Week 10: Late Shift at the L&T Sure Stop
When the new Speedy Quick opened out on the bypass, little mom-and-pop gas stations like L&T Sure Stop had seen a dramatic drop in their business. Yes, the regulars would come in for smokes and coffee, but sales was down. And the pretty lady working the counter was worried the owners might be cutting her hours. Jordyn Nelson had been working at the L&T for eighteen months now, ever since she graduated from the rehab program over in Prestonsburg. There had been some dark days, and she’d done things best left unspoken. But today, she was clean, healthy and genuinely happy for the first time she could remember.
“How do, Ms. Jordyn?” a scratchy voice said from the other side of the counter. It belonged to Howard Begley, a man in his seventies that looked to be on the other side of a hundred. He had stringy, white hair that hung to his shoulders and deep crevices around his mouth and eyes. His thick, black rimmed glasses sat low on his nose as he smiled a little too friendly at Jordyn. “I’ll be needin’ some scratchers. Three off of number seven and four off of ten.”
Jordyn forced a smile at the old man and pulled his lottery tickets loose from the plastic dispenser on the opposite wall. “That’s gonna be $25, Mr. Begley,” she said as she slid the tickets to the old man. She hated the way he looked at her; a creepy smile that made her think of a rat looking a big piece of cheese. Mr. Begley’s purple hands were spotted with age marks and lined with veins. He dug into his pocket and produced a wad of bills and placed them on the counter.
The alarm above the door gave a harsh electronic noise as someone came in the store. Jordyn looked over as Mr. Begley slowly counted his money. A round woman with big hair entered the store. She was wearing a powder blue dress and no makeup. She walked around the store, picking up a loaf of bread and a case of diet soda. Mr. Begley was still counting bills as she stopped behind him, waiting to check out.
“Twenty-five?” Mr. Begley asked, sounding confused.
Jordyn forced a smile. “Do you need some help with that?” she said, trying to hurry him along. He nodded, with a hint of embarrassment. They pretty lady behind the counter counted out $25 and handed Mr. Begley his extra cash and lotto scratchers. “Why don’t you go over to the other side of the counter, there, and I’ll ring her up,” she said, motioning to the empty checkout area. Mr. Begley widened his smile and walked to the other side.
The big haired lady in the blue dress put her pop and bread on the counter. “You doin’ alright, this evenin’, hon?” she asked Jordyn as she fumbled in her purse.
Jordyn punched a few keys on the cash register and placed the bread in a bag. “I’m doing just fine. How are you?” She could see the big haired lady had a huge Bible in her purse.
“Just left church. We had a singin’ tonight with some of the folks from over in Perry County. It was a real blessin’.” She had a soft, sweet voice that reminded Jordyn of her granny.
The cash register beeped and the drawer opened. “That’ll be $7.98. What church was this at?”
The big haired lady handed Jordyn $8. “Apple Orchard Full Gospel. It’s just over the hill and up 1192. Not too big, but the Lord sure lives there. You should come.”
Jordyn felt warm inside from the genuine care coming from this woman. “Well, I sure do appreciate that. I go to Black Grass Baptist with my mom and son every Sunday. But we might just have to visit with y’all one week.”
“Well, we’d love to have ya!” the big haired lady said with a smile.
A strange yelp came from the other side of the counter. It was like a little dog who got caught in the screen door. “Big winner!” Mr. Begley yelled and made another odd yelp.
The big haired lady took her pop and bread and smiled at Jordyn. “You have ya a good evenin’ now.”
“You too. Thanks for stoppin’.” Jordyn walked over to the other cash register where Mr. Begley was rocking back and forth, from one foot to the other. “Say you got a winner there?”
He handed her the ticket, and sure enough, it was a $100 winner. “Well, look at you, Mr. Money Bags.” She scanned the ticket and gave Mr. Begley two $50 bills. “What are you gonna do with those winnings?”
“Y’ought to let me take you out fer a steak dinner,” he said, a little too serious for Jordyn’s liking.
She smiled and tried to play it off as a funny joke. “That’s a good one, Mr. Begley. You know I’ve already got two men in my life: my daddy and my boy. I can’t be dealin’ with no other men.”
