Life in the Drive Thru Lane:
by: Aly Lang
Pants that are too long so you step on the bottoms of them with your heels. but not long enough to fold up and not look stupid. Rolled them anyway, up over the tops of a pair of Chuck Taylors. Sitting in the office chair, with my feet up like I own the place, listening. Just listening. The hum of the heater making it bearable to be working in the winter, the occasional clunking of the freezer making all of the ice cream nice and cold, the constant whirring of the coffee machine keeping the coffee at perfect sipping temperature, the wall-length cooler keeping all of the drinks at a chilly 38 degrees sounding like a cruise liner idling in the harbor, my harbor, my register where customers pull up, dock, fill up on goods, and embark on the next part of their journey. I see so many people come in and out of this place, I only know them for a moment, I don't know what they were doing before this and I don't know what they'll do after they leave. It's unbearable how many things are unknown that my brain can't comprehend. That's where my imagination comes into play. That's how most religions were formed I guess now that I think about it. These people have their own journies, their own stories, they have their own worlds, that are completely different than mine. I've only known my world, but it's fun to think about what everybody else's world is like. I have money in my pocket, a job, I have a mom and a dad and a step dad and two brothers, I have my brain and my health, and I have a car, I go to college, I'm in a sorority, I have people who love me, but more importantly I have people that I love, I live in a house in nice town, I have my own bedroom, I have a cellphone, I think there are so many things that make me happy it's almost not real. These are all things that make up my world. I have my own story. and so does everybody else. And while I'm bored at work, I like to play the ultimate speculating game, as I wonder about those stories. Your stories, their stories, his stories and hers, all of them. Here are some things that I see..
The elderly woman with the bruise on her lip, did she win a fight, or fall down the stairs? I'll never know. It is such a tease. It's like seeing trailers for 100 movies a night, but never being allowed to see the films. If you were a normal person with a brain that runs slower than mine does (which is about 3248432 miles per second) this probably wouldn't bother you in the slightest. But my brain is like a clock on crack. Not even a clock. Because it isn't as reliable as a clock. Clocks strike twelve twice a day, just like they're supposed to. My brain can't be trusted to do anything like that. Sometimes it strikes twice, and sometimes it doesn't strike anything at all, and sometimes it won't stop striking over and over and over and over and over and over again.
A business man in a button down shirt and tie. He buys eggs. He smells like cinnamon and leather. followed by a man in paint-spattered sweatpants who smells like cigarettes. For all I can tell, they lead lives completely un parallel to each other. Maybe their morals are completely different. Maybe their political parties hate each other, or maybe they don't have a political party at all and don't vote. Maybe one's divorced with kids that hate him and maybe one is all his kids have. How will I ever know? But maybe they like the same sports team and have high-fived each other at a game once? or maybe they drank a beer at a bar together. The ties between them are both infinite and nonexistent, simultaneously. It's a scary thought that could drive someone (like me) completely insane.
For every cigarette pack someone buys, I think to my self Why that pack? Why that brand? Is that the first kind they've tried and they stuck with it, or have they explored all their options thoroughly prior to making a commitment? Who says what style is the right one anyway? This is America, and we should be able to kill ourselves slowly in any manner we so choose, whether it is analytically thought out or not. I can just tell when someone is going to buy cigarettes. I've never been surprised. not once. usually they drive up, cigarette in mouth, as if it's their last one and they can't bear the thought to breathe one breath of real air. Others order them with raspy voices of long term users and others between coughs spit their brand of choice at me like I should already know. Others still, pull up and don't even let me greet them, their order is out of their mouths before I get the door fully opened, as if I am insulting them by not having it in my hand already as they pull up. Forget the niceties, they mean business. Maybe they can't be bothered with small talk; they know what they want and when they want it. That's fair I suppose. we have the freedom to be rude to whomever we so choose. However, the speed at which you bark orders at me does not always correlate to an increase in the speed at which I humbly serve you. Although, most often it will cause a severe decrease.
The woman who ordered one small Redbull and one Large redbull did not smile at me once. not once through our entire transaction from greeting to departure. She wants to be unhappy and do unhappy things faster than anyone has ever done them before. Slow down lady. Seriously.
Having to go to the bathroom at work is harder than any high school sport I've ever played. Ya gotta lock both doors and make a break for it to the bathroom all the way in the back, praying you don't hear a Bing for the next 45 seconds because Dammit I can't make myself pee faster, or I might end up with a popped blood vessel in my eye. Doing the dishes is a daunting task as well. We don't have any hot water in the sink so it's like washing metal dishes in the Arctic Ocean. You know the one by Iceland and Greenland and Russia and canada and stuff? With glaciers in it? yeah. Barehanded. Not quite sure the legality of that one actually. Pretty sure hot water is a quintessential thing.
I'm sitting here with my salted cashews and some lady comes in and buys chips, sour cream, and onion dip mix. What I wouldn't give for that right now. Probably an arm and a Leg. Well, maybe a hand and a foot. Actually.. Let's be real, more like a shoe.. or a shoelace.
I've gotten two One dollar tips tonight, and met an adorable rescue dog named Bricks. He was massive. I gave him a treat and he sat like a good boy. I made sure he was aware that he was a good boy.
