The Baggers Game

I walked into work that day in a good mood, and it increased when i saw my bagger already there. At our store, there are matched pairs, kinda like a Warder/Aes Sedai Relationship between Baggers and Cashiers. I tipped her a wink and smiled. She waved and smiled back, and told me that my till was already set up on register five.

"Well.... Okay. Thanks." I walked over to the register and ran over the checklist in my mind.

Numbers signed on? Check.

Stamps in the envelope? Check.

Void sheet in the envelope? Check.

Do I have a pen? Check.

Open light on? Check.

Chain out of the way? Check.

"Houston, we are go for launch."

Shera, my bagger, looked at me and grinned. "That's a big no go there, Space Cadet."

"What? Why?"

"You forgot to move the carts blocking the aisle."

I turned and looked, and sure enough, there they were, blocking the aisle. I sighed and walked around and moved them over to the cart corral, and then came back to my register.

"I got a question. Why didn't I ask you to move them?"

"Could be because I'm young and female, and you're old, and a guy, and so you should be doing all the work, you know, to keep your self healthy and your lungs pumping."

"Could be because I forgot to ask you, also."

"That could be. We'll never know now, will we?"

I rolled my eyes and turned to the lady who was walking into my aisle. "Hello Ma'am, how are you doing today?"

"Im alright. How are you?"

"Doing good. doing good." Formalities finished, i proceeded to ring up her groceries. Shera didn't begin bagging, instead, she just looked over the groceries.

"Twenty-six Forty-three," she said.

I turned around behind me, and grabbed some of the receipt paper off of the next register (which no one was using) and wrote down two words on it, and underlined both of them. Then I put it in my pocket, and continued to ring up her items.

"Thirty Fifteen," I said. Shera cocked her eybrow at me, but continued bagging. I finished up, and hi the total button. The screen now read, "Check Cart, Press Clear."

I looked at her, and she looked at me, and the customer continued to write up her check.

I hit the clear button,and the total came up.

$25.65

Shera looked at it, and grinned, almost wolfishly. "Point for me, point for me!"

The customer looked up and laughed. "Are you trying to guess the totals?"

"Yeah, that's something me and her do. It helps pass the time, you know?"

"Yep, I guess it does. How good are you at it?"

I smiled and said, "Well, we're both pretty good. I'd say the score comes up tied or pretty much one or two point difference everytime."

"Oh, that's interesting."

I took the piece of paper out of my pocket and made a hash mark under Shera's name.

Two minutes later, our business with the lady was over, and she was gone. I turned to Shera. "So, i guess we're not playting The Price Is Right version, huh?"

"Well considering I already have the point, that would be a big no go, Space Cadet."

"Shut up." But I was grinning.

That was when the door to the store opened, and in stepped Mark Halpern. Mark was another cashier with a rather prissy walk, and a tendency to write with pink or lavender pens. There was some speculation between me, Shera, and the head cashier that Mark was gay, though none of us had the guts to go over and ask. Even if he wasn't gay, he was one of the most annoying people on the face of the earth. If you were one of the lucky people chosen to be the second midnight cashier (which was me and Shera 60% percent of the time) you got to see how he got to be late at night.

He walks around singing unrecognizable songs, in unintelligible voices, or sometimes not even in voices. Sometims it's just a strangled squawking, kinda like Scuttle the Sea gull in The Little Mermaid. He bothered alot of the other cashiers, and that was why he was the primary midnight shift worker. the primary midnight shifter didn't get a Bagger (since the secondary midnighter had a bagger, and that bagger could go between the two, since it really wasn't that busy).

Shera looked at me. "Please tell me we aren't here till midnight."

"Well, lessee... what time did we get in?"

"One...."

"Ayuh, that's how I saw it, and how long is our shift normally?"

"Eight hours. Never mind."

The next customer to come walking into our line was a fellow employee. Her name was Lara, and she worked in the Dairy Dept. She bothered me, because she always prattled on about nothing. She would tell you little facts and stories about her life that you would really be better off not knowing.

And here she was. I sighed and spared a glance at Shera, who, I could tell, was grimacing on the inside. I turned to Lara and greeted her. She greeted me back, and that was the end of our pleasantries. I wanted her out of my line as soon as possible.

"The weather's getting cold outside, isn't it?" She said.

"Yup," I replied and nodded my head.

"It's beginning to bother my feet. My feet always get cold when the weather does. Isn't that weird?" I wanted to slap her upside the head and tell her everyone's feet do that, but I didn't. I simply nodded my head and agreed with her.

