job. She caught up to him in the canned goods aisle, near no salt tomatoes. “He’ll want you back when customers complain.”
“Could be.”
“What does that mean?”
“Could mean I’m moving on.” He hated himself for saying that. “I mean, I have no idea what I’ll do next.”
“Such a hero, I could fall at your feet.” That sparkle, plus a fake swoon halfway to the floor.
“How do you do that?”
“I’m in theater you know, well, literature.”
She went to the display and started putting things back in order, but left the grapes dangling all around.
Seth thought about Dawson’s, or Larry’s across town, but he’d take a week off, though he was so used to getting up early he couldn’t stay in bed mornings. Evie had called a time or two, and reported that customers wondered what had happened to the fans and faces, that Tony was about to grovel.
“I think I’m over him, Evie, but let’s keep in touch.” He meant it too, she was a good friend.
Evie was right, Tony called and asked him to come back. Seth was nice about it, but said he was exploring other opportunities. So smooth. Ha, that was a laugh, he’d done squat.
He wanted to come back to watch customers search for his absent displays, but he had to admit, mostly to see if Natasha came by.
One day he met Evie at a coffee shop opposite the grocery. She told him that Tony was his usual gruff self, but moping around because he had to find another produce person.
“You know you could do more than paint with produce.”
“Yeah, maybe, but I don’t have any skills.”
“You can get them dufus, go to art school.”
“Get off my case, I need a job.” But he had to admit, that’s why he wanted to get together, to hear her nudge him on. “I know, you’re a superhero with job and school. But me, not so much. Besides, school? I was so done with that I can’t tell you.” He stared at the brown sludge in his mug. “And another thing, I’m too old.”
Evie, as always was ready for him. “LOL it’s not like you’re thirty or something.”
She sat there stirring her latte or whatever it was, like it had to be done at this super slow speed. Then she said without looking up. “By the way, remember Natasha?”
Did he, more than he wanted to admit.
“I saw her yesterday, wandering produce like a lost gazelle. Looking for your fan I’m sure.”
“How silly.”
“No, she actually came up to me and asked about it.”
“Is she really a Russian ballerina?”
“What do you think?”
He laughed, but it was sort of forced.
“I guessed wrong. She works at Thrifty Bank downtown, teller I think. You could open up an account.”
God he could. Then ask her out, and one day admit he was the artist she’d been so longing to meet. But that would be so ridiculous.
“Yeah, I’ll think about it.”
Evie looked up. “OK, meantime, I could help you think about that art school thing. You could even get into Bartlett and major in art, there’s this prof who’s got this great sense of design and color, you should see the landscapes she does, they’re like full of light.”
Seth backed away from the table, so he could get a better look at her. “Who the heck are you, my personal trainer? I mean for life that is.”
She laughed, “Life coach I think they call them. Not me, but sometimes friends can see something you can’t from the inside.”
Evie had to get back to work so they walked together back to Foodrite. From the door he watched her go in past the produce section, where she stopped at the display where he used to do his designs. There she picked up an apple, and took a bite. She had to know he was watching, or why did she take so long with that one bite?
Mary Lewis
Seth put the last carrot in place to complete an orange fan, centered on a circle of green peppers.
Every morning Seth and Russ or Evie stacked dollies with boxes from the loading dock, and wheeled them in to stock shelves at Foodrite. They’d work fast so the customers would never lack for banana or a tomato. But today the produce delivery was late, so Seth had started to play with the vegetables that he did have.
When Russ came by he jabbed Seth in the arm. “Hey Picasso, what the hell?”
“Looks good don’t you think?”
“You’re taking up all that space with like a single layer of carrots?”
“Customers will love it, makes them look special I think.”
“Yeah but Tony.”
Tony, the assistant manager, was not a guy who appreciated design or color, and his vegetable horizon was limited to the basics, potatoes, carrots, greens, cabbages. Fruits? Oranges and apples. Seth wondered if he’d ever tasted one of the kiwis that came in once a week.
Russ went to the shelves of greens with the hose and misted them. “Whatever man, I’m gonna spray, then go on break, wanna come?”
It needed something more, a halo around the edge, but there weren’t enough avocados, so he alternated them with cucumbers, and liked the long, short pattern they made at the outer edge of the fan. Good enough for now, maybe Tony wouldn’t notice right away.
