People at work......

I worked today for three hours that turned into four hours. Ami gets me from work on Monday nights and tonight he came one hour late because he was negotiating a car deal for his sister. I was happy that she got the car but I was not prepared to work for one hour later. At least I didn't work for long today....and Ami couldnt stop apologising for being late. I guess he thought i would be mad at him. Wasn't in a bacchanalist (fight-picking) mood today;)
One of my morning customers came in this evening. We joke a lot when i see him. So he was joking and telling my boss that he thought that I overcharge him for his drinks in the morning. Now, I got the feeling my boss took it seriously when the kid told him that he gets here like 7 and I am now opening the store. he was joking of course. I open the door at 7 but before that, i buzz everyone in. When the sun comes up, then i open the doors. I mean, i was laughing and the kid was laughing too ( the "kid" is actually turning 21 but i call guys younger than I am kids) but my boss was talking seriously. after, the kid asked me if he would see me in the morning. I said, "you betcha!"
this kid is one of the customers who i met when i started working. he was 16 at the time and he wanted cigarettes which i would refuse to sell to him. then when he turned 18, he came in the same day to buy cigarettes. now, he tells me that he didn't know he would become addicted to them. i feel bad for him. always tell him about his cough. now, he doesn't buy cigs from the store anymore. never told the boss that though. he may not be happy with me........
there's this other kid there...he brought flowers for me two weeks ago. I told Ami and he seemed to be humored by them. he knows it's a younger guy. this kid is about 20. i guess he thinks i am his age also. Last week, the kid came and asked me if he could give me his number. I didn't want to hurt his feelings so i told him that he could give it to me. i usually take the numbers and put them in my bag, change my bag, and then, a year later, i find them and throw them away.
then, there are my older customers... one is an old man (about 75) who comes in there and says that he wishes he was 50 years younger so he could go out with me. I laugh a lot at work. I get humored i guess. then there's an older trini guy...he's 63 and he knows every pair of jeans i have. Then, there's my favorite...Sal.... he's so so nice. he's 63 also and i complained and complained until he started smoking utlra lights instead of lights. now, he doesn't smoke as much. Sal gets a hug whenever i am not behind the counter. He thinks i am like his daughter. Only one other guy gets a hug. That's Paul. Paul is just really really funny. he calls me "beautiful." he asked me out once and was about to give me his number. that one, i didn't take. told him about Ami. later on, he met Ami, shook his hand and told him he was a lucky guy. It is one thing to be friendly but not to cross one's lines.
Then there is this old argentinian man who comes in for his coffee and he gives me a kiss in the morning. latin people do that. the old man had a fight with my pakistani boss and ended up calling him a terrorist. i thought it was funny. Now, he only comes when I am in the store. If he sees me alone there, he will come several times to make sure i am okay. Mind you, this guy does not speak english so we converse in spanish. he comes in and says, "buenos dias mi preciosa." My guy customers call me "smiley face." There was only one guy who learnt my name and actually remembered it. Everyone else just calls me Vami, Bambi, Little V, etc. It was an old man, Brian. Brian was adorable. he died...and i miss him a whole lot. he was 85 and he remembered my name. I only told him once too. In his earlier days, Brian was a professor at the University of North Carolina. At 85, he was tall and thin with a sweet tooth and Irish to the bone! he was very stubborn, according to his son. insisted on driving even when he was told not to. he loved peanut bars and he would only eat if he knew i made his sandwich...(back then we used to sell sandwiches).
There's a host of other customers. I haven't spoken of the ladies but I know most of them, their kids, their husbands, and their pets too. I guess that is why I like my job. Not because of the bosses, but because of the customers i meet everyday. They become an extended network of me and I have to thank them ( apart from ami) for making me a stronger, confident person. Without them, I would have still been a shy, quiet, crysome girl who wouldn't be able to stand her ground against anyone.