“I don’t have time for this.” Cheri said. “I have too much to do.”
“What?” Jamie asked.
“All of it.” She replied.
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“But what do you have time for and what is it that you don’t have time for?”
“None of it” She said.
“I know the feeling, prioritizing can be hard. We make commitments, and then we have to manage things in a way that can be difficult.” Jamie responds.
Cheri has three bags. She organized her things, and packs all three of them. She has work papers, two sets of different side hustle materials, and a bag of store returns.
“Can you just leave the store returns? And then do those another time?” Jamie asks.
“I have to do those first, because I need gas money and lunch.” Cheri says.
“I wish I had time to help, I really do, but I have to work the phones like crazy this week, because rent is due in a week, and I’m not quite there. I don’t even think I have enough for groceries.” Jamie says.
Cheri loads herself down with her bags and hustles down the stairs to the mailbox, before she gets to her car. All that’s there are bills, and they are bigger than usual. The electric bill, especially. She also sees a letter from the landlord, explaining that there will be rent increase to cover the rising cost of the water bill.
Cheri drives down the road toward the highway exit, to get to the stores early, so she can make her returns. It’s about a half hour before sunrise and as she approaches the highway entrance, where the public school was, that’s now converted to housing for indentured immigrants.
Entering the highway, she can see the light pollution from the new data center, that was built with expedience. Further along, she sees a billboard for a new high-rise development complex that reads: “If You Lived Here, You’d Be at Work.”
As she exits the highway and approaches the intersection, she sees a homeless encampment. There are people with signs for panhandling, people looking for work, and a lot of milling about. The sun is rising, and she’s stopped for the red light, a young man with some towels and window cleaner approaches her car. She mouths emphatically to him, “I don’t have any money, really, I’m so sorry!” The young guy smiles, gives her the thumb’s up, and mouths back calmly, “It’s OK.” And he quickly cleans her windshield anyway. They smile at each other, seeming to understand the other’s predicament.
As she makes her turn toward the Mega center to make her returns, she can’t help but notice the surveillance cameras of different types, and the drone that wanders the sky above the location. She parks close to the entrance, and she sees a small automated vehicle, with a snake of shopping carts attached, malfunctioning and knocking itself into the front of the building.
She enters the store to a chorus of buzzers and beepers, and is greeted by an old man with a limp, and through a saccharine, painful smile, he welcomes her to the Mega center. “Hi.” She says, sadly.
Cheri returns her items and counts the cash she’s received from it. She’ll have enough for gas, something for lunch, and a few groceries. She calls Jamie.
“I’ll be able to pick up a few things for the next couple of meals”, she tells her.
“Thanks.” Jamie says. “I really appreciate you.”
“Likewise.” Cheri says.
“How are things going so far?” Jamie asks.
Cheri responds, “I’ll explain later, but I gotta go see a guy about a windshield.”
610 Words.
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