Seth started toward the break room, but halfway down the cereal aisle he couldn’t help but turn around to admire his fan. The contrast of orange and green made him think of the bright countryside. As he was about to turn away a woman wheeled her cart up next to it, and he watched her reach out for a carrot, slowly, as though she didn’t want to disturb the design. He pretended to arrange boxes of cereal so he could watch her. She wore a long scarf, so he couldn’t see her face, but wisps of blond hair slipped out beneath it. He’d never seen her before.
Evie brushed past him, “Hey man, those boxes of Cap’n Crunch look great, get out of here.”
He could always tell when she was near, because of that flower scent she wore. Funny though, she wasn’t a flowery person, more definite. Something about how the clean curve of her forehead met the one going the other direction above her nose. Or maybe that she said what she thought no matter what. They were pals at work, nothing more.
“Yeah, just a minute Evie.”
She turned around. “What are you looking at? Oh, Natasha, at the carrots.”
“What are you talking about? “
“She could be a Natasha don’t you think? A mysterious ballerina looking for anonymity in a Midwest college town.”
Well, Evie was into literature and such. She was in her last year at Bartlett College.
“Go talk to her Romeo, you’d have a pretty good chance.”
It was a joke between them. True, he wasn’t bad to look at, but this was different.
“No Ev, I just made a new display, and already there’s someone coming by.”
“Yeah, someone.”
“She hasn’t seen me at all.”
“And she loves your vegetables!” Evie skipped down the aisle, wagging her hips somehow. “Sees ya later.”
Seth watched the woman reach her hand out again, which floated over the fan without touching it, as though she couldn’t bear to mar his design. It was like that hand was hovering over his chest, making his heart pound. She was in love with the beauty of his display.
After minutes in which he gave up the pretense of shuffling boxes of cereal and hung onto a shelf to keep from toppling over, the woman of the scarf flung the loose ends back around her neck and started to wheel away towards the melons.
He regained the use of his legs and walked back to the display. Nothing had been disturbed.
But now another cart moved close, a man in a business suit, not common this early in the morning. He picked out carrots and cucumbers. “Wasn’t going for veggies today, but they look so good.” Then he wheeled off to the Starbuck’s counter.
The woman had disappeared into the far end of dairy.
In the break room Russ opened a box of Ho Ho’s, and Evie spooned into her yogurt and granola. “What happened with Natasha?”
Seth poured weak coffee and munched on an energy bar. “She’s leaving Vladimir for me and we’re going out bar hopping tonight.”
Evie gestured a little circle in the air with her spoon, luckily empty, “In this town? Not far enough, he’ll look for you.”
“I’m not worried, he probably has some desk job.”
Mouth full of chocolaty crumbs, Russ said, “Right, and you’re this buff American who can still kick and pass.” He slumped back in his chair and put his feet on another one.
Russ should talk, in his mid-thirties he could do the same. As a quarterback he kicked ass in high school.
Seth plopped down on a chair and tilted backwards which lifted the front legs off the floor.
“We’ve got a bet on for when you’ll go too far,” Russ chuckled and swilled coffee.
“Great, you’ll all lose. What’s at stake?”
Evie tilted her head sideways at him, very somber. “Big stuff, a day’s share of donuts.”
“Yeah, that shows how confident you are.”
He could banter as well as the next one, but today it was on auto, because he kept wondering who that woman was by his carrots.
He chomped down the rest of his energy bar and said, “OK, got some restocking to do already, my veggies are going at a clip.”
“So they’re like your sons and daughters?”
“I’d never sell them.”
“Face it man, all that merch out there is someone else’s stuff. They just hire us to help them move it and turn it into money so they can go to Cancun.”
Evie said, “Russ is going deep again. Jeez man, you should hook a DJ job and start a revolution.”
“You know it’s true Evie.”
He’d get morose now, and why shouldn’t he? With a stupid job like this at his age.
But this was going nowhere, especially when Seth wanted to be somewhere.
“Ok, I’m off to put some more of that stuff I don’t own on the shelves.”
When he left, Evie gave him a swat with a towel on his behind. “Go for it. Can’t wait to see what you come up with next.”
He turned and caught a flash that he’d seen once or twice in her eyes when they opened wide or something.
Back at produce, he watched two women at his display. Like Natasha, neither was touching it, as though it was a painting at a museum.
He came closer.
One said: “Isn’t this a surprise. Someone took the time to pay attention to beauty.” She was at least fifty and dumpy, maybe one of those who was trying to eat more vegetables.
But the other one, maybe her daughter. Yes, her daughter. “Sure Mom, and they’re doing that to get you to buy more. Probably those overpriced organics.” College? Snooty enough. Cute though in her short skirt with legs coming down.