The old man was oblivious to Jordyn’s subtle rebuke. “I could take ye ta Lexington fer a fancy dinner. Treat you right.” The corners of his mouth were turned up in that lascivious grin.
“Aw, that’s awful sweet of you, Mr. Begley. But I think my courtin’ days are over. Now, you’d best be gettin’ home. I know you don’t like drivin’ after dark.” She looked out the window at the last few rays of sunlight beaming through pink and purple clouds.
Mr. Begley’s shoulders sank, ever so slightly. “Welp, I guess I’ll be seein’ you tommar.” He collected his things and shuffled out the door.
Jordyn took in a big breath and let it out slowly, her cheeks puffing out like a trumpet player. She reached back and turned on the small radio sitting on the back of the counter. The Wednesday night Bluegrass show was on and a pair of young girls were singing “In the Highways.” The pretty lady behind the counter started singing along. Her voice was strong, with excellent pitch. She would never admit it to another soul, but she loved to sing. As a child, she dreamed about moving to Nashville and singing on the Grand Ole Opry. But a string of bad decisions had led her to being a mother at seventeen and in and out of rehab for over ten years. Now, at thirty, she sang by herself when the store was empty.
There was a smudge of something blue on the counter. Jordyn grabbed the bottle of antiseptic cleaner from the shelf below and gave it a few pulls, spraying the solution all over the area in front of her. After tearing off a few paper towels, she wiped off the counter, clean as new. But the smell of the ammonia made her a little light headed, so she stepped over to the other side of the counter to get some air.
The electric alarm above the door rang out again. Jordyn looked over to see a man in his thirties carrying a toddler in his arms. Grayson Hughes was a regular at the Sure Stop and gave a friendly smile to the pretty lady behind the counter. He walked to the back of the store as the little boy wrapped around him. A few minutes later, he came to the counter, struggling to carry a box of cereal, a gallon of milk and 30 pounds of kid. “You doin’ alright, Jordyn?” he asked as he sat everything but the boy onto the counter.
“Just fine. Just fine. Looks like you got one tuckered out, there,” she said as she punched some buttons on the register.
Grayson smiled and looked over at the sleepy mass on his side. “He’s been up to his Granny’s and played hard all evenin’. We’ve stayed out past his bed time, but if I don’t have some cereal for breakfast, he’s gonna be madder’n a wet hen in the mornin’.”
Jordyn bagged up the milk and cereal. “Need help gettin’ to your vehicle?” she asked.
“Naw, I can manage. Thanks.” He grabbed the bag and walked out the door, the electronic alarm going off again.
Jordyn watched as Grayson put the bag in the back of his truck and gently placed the boy into his car seat. He took care to buckle him in while not waking him before pulling off his camouflage hat and giving his son a gentle kiss on the forehead. She smiled wistfully. “There’s still a few good ‘ens out ther, I guess,” she said to no-one as the truck pulled out of the parking lot.
The clock slowly spun for the next few hours as only a few stragglers came into the store. Jordyn made small talk and thanked them for their business until finally, it was time to close. She locked the door and turned out the exterior lights before sweeping the floor. The radio was still playing Bluegrass songs, and she hummed along as she tidied up.
“Are you a musician looking to further your skills? Want to learn from the best in the mountains? You can enroll in East Kentucky’s premiere school for music and get your degree in just two years…” The advertisement on the radio caught Jordyn’s attention, like she awoke from a sleep. A school for music? She’d given a lot of thought to going to college and getting a degree for the past few months. But a degree in music? From a school just a town or two over?
Jordyn shook her head, as if forcing the thoughts from her brain. “It’s not practical,” she thought as she swept the dust into the pan. “I don’t have the time or the money.”
She collected the trash from the bathroom and tied the bags before tossing them into the dumpster behind the store. It was almost midnight when she had finished. “Music school,” she said in a disapproving tone. What would her daddy say to that? “Probably to follow my heart and do it!” she thought.
Inside the store, Jordyn clicked off the lights and double checked to front door. As she walked toward her old pickup, she pulled out her phone.
“East Kentucky Music School,” she said into the end of her phone. She looked down at the screen and a picture of smiling students playing instruments and singing into an old can-style mic flashed in front of her eyes. And for a moment, Jordyn allowed herself to dream.