Some jobs really suck. Then there is Terri's job. Yeah, it's that bad. Terri works over night with three other people cleaning a local department store. It is a thankless, boring job. The two others on her team are such slackers, too. The one chick was always more interested in making sure she never did anything to injure her perfect manicure. She was one of those big haired, gum-chewing women who try to latch on to a shuffling pathetic man so she can stay away working. Cindy hadn't found one yet.
The other guy was a
lethargic
gutter punk named Rich who seemingly never bathed. He sported a large nasty
Mohawk
that changed colors with each week. All he did was play punk music loudly over his CD Walkman. Their supervisor obviously never noticed that she was the only one who did anything, so she picked up most of the slack.
It was just another night for Terri. She locked up her backpack in her locker and threw her lunchbox into the refrigerator. She drug her feet over to the time clock and listlessly punched in the code that was imbedded in her brain.
"Hey, Terri!" said Mike, her supervisor. "That shirt really looks nice on you."
Terri looked down at her baby doll t-shirt and looked back up at the smirking man.
"Thanks, Mike. What's on the agenda tonight?"
"The manager wants the floors buffed and waxed tonight. I guess they are having some sort of visit tomorrow," he said glancing at her breasts and then back at her face.
"Okay, whatever, Mike. Is Rich gonna help or is he going to stand around looking pretty?" Terri sighed tugging self-consciously at her shirt.
"He might, but only because you're so pretty."
"Yeahβ¦okay, Mike," said Terri walking away.
She involuntarily shuddered as she walked away. Mike was such a creep. It was so obvious how he constantly found reasons to stare at her breasts. Terri had always been self-conscious about her large breasts. Why can't I ever meet nice guys, thought Terri as she walked out into the maintenance closet of the store to pick up her supplies. Rich slide in behind her.
"Hey, y'know that Cindy called out," Rich said.
"Not again. When is Mike going to fire her?"
"Well, she's obviously providing some service that is valuable," Rich said smiling evilly.
Terri rolled her sapphire blue eyes and smiled slightly. She pulled out the buffer machine and the cleaners and slowly went to the back of the softlines department. She itched her nose furiously. The cleaners she used smelled so strong. Terri always wondered what they did to her
olfactory
nerves. As she plugged in the large appliance, something from the corner of her eye caught her attention. She looked up quickly. She smiled at her jumpiness. It was only the tall mannequin in the men's department. Working nights could get pretty creepy. Terri laughed at her fears and got back to work.
She glanced back up at the mannequin as if asserting to herself that it was only plastic. The mannequin was rather life-like. He was tall and very J. Crew looking with his preppie outfit of khakis and a blue sweater. Only plastic, but it was his lifelike eyes were what made the molded figure stand apart. Someone had taken the time to paint very realistic green eyes on him. Terri shook herself out her reverie and returned to her buffing of the bland linoleum.
She worked steadily letting her mind wander. She thought about how long it had been since she had a boyfriend or a lover. She missed having large, warm hands caress her body. It wasn't that she was not attractive enough to have a boyfriend (or a girlfriend for that matter). She was very pretty with a languid sensuality that she was completely unaware of. She possessed an
ethereal
quality that mingled with her tiny statue to make her seem occasionally inhuman, almost faerie-like. Terri was the type of girl who guys stopped to stare at, but she never noticed this. She was always too wrapped up in her thoughts.