“29 and 30,”
Ally finished counting. “Lexi, any sign of breathing yet?”
I leaned down
and placed my ear next to his mouth. “No,” I said sharply.
“Okay, two more
breaths,” she ordered.
I crossed my
fingers under his chin. Willing my strength and energy into him, I whispered
please,
please, please
…in my mind. Strangely, my fingers tingled this time. All at
once he started sputtering and coughing, and I gasped. His head bobbed as he
did some sort of rapid eye movement thing, and then his eyes flew open and bore
into mine with such ferocity, I accidentally whipped my hand away, and his head
thudded to the pavement.
“They did it!
He’s breathing!” someone in the crowd shouted.
“He’s alive and
moving!” someone else called out, and cheers went up all around us.
“Thank God
you’re all right,” I whispered.
“Nice job
ladies,” the burly man congratulated us, his hand still pressing on the wound.
“Please step out
of the way. Bellingham EMT’s coming through,” an authoritative voice sent
onlookers scattering left and right. “Please step aside; make room for the
stretcher.” Four paramedics rushed in, and I barely had time to give
him
a final look of encouragement. His expression hardened as I rose, and his eyes
followed me until our view of each other was cut off.
“What’s the
situation here?” asked one EMT. After Ally offered a quick account of the
accident, he voiced his gratitude and helped rush the stretcher to the
ambulance. Once the doors slammed behind them, the sirens blared and the
vehicle tore out of the intersection – fleeing with my…my what? My maniac
runner? My predator? My hero?
Half an hour
later, after we’d given statements to a police officer, we learned that the
driver of the truck had died. That’s when I lost it. The officer thought maybe
I was injured and wanted to check me out, but Ally assured him I was just
emotionally distraught and needed to get away from the accident scene.
Hurriedly, she pulled me through the yellow tape that cordoned off most of the
intersection. Strobe lights flashed from atop police cars. The broken fire
hydrant, which looked like a giant sprinkler gone berserk, was still spraying
massive amounts of water everywhere. Hoards of people continued to flock to the
area, but I wanted nothing more than to run away. The guilt was intolerable.
Another man was dead, and if I’d been quicker I might have prevented it.
On the way home,
Ally wrapped her arm securely around my shoulders for support. “Lexi, the
mother and children are safe, and so is that crazy guy who ran into you. I know
you’re feeling responsible for the driver’s death, but you couldn’t have
prevented that. Your premonition was for the mother and children, right?” I
nodded. “See…and they are safe.”
I groaned. “I
took too long to react. Maybe I could have saved the driver.”
Ally seized my
face. “Lexi! The driver was not part of your premonitions. You are in no way
responsible for his death. You’re not meant to save everyone. You know that,
and you know that we did everything we could. Now let’s just get out of here
and get home.”
Ally, bless her
bossy heart, didn’t let me out of her sight for the rest of the day.
An early morning
phone call had me scrambling out of bed and heading for work. Since I was wide
awake and needed a diversion from my so-called life, I readily agreed to cover
a sick shift. After arriving at work, I shoved my purse and cell phone into a
metal locker and slid my badge through the time clock at exactly 6:59 a.m.
I’d recently
started working for a family owned grocery chain and was relieved to have a job
– one with benefits and flexible hours. Many of the other employees were
college students as well, and I hoped to make some new friends. Actually, I was
surprised I’d gotten hired at all. I figured my previous employer Mr. Olson
would have told them I was great with customer service but that my behavior was
erratic and he wouldn’t recommend me for rehire.
When I was a
senior in high school, Mr. Olson, a friend of my parents, had offered me a job
at his burger joint: Angus Burger Bistro. But after a month on the job I had a
premonition during my shift and went AWOL from the drive-up window during a
Saturday night rush hour. Apparently, when no one could explain my absence, Mr.
Olson’s clean, Christian mouth had transformed into a polluted fountain of
profanities. I think it was his lack of control, rather than my desertion that
really sent him over the edge. Needless to say, he fired me, and my parents
lectured me for days about work ethics. In my heart I knew I’d done the right
thing, because I’d stopped a toddler from wandering onto the busy highway. Of
course, no one knew that bit of info. I’d learned early on that premonitions
did not gel well with steady employment.