"What size waters do you have?' 12 oz. 1 Liter, and gallon "I'll take the gallon." What are you using all of that water for? are you going on a long road trip? how thirsty can one man be.
Crossword-Lottery Lady, named as such, purchases three $3 crosswords per purchase, per visit, and visits multiples times per night. Although I've never seen her win more than $20, she's convinced that every 15-25 lottery tickets there is a big winner. Hey, keep dreaming, but remember, it's just a game, lady.
A father of a college student is seen wandering around the back of my store. So obviously I go outside to investigate. He explains his son is a marketing major and his professor doesn't believe in the existence of drive-thru convenience stores. Obviously I pose for a picture and he is on his way.
A woman with her dark hair in a Perfect bun with a lip piercing pulls up and orders something, cigarettes maybe. Diet coke maybe. I don't remember. As she's leaving she says to me "take it easy." I think that's my favorite farewell you can give to someone. I mean, there's Goodbye, See ya later, Have a nice night/day/evening/holiday, have a good one, etc. But Take it easy is just the best. I feel like more people should take it easy once in a while.
I keep hearing clunking noises coming from the back, and one was so loud my heart sank to my butt, I grabbed a pair of scissors, and was prepared to get robbed. Turns out it was just the freezers, but I have no idea why they were making that noise. Then something funny crossed my mind. What on earth would I have done with scissors? So, I set out on a little reconnaissance mission to see what weapons I have at my disposal in case god forbid someone does decide to come into my store and have the intent to harm me. I found a Hammer, the scissors, a retractable razor blade, and a 7-inch serrated bread knife with a handle. What would you choose? I think I would go for the hammer. Nice hefty whack with a blunt object seemed like the most opportune choice, if I came in close enough contact with the person. Although, I think I would just offer him some hot cocoa, a bag of chips, a pack of cigarettes, and someone to talk to for an hour and maybe he wouldn't want to kill and rob me.
It blows my mind when I think about people. Everyone was born and was a child and had a childhood before they grew up to be people. Like George Washington and Hitler and Martin Luther King Jr. were all babies once, who crapped themselves and needed someone else to take care of them. Weird right? our parents or whoever raised us, they were raised once too. I dunno, it just seems so humbling to think everyone in the world started pretty much the same as us. It's a little bit humorous and a little bit scary.
Most of the time I like to do the right thing for the right reason, but sometimes.. I do the wrong thing for no reason at all, just because I can. Sometimes I like to do nothing at all, and sometimes I want to do everything and anything all at once. The universe is a big scary place, and sometimes it is nice to be able to choose what you do, it makes you feel powerful and whole and real. Because we aren't always going to be able to make our own choices. So we should seize every chance we get. I choose to send christmas gifts and to drive too fast and listen to music too loud and play video games for days and work out at really weird times of the day and eat to much or eat nothing at all, because I can. I think "I can" is sometimes the best reason in existence to do something. If you can do it, then you should. Simple as that. Try this, try saying out loud all of the things that you have. Like I listed about myself in the first paragraph of this story. Don't do it in your head, because if it's in your head, it isn't real yet. Put the words out there for your ears to hear, for the world to hear, not for your brain to just think about and swish around like mouthwash. It's interesting how much you realize you have if you stop and think for a minute. just a minute. Start talking to yourself, instead of just thinking to yourself. It makes a difference I promise.
And that's what life in the drive-thru lane as taught me today.
THE END
I don't have much more to say. My blog's hiatus is over I guess so let's recap what we missed (it wasn't much)
- Monica came to visit from out west and we had amazing thanksgiving break (hi mernshern)
- too much food was eaten
- new york city is big and scary and breathtaking all at once. It's like people who live there are compelled by magic that the rest of us just can't see, but to be surrounded by it is a mixture of overwhelming and awe and frightening and loud and big.
- I have an amazing family who sometimes likes to get together for holidays and have a good time.
- Exercise, sleep, a decent diet, and a hobby are four of the best things you can do/have for your body and soul and overall well-being of yourself I think.
- Getting up and getting dressed every day helps you feel good. It makes you feel like you have a purpose or a place to be or something to do. If you hangout in sweat pants all day, it's easy to feel like you're in a slump all day. Get up, brush your teeth, put real clothes on, eat something not totally horrible for you, and you will feel better than being a couch potato. It might not be some drastic difference, it might be subtle, but I swear there's a difference. (but don't get me wrong, I love getting home from the day and taking my pants off as fast as I can to put on my cookie pants).
- If you come across something you are hesitant about doing, count to three and just do it. You can't wait too long or it'll pass, so just count to three and don't hold back. Whether it's introducing yourself, or asking a question, kissing someone, or anything really. Just count and do.
- Think of all the people you admire, or just one person. Take what they do that you admire so much and apply it to yourself. Instead of seeing people doing admirable things, do them yourself. Be the person that you like to see in other people. If we take enough little bits of other people and mix it in with who we currently are, well, I think you'd get a pretty well rounded human being. That's what I'm trying to do anyway. Being me is great and all, but I look up to so many other people, I want to be someone that people look up to, too.
Thanks for reading, sorry for the suspension. Long story. don't ask.
Here's a song or two that makes me happy. enjoy xx
I find acoustic songs to be so much better than the originals
If I lose myself - one republic
hey anna -owl city