"I don't like driving in this weather. I had to do it before, and I almost wrecked the car. Fortunately, it was my sister's car, and not mine." She laughed like it was the funniest thing anyone had ever heard. I gave her a smile and a courtesy laugh, and glanced again at Shera, who was looking back with admirable patience, and a winning smile.

Her eyes though, there was something in her eyes. Some sort of... cunning plan being hatched. I began to be worried.

Lara finished up and smiled at me. I hate when she does that. Her smile could stop a clock. or Two. Or maybe a sundial.

When she left, I breathed a sigh of relief. A couple registers down, Mark was making some sort of joke with the customers, and laughing his irritating laugh.

Shera looked at me and grinned.

"I'll make a Wager with you, Mike," she said. Immediately, in my gut I knew this had something to do with that look i saw in her eyes. I began to worry a little more.

"What kind of wager?"

"On the next order to come though our line, I will win the point. If I do, you have to ask Lara out on a date. A real date. None of this going Dutch crap. Got it?"

I felt my blood run momentarily cold. Frumpy dumb Lara? A date? "What happens if you are wrong, and I win?"

"Oh, nothing. Life as usual."

"No. No dice. Get out of my store."

"Alright, what would be fair?"

I thought about it for a minute, and as I did, I looked around the room. My gaze shifted over to Mark, who was digging for gold in his nose. I felt a big old stupid grin slide over my face, and i looked at her.

"If I win, you have to ask out Mark Halpern."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"It's fair."

She thought about it for a minute. "What kind of date are we talking about here? Is this a date where we go somplace nice and secluded, and make out, or is it like a movie date, or a dinner date? Do I have to kiss him goodnight?"

I guess it's the kind of date where you go out with him to wherever you and him agree to go, do whatever you and him agree to do, and if you want to kiss him at the end, I don't care. That might be kinda... discouraging though. I wouldn't advise it. if I lose, I'm going to be doing everything in my power not to kiss Lara goodnight."

She thought about it a little more. "Alright. You have a deal."

I nodded and felt a little flutter of excitement in my stomach.

That was when the girl walked into our line with a magazine. I grinned and looked at Shera. "A buck thirty," I said glancing at her Women's World mag. Shera thought about it.

"Buck fifty." That was when the girl turned.

"Mom," she called, "This register's open!"

Then came the ORDER. It was huge. I felt my mouth drop open, and quickly closed it again. I turned to Shera.

"I would like to strike my guess from the record."

"Yeah, me too." I began to ring up the groceries.

Close Up Toilet Paper. $1.68

Pack of Marlboro Cigarettes. $2.58

Store Brand meat franks. .88¢

Kraft Macaroni Dinner. 88¢

Dixie Darling Family style Bread 88¢

Ground Beef $3.63

As I continued to rign up the groceries, Shera made her guess. "Seventy Five Twenty Three."

I looked it over and made my guess. "Sixty eight thirteen."

The game was set. The moves were made. Now we only had to see the endgame through to its conclusion.

I continued to ring up the groceries, and Shera continued to bag them.

Sweet and Sour Sauce. $1.45

Tyson Chicken Breast Tenders. $3.00

Glazed Chicken. $2.50

Half a Dozen red roses. $7.98

Country Weekly Magazine. $1.99

Globe Magazine. $1.25

Woman's World Magazine $1.25

Buffalo Tenders $5.82

Key Lime Pie Slices $2.38

Lemon Meringue Pie Slices $2.38

I finally finished, and hit the total button. The message to press clear came up, and I looked at Shera and took a deep breath. I hit the total button.

$77.18

"Yes!!!!" Shera grinned triumphantly, and I felt my heart drop into my stomach, and splash very loudly. I think all the liquid splashing around must have short circuited something, cause I didn't hear anything for about five seconds.

Then, the next thing I knew, the lady was holding out a stack of paper to me,and Shera was no longer grinning. I took the paper with numb fingers and looked at them uncomprehendingly.

55¢ off your next purchase... Then it hit home. Coupons! She had coupons! I still have a chance! A really good one, too, considering how many she has here.

I began to scan them through. the price began to drop.

I came across one for $1.50 off the next purchase. I scanned it through, but it didn't take it. I looked at the coupon. It was expired. I felt my heart drop, hoping there weren't a lot of those. I handed it back to her, telling her it was expired, and she sighed and told me to throw it out.

A couple of coupons later, one for $2.50 off of a set of batteries didn't work cause she got the wrong kind. I felt my heart sink again, as I realized it wasn't going to be as good as i thought it would.

Eventually I got done with the coupons and looked at Shera again. her face was tight with anxiety as my finger poised over the total button.

I hit the total button.

$69.58