"Excuse me miss? Do you know if you have any Viking Mums in stock?" Sage felt a tug on her sleeve before turning to see a woman in her mid-30's. She had shoulder-length, teal blue hair and was currently juggling a fussy toddler on her hip. Her eyes looked tired, weary. She wore denim overalls with a long sleeved black shirt underneath. The child looked to be about three years old. He had black hair and a grumpy frown that had forced Sage to bite back a laugh.
In an attempt to look professional, Sage stood abruptly and began wiping the dirt off her jeans.
"Of coarse!" Sage practically sang. She waved her hand over her shoulder and guided the middle-aged mother over to aisle 3 where the other potted flowers were stocked.
"They can be pretty tricky to spot sometimes, despite their brilliant yellow coloring." She gestured grandly towards the flowers.
Viking Mums reminded Sage of sunshine. She practically memorized all the locations of her personal favorites, Viking Mums included. As the woman knelt to choose her prize, she placed the toddler next to her on the ground. Almost instantly, he bolted towards the aisle that held different pre-made cards for every occasion. At first, Sage was confused as to what he was doing over there... but then she saw it. Over by the cards was an air tank and tied to it, a bundle of balloons. The boy stretched at a futile attempt to grasp one of the strings. Seeming to realize the impossibility of his current situation, the boy then sat down and began to wail. The mother placed one of the plants in her cart and sighed audibly. She had clearly been having a rough morning.
Without a second thought, Sage walked over and plucked a green balloon from the bundle. Shushing him from behind, the woman scooped up her child and placed him, once more, on her hip. The smile on his face was all the thanks Sage needed when handing him his balloon. The woman's relief had been a mere bonus.
"Here. On the house... Is there anything else I can help you with today? Some coffee perhaps?" Sage made a mental note to put a dollar in the register for the balloon she had inadvertently "stolen."
"No thank you hun, I should really take these over to the town meeting. I thought it would be nice have a gift for the Mayor's family." With a final nod of gratitude she made her way to the register at the front of the store.
Rainn Hartmann, one of the owners of Canis Major, stood as a cashier. He was tall, just over 6-foot, and also in his mid-thirties. He was reading a self-help book on expanding conscious behavior in an environment that was not so accepting. The book had obviously seen many years with its withered and dog-eared state.
"That will be $7.00 even." Rainn smiled softly while simultaneously opening the cash drawer. He set the book face down so he would not lose his page before accepting payment.
"Hey Molly, did you find everything okay?" The Hartmann's made it a point to remember all their customers names. Not only did it promote sales, but it also seemed to make his patrons feel welcome.
"I just wanted to say before I left... That employee over there? The one with the paint-splattered jeans? Rainn's eyebrows rose in mild concern. While he was sure Sage was nothing but sunshine and rainbows... his entrepreneur side could not help but worry. He had always had a hard time taking criticism from a customer. Almost as if he wanted his gardens to be a positive haven for all who enter. In an attempt to brace himself for any complaint, he placed his hands on the counter and waited.
"She was a tremendous help. A real delight. She was even able to make Carson over here smile." Molly gestured over to the toddler who had the balloon tied to his wrist. Carson shrieked with delight as he punched the balloon forward, only to have it slowly float back over to him.
"I would give that girl a raise. You don't see a lot of people going out of their way nowadays." Rainn visibly relaxed his shoulders relieved. A boisterous laugh escaped his lips while he handed Molly her receipt.
"That over there is Sage Rivera. Abby and I used to go to high school with her grandmother out in Southern California. When ol' Professor Rivera heard that we had opened a shop here, she practically jumped at the job opportunity for her granddaughter. Sage hasn't been here long, but I am sure she will fit in just fine."Molly nodded and gave Rainn a short wink.
"Well, just because of her extra effort, I will come back tomorrow to buy breakfast." Molly chuckled as she walked toward the exit.
"I'll see you at the meeting.""Sage." Rainn said picking up his book once more.
"Would you mind coming over here a moment?"Sage nodded and placed her watering can on a cart that held other gardening tools. She skipped over and while walking, she drummed a nameless beat on the countertop.
"What's up bossman?" She grinned accepting the fist bump that he promptly offered.
Sage's grandmother (Willow) used to go to school with the owners of Canis Major. The three of them used to "stick it to the man" together and promote rallies for a number of fantastic causes. Some would say that their relationship was inappropriate due to the fact that Willow had been the art teacher at their school. Not a student. In fact, her grandmother lost her job at the institution due to her "unprofessional demeanor." Not that she cared... According to their morals, money had no value. Love and friendship took precedence. Besides the fact that they all seem to share her "hippie-nature", Sage was pretty sure that her grandmother was the only reason she was offered a job here in the first place.
"Another great review from another satisfied customer. I don't know what we would ever do without you." Rainn spoke, snapping Sage out of her thoughts.
Before she could answer however, Abigail appeared and sidled her way next to her husband. She seemed especially radiant today. Her long auburn hair was held up by chopsticks, forming a messy bun at the top of her head. Loose tendrils framed her warm features.
"Hey Sage, Rainn and I were talking... We are going to close shop early today." As if to emphasize her point, Abby walked towards the front entrance and flipped the "Yes, we are open!" sign to "Sorry, we are closed."
We wanted to go to the town meeting today. They say that it is about Lily and we wanted to pay our respects."Despair flashed across Abby's face momentarily, and just like that, it was gone. Even so, Sage could not help but feel a pang in her chest at her dear friend's discomfort.
"Even though you didn't know Lily, it would mean a lot to me if you could make an appearance. I figured we could handle closing things up while you ran home and got ready.""Are you sure you don't mind?" Sage asked glancing between the two of them.
Sage took a moment to appreciate her habit of always being prepared. Just in case she ever was to get too dirty, she always packed a change of clothes in her bag.
"I have a change of clothes in my pack. I could help you two before I go and get ready."Rainn waved her off before turning to count the drawer.
"You have done more than enough today. We appreciate you though."Sage bit her lip and nodded in compliance.
"If you don't mind then, I'm just going to go change in the bathroom. Do you want me to save you two a seat?"Abigail shook her head and shooed away any other offer possible.
"That won't be necessary love. We'll come and find you. Now hurry along, you're distracting us."
After washing up in the sink and ridding herself of all the dirt she had collected during her shift, Sage set loose her golden hair from its braided prison. She looked in the mirror shaking out a few tendrils giving her a messy but fashionably casual look. She put on the
outfit she had brought and was dismayed to find that her previous attire was too filthy to put in her bag. After rummaging under the sink, a solution was found in the back of the cabinet. She placed her rags in an empty trash bag and placed it in her satchel to throw in the laundry later. Once more, she assessed her appearance in the mirror before deciding she was good to go.
On her way out Sage gave Abby a hug and Rainn a high five in passing. Placing her headphones over her head she listened to "Staying Alive" by the "Bee-Gees", once again noticing the inappropriate nature of the song. It almost seemed to mock the towns gathered despair. Within minutes, she made the short walk over to the community center. Upon entering, she felt a little like an outsider. Everyone here seemed to know each other. Discussion buzzed about the room as citizens talked in their own groups. Having barely known anyone she was unsure of what to do other than stand along the back wall. The only friends she had made in this town were the owners of Canis Major. Even that seemed to be cheating since she had met them through a mutual relationship.
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