A&P from Stoksie's point of view

I’m in the second checkout stand as the three girls stroll into the A&P supermarket on a warm, summer afternoon. I stopped to take a second look to confirm what my eyes saw, which happened to be three young girls coming into the store in their very little bathing suits. I thought I might be hallucinating, seeing as how my kids haven’t really let me sleep too much lately. We weren’t close enough to the beach for this to ever happen, so I just couldn’t quite wrap my head around it. I’m pretty sure if Lengel were here he would let them know that bathing suits in his A&P were not allowed.
Leading the pack of the three girls was the “Queen” whose legs went on for at least a mile. As she walked she didn’t bother to acknowledge anyone else in the store; she was the only one that mattered. Her suit was a faded pink color with the straps loosely dangling over her shoulders. She never once toiled with trying to adjust them. Striking and bold comes to mind and the way she was walking through the store was like it was her own personal runway; and the customers and employees were her audience. Following closely behind were the other two. Following the closest behind Queeny’s heels was a little lady with jet black hair that looked a little frizzed at the ends, you know that all natural look. She was very pretty but didn’t portray the confidence of her Queen. After stopping to admire the cookies, that we were having a two for one sale on, the third came scampering up from behind. She was the chubbiest of the three in a bright green two piece suit. She had a nice tan that stood out from the other girls but I still can’t stop thinking about Queeny.
Maybe it was because I was thinking about my younger years when I had no worries. After being woken up by my two kids at three in the morning for the past three days I can’t help but envy the young and carefree. My wife has been hounding me to get the lawn mowed, fix the leak in our bathroom, do this do that… I love her and the kids to death and I don’t know what I would do without them, but they can be a little draining especially after a long day of work with Lengel constantly hovering like a hawk. Oh I can’t think like this they are just young girls in bathing suits, they aren’t anything compared to my wife.
I make my way over to Sammy the newly graduated 19 year old, and admire the just a bit longer with him. I can’t help but notice how awestruck he is.
“How would you like to have one of them on your arm this Friday night,” I ask Sammy?
“Huh I can only dream… There’s no way they would ever notice me, I’m just the checkout boy,” said Sammy very self-consciously.
“Well maybe you should make them notice you Sammy,” I say as I make my way back to my checkout stand.
The girls wander around the store after talking to the butcher for a few seconds. Up and down the aisles they went searching for I don’t know what. I see them searching for an open register, me or Sammy. Then I catch Queeny’s eye and just as she is about to head over an old lady in oversized gray pants shoots into my lane out of nowhere. She has four cans of pineapple juice. What in the world is this lady going to do with these huge cans of pineapple juice. I get a little jealous of Sammy when I see that the girls are headed to his empty lane.
“So do you have any special plans for all of this pineapple juice Miss,” I curiously ask the baggy pants lady?
“What’s it to you,” asks Miss Baggy Pants?
“Oh umm I guess I was just curious but I guess it’s none of my business, I’m just here to serve you so if you’re happy with all of this pineapple juice you go right ahead and get it,” I say very awkwardly.
I notice that Lengel has gotten back into the store and has made his way to Sammy’s checkout stand. I can’t hear what he is saying but he looks like he is going to explode all over the place. He looks like he looked that one time when I stocked the canned food in the wrong order, oh yeah, and that one time when I spilt the whole crate of strawberries in the stock room. Sammy looked like he was turning purple I couldn’t tell if he was holding his breath or getting sick.
“Hey are you going to take my money, cause if you don’t take it soon I’m gonna leave,” barks Miss Baggy Pants.
“Oh I’m so sorry; your total came out to be $2.73. Okay out of $5. Your change is $2.27.,” I quickly blurt out, not wanting to miss any of the action over at the other register.
“With these kinds of prices I’m going to starve,” Miss Baggy Pants growls as she stomps away.
I barely catch what she says because I’m turning my attention over to Sammy’s register just in time to see Sammy untying his apron and walking out of the door. I don’t know what happened to the bathing suit girls or what Lengel said that made Sammy so mad nut I do know that Sammy no longer works at the A&P. It’s been a few days since the incident and I haven’t seen Sammy to ask him what happened and there’s no way I’m going to ask Lengel, so I guess I’ll just have to be in the dark.