BooksBarbecue
Back Nothing to See
Chapters (57)
  1. Cover
  2. Title
  3. Dedication
  4. Dedication2
  5. 1994
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 2006
  24. 18
  25. 19
  26. 20
  27. 21
  28. 22
  29. 23
  30. 24
  31. 25
  32. 26
  33. 27
  34. 28
  35. 29
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 2018
  45. 38
  46. 39
  47. 40
  48. 41
  49. 42
  50. 43
  51. 44
  52. 45
  53. 46
  54. 47
  55. 48
  56. 49
  57. Acknowledgements

There were nice students. Some of them were poor like Peggy and Greta, just looking for a waterproof coat or a new pair of shoes. They’d repaired their Vans over and over with shoe-goo but that was all coming to an end so now they needed a new pair – a pair that was new to them. Peggy and Greta would help them out. Take them to their personal stash of canvas shoes. It wasn’t really kosher but they would hide some shoes away from where the shoes normally were. Put them on display way back at the end of the store where really they weren’t on display at all. No one could see them, but when a nice person came in and was looking for canvas shoes they might say, ‘Oh, wait here,’ and head back to the end of the shop and grab the Converse All Star low-tops or the PRO-Keds and bring them to the customer and say, ‘Do these work?’ and the person might say, ‘Wow. Yeah,’ and smile and it would make Peggy and Greta smile. They suspected they were a long way off, like if they were really spiritual giants they would bring the shoes for the rich students as well, or just put them with the other shoes, but they felt like they were getting there. Slightly. Baby steps.

The walk to and from work got old sometimes. The days were starting to feel a bit all the same. And sometimes they would find their minds kind of eating them from the inside while they were folding or ironing or pricing. There was a certain type of stress in being this bored. They would pray and think and try to do each job as best they could to make the day go faster, but some days it was impossible. Really they were used to being their own agents. Doing what they wanted. Like, if they were halfway through something and it got terrible, they were used to just leaving and doing something else. This was one of the good things they were learning, Diane said. This was one of the things that would hold them in good stead for a future. This was life on life’s terms – boredom, commitment, smiling. Peggy and Greta would talk about it sometimes. Maybe it would be better if they were earning money. Maybe. Diane said they were earning money – they were both getting the sickness benefit.