I glanced around
the store, feeling lucky to have this job. Things were unusually quiet, and I
could hear the soft music playing overhead and the buzzing ceiling lights.
Several check stand lanes were cordoned off with spiraling, black cords. I
walked on my tip-toes to get a better visual advantage of the aisles and
spotted a couple night crew workers throwing freight in the freezer section.
The only other activity came from the coffee shop up front where a small line
of caffeine addicts waited patiently for their morning fix.
Jessica Nelson,
the PIC (person in charge), was standing in check stand #9 intently studying
the front end sheet. The front end sheet denoted every checker’s scheduled
shift, break, and lunch. The person holding it was the supreme ruler for the
day and was responsible for happy customers.
Although petite
and shorter than me by a couple inches, Jessica’s attire looked much the same
as mine. With our black slacks, white blouses, and colorful scarves, we
epitomized standard dress code. Her shoulder length brown hair, although much
shorter than mine, was also pulled back into a ponytail. She was chewing on a
pencil eraser.
“Hi Jessica,” I
called out, so I didn’t startle her.
“Lexi!” Her face
brightened as she glanced up. “Thanks so much for coming in. Nothing like the
CSM calling in sick and leaving me with all her duties. Lucky for me, you were
up early.” She flashed a grateful smile and tucked a few wispy strands behind
her ear.
As I approached,
I tripped over a shopping basket and fell to the floor. She reached down to
help me up and said exasperatedly, “Customers are always leaving baskets
everywhere, except where they belong, of course.”
When our hands
locked, her fingers tightened around mine, and her emerald eyes rounded.
Gasping, her mouth opened wide and her eyes lit up like Christmas lights. She
looked like she’d just found out Santa Claus was real and was heading her way
with a sleigh full of loot. Pulling me to my feet, she smothered me with a huge
hug. Just to make things even weirder, she started giggling – louder and
louder, tears pooling in her eyes.
“Lexi,” she
managed to say in between laughs, “I’m so glad I found you. I just can’t
believe it. What are the odds?” She clapped her hands together once. “It’s
gotta be fate.”
I stepped back
puzzled at her bizarre behavior. “Jessica, what are you talking about?”
“Oh, I’m sorry,”
She grabbed a tissue off the check stand, dabbed the tears at the corners of
her eyes, and blew her nose loudly. “What I meant was – oh, never mind. Can you
forgive me?”
“No worries. I’m
glad you got a laugh out of it. I’m sure I looked like a total idiot.”
“Oh, no, it’s
not you,” she said, “I’m the idiot. Sometimes the littlest things set me off,
and I can’t stop laughing. I can so relate with the Energizer Bunny.” I bit my
lower lip to suppress a smile. Grabbing my hands, she added, “I feel like we’re
long lost friends, and now that we’ve found each other we’re destined for many
adventures.” She lifted her hands and waved them in the air. “Reminds me of
when Anne of Green Gables met Diana for the first time and knew she’d found her
kindred spirit.”
I couldn’t help
but shake my head and chuckle. The girl was totally bizarre. “How much coffee
have you had?”
“None. Nada.
Zilch. You’ll learn quick enough that not only do I laugh a lot, but I’m also a
little bit crazy and a lot scatter-brained. It doesn’t take caffeine to get me
going. Ask anyone who knows me, like my cousin Shelby, who works back in the bakery.
She’s seriously serious, but you’ll love her. She’s gonna be
shocked
when she meets you.” I gave her a funny look, and she waved her hand. “Oh don’t
worry, I mean it in a good way.”
I frowned but
nodded. “Okay. Well, I’d like to meet her. I don’t know many people here yet –
other than you and my roommate, Ben, who just started working in produce.”
“I know Ben,”
she said delightedly. “He’s hilarious. I didn’t know he was your roommate. Are
you a couple?”
“No,” I laughed.
“He’s engaged to my best friend, Ally.”
“Oh, got it.
That’s cool.” She swung around, picked up the front end sheet, and put one hand
on her hip. “Well, we better get to work. Lots to do and I still have to set up
the produce test.”
As she paused
for a breath, I said, “P-produce test?”
“Oh, don’t
stress out about that,” she said, smacking the clipboard. “I’ve seen you
carrying around your produce codes; you’ll do fine. I’ll make it easy this
week. Speaking of which, have you ever eaten a cherimoya?”
