Mondays are always hard, and this one especially. No-one wants bookshelves or washing machines way after five o'clock on a Monday afternoon, we've all got better places to be. Except Amie.
She was milling around in aisle seven looking at big-box household appliances as I did the usual sweep through the store for customers. Milly was already packing up the till and closing the doors out the front of store.
"Hi, ma'am," I said, "Just wanted to let you know we're closing now."
The woman jerked around to face me, obviously startled.
"Whoa," I said, "I didn't mean to creep up on you."
"No, no," she replied, "I was a thousand miles away. It's alright."
"I've never seen anyone so fascinated by dishwashers before," I said, sensing that the woman was on the verge of an enquiry. "Anything I can help you with?"
The woman looked back to the appliances, distractedly. She was maybe about thirty, short blonde hair in a bob, slim verging on thin but in an athletic way, maybe about a head and a half shorter than me. She wore a tight grey t-shirt and jeans, standing in ballet-flats. The curve of her breasts through the t-shirt showed the lines of her bra, cupping modest, pert breasts. When she turned back to me I was taken by her pale grey-blue eyes.
"This store does click and collect, right?" she said. "Can I do click and collect?"
"Sure," I replied, "Not a problem. What did you have in mind?"
The woman went quiet, obviously nervous. She reached up with her left hand to tuck a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. I noticed the wedding ring.
I tried to be reassuring. "We have quite a range of appliances in this section," I began.
"Where would they be collected from?" she blurted.
I was caught off guard by the odd question. I said, "Uh, we have a loading dock out the back. You could just drive down the ramp and collect from the warehouse area."
The woman indicated a dishwasher, and said, "I guess the boxes for all these are out the back too?"
I nodded.
"And they're quite strong boxes?"
I nodded again, and continued, "If you're worried about damage in transit, don't be. It's reinforced cardboard and the packing material will keep the contents very secure."
The woman blushed.
A voice behind me called out. "Hey, tills are done, do you need me for anything else?"
I turned to see Milly standing at the end of the aisle, jacket in hand, waiting expectantly. She had three kids at home to feed.
"All good," I called, "Shoot off, I'll lock up."
Milly waved and I turned back to the woman.
"So," I repeated, "What did you have in mind?"
"Could I see the boxes?" she asked.
I hesitated for a moment at the unexpected request. "Of course," I said, "Follow me. My name's Tom by the way." I tapped my name badge.
"Amie," she replied, then added, "Thanks for taking the time, I know you're closing up."
I led her through the doors at the back of the store into the warehouse area between pallets stacked up with flat pack wardrobes and outdoor furniture sets. There was a pile of flattened boxes against the far wall. We walked over to it.
"We flatten them for storage," I explained, lifting one box off the pile and folding it back into shape. "See, it's really strong when it's taped back together."
Amie ran her hands over the cardboard, and then looked at the rest of the pile.
"How about this one?" she asked, pulling out a smaller box. "What comes in this?"
Puzzled, I replied, "That's a one-tary dishwasher. The kind you'd put in a studio apartment. Was that what you're looking for? The box is always bigger than the contents, so..."
"No, this is perfect," she interjected, cutting me off. She folded it into shape and stared at it intently.
"Is this for yourself or is it a gift for someone else?" I asked, suddenly feeling a little lost. This was not the usual sales conversation.
"It's for my husband," Amie responded, "I want to surprise him for his birthday."
"I see," I replied, but I was more confused than ever. "And what do you want to put in the box?"
Amie nibbled a fingernail and took a long time to answer.
"Me," she said.
I tried to keep my face impassive, but I must have reacted slightly to her revelation. I found myself thinking: why would an attractive, petite woman want to be boxed up as a gift for her husband?
She was blushing furiously now and looked down at her feet.
"I'm, uh, I'm sorry," she stammered, "I should go."
She put the box back onto the pile and turned to leave: the moment was slipping away. I cleared my throat. This was just like any other sale, I reasoned, and the customer was always right.
"When would you be looking to schedule collection?" I asked.
"It doesn't matter," Amie replied, taking a few steps back towards the doors.
"We would be happy to accommodate your requirements," I continued and she stopped.
I pressed on. "If you can let me know when your husband's birthday is, we can plan accordingly."
I watched her hands flutter against her sides nervously. I could see that she felt like a fool, blurting out her desires to a stranger. A business-like approach was the key here, I thought. She wants to buy a service, so we are back on familiar turf.
"Obviously if you're supplying the goods, there'd just be a nominal charge for packing and dispatching," I said.
Slowly, she turned and approached me again. Her expression was unreadable, but I was caught by the look in her eyes. She was obviously doing something that she had thought about for a long time. I guessed that it had probably taken her most of the day to get up the courage to be in aisle seven, waiting for me.
"I tell you what," I said, "Why don't we try the box for fit?"
I began to form the box into shape and placed it on the concrete floor in front of her. Amie's hands fluttered by her sides as she looked down at the cardboard, but she didn't move. We were in that part of the sales conversation where the buyer sometimes needs to be given the go-ahead that it's alright to have what they want.
"Let's see how it feels," I continued.
Amie took a step towards the box. She shucked off her ballet flats and looked nervously at me. I smiled and took hold of the sides so it wouldn't fall over as she got in.
Amie lifted one leg into the box. I had a view of her tight, firm bottom as she turned slightly to bring the other leg over the flaps. She grasped the edges and began to wriggle down into the cardboard until she was sitting inside.
"How does that feel?" I asked.
"Good," Amie replied, "There's definitely room."