Seth hadn’t interacted with customers much, unless he happened to be stocking and someone asked him about freshness or price. But this time he could start. He walked up and propped up a cucumber that had fallen sideways.
“These aren’t organic, but the carrots are from a farm nearby. We buy locally when we can, and take extra care to place them carefully on display.” He cradled a pepper, like it was a tiny baby.
The younger one rolled her eyes, but then they settled on him, like for a moment more than she meant to. He could do that to women, with just the right glance.
The older woman picked out peppers, carrots, and an avocado. The daughter started to go, but straightened her hair in the same move.
He said, “Come back again, we’re exploring different display patterns every day.”
“Oh yes, this makes shopping so much more fun.” The older woman, was that a wink?
All the rest of that day he had to restock his design more than any of the other displays, and found ways to introduce purple cabbages, shallots, and bunches of kale. The fan became a face with red potato eyes, bunches of lettuce for hair, curved zucchinis for the mouth.
He watched another conversation between moms, with their kids grabbling at the beautiful carrots and peppers, and a little tyke reaching for a zucchini. His sister scolded him, that the vegetable man won’t be able to eat anything without his mouth. When he came over to resupply, a mom with a toddler and five-year-old in tow said, “Way to go, maybe I can get these muffins to eat vegetables.”
“Just doing my job ma’am.”
She laughed and loaded up her cart with so much, there must be more than those two kids at home.
All this attention was great, but he couldn’t forget the woman from this morning, and that delicate reach with her hand that couldn’t bear to disturb his art. He had to see her again.
In the break room mid-afternoon, Russ took him aside. “I saw your artwork out there, but what do you think Tony’s going to say when he sees it?”
Yeah, he’d thought about it, Tony was an organized guy who liked veggies to stay in their own corners.
Evie was more upbeat. “Rembrandt here, has been hiding his talents from us until today.”
“Something came over me.”
She walked around to look at him face to face, in that way she had of really seeing. “What gives, Seth, you’re like a big old bud that’s finally blossoming.”
He looked to the side, picked up a fishing mag. “What are you talking about?”
Before he sat down he rolled his shoulders and arms in a way that finished with a good flex of his biceps. He wanted to get right down and do a dozen clap pushups but it might look like too much.
Evie sat next to him and put her hands behind her head. “Nice work. You’ve got plenty in your wheelhouse.” She nodded at Russ who was fiddling with the coffee machine and looked back at her over his shoulder. He had just started using “wheelhouse” himself for just about everything. “But just so you know, women love sensitive men.”
The door banged open and Tony clamored in, with more than his usual bluster. Was his face actually red?
“What the F is going on with that stupid face out in produce?”
Seth’s heart sped up, even though that was silly. He cupped his hands in his lap and tilted his face up at Tony’s red one. “I thought I’d try something new.”
Tony struggled with his coat but had trouble because he hadn’t taken off his gloves first, and one sleeve dangled to the floor. “Get this straight, no one changes the operation around here without my consent.”
Best thing to do when he was in a snit was get out of the way. Of course he’d put himself directly in the way with that display. “I’ll go change it back if you want.” He got up and moved to the door.
Russ went to his locker and fumbled around in there.
Evie stood up and followed Seth. “I’ll go help you.”
Tony finally freed his second arm of his jacket and flung it to the floor. “Damn it, both of you stay put.”
So they did, standing with their backs to the door.
“Seth, I’m sure you’ve heard of the chain of command. You’re a hard worker, but you can’t go around with your own ideas.” Tony was ex-military, though not really ex, so this made sense.
“I was only trying to make it more appealing.”
Tony pushed a hand through what was left of his hair. “You know I could fire you over this.”
Except it was pretty hard to find help these days.
“I know boss, you’re right.”
Evie cleared her throat. “You know Tony, might be good to see what the customers think.”
“Of course they love a pretty display, but veggies aren’t just to look at, as I’m sure you know.”
Seth wasn’t going to say anything but did anyway, it was a perfect setup. “I’ve had to restock that display more than any of the others today, so customers have no problem messing up the artwork.”
Except for Natasha.
“Look, you go put it back right now, and maybe I’ll let you stay.”
Around the newly disciplined table with carrots in one compartment, peppers in another, Evie said, “That guy is a prick, but he could fire you.”
“I can make sure of that, but I’ll wait till tomorrow.”
Evie got that glint in her eye again, but said no more.