“A what?” I said
with a shake of my head.
“You know, that
green Peruvian that has funny little indentations on the skin.” She winked and
handed me the front end schedule. “You should try it sometime; it’s
really
sweet.” She pointed at me with her pencil, looked at it oddly, and giggled before
handing it to me. “I’ll gather items for the produce test. You’re on check
stand #8. If you could clean check stands in between customers I’d love ya
forever. But page me if you need back up.” She scooped up the green basket and
bounced towards the produce department, only pausing long enough to slam-dunk
the basket onto a tall stack by the front entrance.
I signed on to
my computer and was greeted with an array of beeps as the receipt tape advanced
in the printer. Sporadic small orders consisting mostly of muffins, doughnuts,
and fruit kept me busy. During lag times I disinfected the check stands and
thought about Jessica. She was a riot – one of those people who made you feel
good no matter what your mood. She’d probably been voted
Most likely to make
people laugh
in high school.
A customer
approached and banged his green basket onto the belt. He narrowed his pale
brown eyes accusingly through his glasses and scowled. I knew the signs of an
irate customer when I saw one, so I braced myself for the onslaught.
“Listen here
Missy,” he said gruffly, wagging his crooked finger in the air. “I don’t know
why you people have to saturate the produce with water. That sprinkler system
needs to be shut down. I’m sopping wet.” He stretched his arm under my nose.
My first
irascible old crank of the day had arrived, and it was my responsibility to set
things straight. First, I would shock him by being agreeable; then I’d
apologize and find a solution. Not that I’d admit it publicly, but I’d actually
read the entire employee manual front to back. I felt confident in my conflict
resolution abilities and launched into a “the customer is always right” counter
attack.
Moments later,
he scratched his chin and studied me as I rang up his order. “Little lady, one
thing you are, is perceptive, and you have more spirit than half the employees
in this store.” After he paid, he assured me he’d see me again and shuffled
away.
“Wow!” Jessica
commented behind me. “You handled old Dr. Fisher really well.” She glanced over
her shoulder. “He’s known as the store grump, but we love him. Besides that,”
she winked, “he’s related to the owners.” Her pony tail flipped around as she
gazed at me again. “Looks like you can handle the best of ‘em, or the worst of
‘em,” she giggled.
“Thanks a lot,” I
said sarcastically. “But seriously, if you’d grown up around some of my uncles,
you’d think old Dr. Fisher was a kitten in comparison.”
“Sounds like
you’ve got some stories to tell,” she said, picking up the clipboard. “All the
more reason we need to hang out. Sooner rather than later.”
“Sure,” I
replied, thinking that probably wasn’t the best idea because that’s exactly
when the snapshots would strike. And then what?
“Great,” she
said, not picking up on my lackluster tone. “The produce test is on the first
check stand. Good Luck. I’m sure you’ll pass with flying colors.” Merrily, she
shooed me away.
“Wonderful,” I
muttered in an undertone.
Almost all the
test items were easily identifiable until I reached the last one. Strangest
looking thing I’d ever seen with spoon-sized indentations… Shaking my head, I
looked towards Jessica and held it in the air. As soon as she saw me, she
tilted her head back and laughed uproariously. What a riot.
The next couple
hours passed quickly. At one point a man with a screaming toddler hurried into
Jessica’s lane. Pointing to a goose egg on the girl’s head, the man explained
how she’d tripped and banged herself on a display rack. He wasn’t sure if he
should take her to the doctor or not, because she wouldn’t stop wailing.
Explaining she
had first aid training, Jessica took the little girl’s hand and spoke in a
soft, soothing voice. Gently, she rubbed her other hand over the girl’s
forehead. Almost instantly, the little girl stopped crying and started smiling.
Totally impressed, the father and I exchanged amazed looks.
Jessica peered
into the girl’s eyes and said warmly, “She looks like she’s going to be just
fine. Her eyes aren’t dilated, and that’s a good sign. I don’t think you have
anything to worry about. However, you should watch for drowsiness or abnormal
behavior over the next few hours.” Jessica offered him a reassuring glance then
pulled a sticker out of her check stand drawer and gave it to the little girl.