The next morning Seth launched into a new design. This one was mostly fruit. Bananas, kiwis, apples, clementines in diagonal bands with grapes around the edges hanging down as though from the vines they came from. Again customers admired, and he had to restock like crazy. But even though he kept an eye on it all day, he didn’t see the woman in the scarf. Well why would he, she was just here the day before.
In the break room he gathered the things in his locker into a box, and wiped out the insides.
From the table Russ watched him. “You’ve got balls, man, gotta hand it to ya.”
When Evie came in for her yogurt she handed him one from her stash. “My last peach one, all yours.”
Her fav, though he liked cherry better, but she was out of cherry.
This time when Tony came in he was all spit and polish. He tugged on one finger at a time to remove his gloves, then neatly folded them into a pocket of his jacket, before draping it on a hanger in his locker, which as the commander, was much bigger than the others.
“I see you’ve messed with the fruits, after I gave you a direct order not to.” He glanced at the box Seth had put together and then stood a foot in front of Seth. Seth did not back away.
“It’s OK, if you don’t want what I can offer, I’ll go somewhere else.”
If you’re thinking Dawson’s will want you to screw around with their vegetables, I feel sorry for you.
Their arch competitor. Hmm, that might be fun.
Seth picked up his box and went to the door. Why not, he gave Tony a casual salute. “I’m on my way, bye Russ, Evie.”
Evie followed him out, but not right away, she still had a job. She caught up to him in the canned goods aisle, near no salt tomatoes. “He’ll want you back when customers complain.”
“Could be.”
“What does that mean?”
“Could mean I’m moving on.” He hated himself for saying that. “I mean, I have no idea what I’ll do next.”
“Such a hero, I could fall at your feet.” That sparkle, plus a fake swoon halfway to the floor.
“How do you do that?”
“I’m in theater you know, well, literature.”
She went to the display and started putting things back in order, but left the grapes dangling all around.
Seth thought about Dawson’s, or Larry’s across town, but he’d take a week off, though he was so used to getting up early he couldn’t stay in bed mornings. Evie had called a time or two, and reported that customers wondered what had happened to the fans and faces, that Tony was about to grovel.
“I think I’m over him, Evie, but let’s keep in touch.” He meant it too, she was a good friend.
Evie was right, Tony called and asked him to come back. Seth was nice about it, but said he was exploring other opportunities. So smooth. Ha, that was a laugh, he’d done squat.
He wanted to come back to watch customers search for his absent displays, but he had to admit, mostly to see if Natasha came by.
One day he met Evie at a coffee shop opposite the grocery. She told him that Tony was his usual gruff self, but moping around because he had to find another produce person.
“You know you could do more than paint with produce.”
“Yeah, maybe, but I don’t have any skills.”
“You can get them dufus, go to art school.”
“Get off my case, I need a job.” But he had to admit, that’s why he wanted to get together, to hear her nudge him on. “I know, you’re a superhero with job and school. But me, not so much. Besides, school? I was so done with that I can’t tell you.” He stared at the brown sludge in his mug. “And another thing, I’m too old.”
Evie, as always was ready for him. “LOL it’s not like you’re thirty or something.”
She sat there stirring her latte or whatever it was, like it had to be done at this super slow speed. Then she said without looking up. “By the way, remember Natasha?”
Did he, more than he wanted to admit.
“I saw her yesterday, wandering produce like a lost gazelle. Looking for your fan I’m sure.”
“How silly.”
“No, she actually came up to me and asked about it.”
“Is she really a Russian ballerina?”
“What do you think?”
He laughed, but it was sort of forced.
“I guessed wrong. She works at Thrifty Bank downtown, teller I think. You could open up an account.”
God he could. Then ask her out, and one day admit he was the artist she’d been so longing to meet. But that would be so ridiculous.
“Yeah, I’ll think about it.”
Evie looked up. “OK, meantime, I could help you think about that art school thing. You could even get into Bartlett and major in art, there’s this prof who’s got this great sense of design and color, you should see the landscapes she does, they’re like full of light.”
Seth backed away from the table, so he could get a better look at her. “Who the heck are you, my personal trainer? I mean for life that is.”
She laughed, “Life coach I think they call them. Not me, but sometimes friends can see something you can’t from the inside.”
Evie had to get back to work so they walked together back to Foodrite. From the door he watched her go in past the produce section, where she stopped at the display where he used to do his designs. There she picked up an apple, and took a bite. She had to know he was watching, or why did she take so long with that one bite?
