Page 1 of Wishful Thinking

Chapter One

Retro Daze

November 1985

The tall rusted machine stood outside the Sav-a-Buk. Its large plastic choice buttons, worn and broken, the beverage brands no longerlegible. Tink dug around inher pockets for some change.Her hands were freezing, and she shivered as a gust of breeze whipped her long blond hair across her face. Two dimes, a nickel, and a quarter lay in her palm. The quarter slipped from her shaking fingers and rolled beneath the bulky unit.

“Why me? Geesh. My kingdom for some caffeine. Why can’t I do anything right? Shit!” Her hands shook as she searchedagain for a coin. Discoveringa gray lump oflint, set it free and watched as it rolled like a tumbleweed across the sidewalk. Collapsing to her knees, she stared underneath the gigantic archaic box. The litter crammed into the tight space caused her tocringe. Spying the glimmer of metal, she wiggledher fingers into the cramped spot. She grabbed onto something wet and gushy. Yankingher handfrom the dark abyss,she studied the thick blob of black sticky sludge on her fingernail. She peered around for something to pry her lost money out and identifying nothing, wiped her finger on her jersey and burrowed into her knapsack. Pulling out her ruler, she pushed it back and forthin the gloomy space and inched the garbage and coin forward. A wad of purple bubblegum slid out, along with her quarter, another dime, and a scrunched up dollar bill.

“At Sav-a-Buk I found a buck. At least something is finally going right,” she said and stood up. She dropped the quarters into the slot and poked the dull-colored button. A glowing red light appearedbesidetheselection, and she scowled. Tink poked the second matching tab, receivinga repeat performance for her effort.

“Doesn’t anyone ever stock this damn thing? Christ, I want a Coke. Is that somuch to ask?” She jabbedthe rest of thebuttons and swore as she foundevery option out. The lemonade was the only flavorremaining, and she shook her head.

“Fuck no, I’d rather die…” Her roommate Gina loved that particular brand and took up half of the small dorm fridge with a stockpile.

”I will never touch that shit again.” She jabbed the change return button. Silence met her ears. She thumped it harder, hearingnothing, grimaced. Gripping the corners of the apparatus, she tried shoving it aroundto no avail. Her eyes watered up, and she tried to shake off her latestfailure of the night. The store was closed, so she hefted her knapsack on her shoulder and movedthrough the parking lot and headed back towardscampus.

Tink wiped the wayward tears as the breeze picked up. The air was frosty, and she longed to find a secluded place where she could nestle in and take a nap. Her dorm room no longer an option. Her room-mate,“Gina the bitch,” was the last face she wanted to see, and she gazed up as the moon peeped out from behind a bank of clouds. The park bench in the quad lay in her sights and she drifted towards it. Wrapping her poncho tight around herself, she plopped down hard on the solid wooden slats. Images of her now ex-friend Gina locked in Sals embrace played through herlike a cheap movie and she shook her head as her sobs took over.

“How could I have been so stupid? I trusted you, and for what? You’re both dead to me, dead. You deserve each other and I hope you both rot in hell.” She closed her eyes and pondered her next move. She had classes in the morning but realized she’d see both Gina and Sal.

“They’re stillfucking each other like rabbits, I’m sure,” she said aloud. In her heart she knew they were likely sleeping it off, wrapped tight in a tired embrace. She knew Sal, and hot, energetic sex tired him out easily. Three hours had passed as she had wandered the town trying to forget the scene that played on repeat for her view. A tiny snowflake drifted down. The cold crystal landed on her wet cheek and she shuddered.

“I’m going home. This place isn’t for me. I don’t know why Ithought I could fit in here, butas usual, wrongwith a capital W. How could I have been so blind? I believed in you, in us. From now on I’ll rely only on me, this heart is no longer available. Officially off the market, forever!”

She rose, snatched her bag, then trudged towards her dorm to gather up her few belongings. It was time to go home where she belonged and leave the entitled pretty ones behind to use each other.

∞∞∞

January 1985-

Tink smashed the final item into the brown paper bag with a thump. The carton of eggs balanced perilously on top of the ten for ten cans of Campbell’s soup, teetering on the edge. As the paper ripped, the mint-green foam carton landed upside-down on the stainless steel counter. Crunching and cracking sound drowned out the elevator music that played on the store speakers. Englebert crooned while Edna fumed.

Tink looked up, uncontrolled fury in her eyes trained on the woman standing before her. Edna Babbitt was the town bitch and everybody at the Sav-a-Buk dreaded dealing with her. She had demanded it all in ‘just one bag’ stating the mantrarepetitively,as Tink had attemptedto explain the recklessness of the woman’s choice. Her shrewd glance shifted from the eggsto Tink. Her expression told the words certain to follow.

“What on God’s green earth are you doing? Eggs are fragilethings, don’t you know any better than to slam them inwith so much force? Who the hell taught you how to pack groceries? It’s clear that any imbecile can do it better than you’re managing. You had better go fetch me another dozen. Do you get me?” Tink started at Edna, her face filled withindifference. The bitch can hang, she thought for a secondbeforechanging gears. She noticed the rough hand clamp tighton her shoulder.

“What’s going on here, Tinkerbelle? Is there an issue?” Mr. Stern stood close behind her, his body brushing against her backside. His eyebrows rose a notch as he peered over at the eggs leaking out on the spotless counter. Clear slime drizzled like runny batter off the rim and onto the floor in front of Tink’s feet. Exhaling, he slid out the trashcan from below the register and maneuvered the crushed carton into the overflowing bag. A stream of egg slime glistened on the metal surface and he pressed his broad frame further into the narrow space at the station with the girl. Reaching down between Tink’s legs, his hand lingered for a fraction of a second as he snatched the roll of paper towels near her knees.

“Here sweets, tidy up this mess and run and go get Mrs. Babbitt a new dozen; Make certain you take them off her total.” He grinned at Edna, who nodded in his direction.

“Now Edna, that is a magnificent coat you’re wearing today. What a delicious shade of, what would that be? Eggplant? Yes, it is a shade fit for a Queen,” he said as his eyes traveled up and down the rigid-looking woman who stood before him. Her expression shifted and a quick smile took over for a moment before turning to her perpetual grimace.

“Do you prefer Itidy this up first or get her eggs? I only cando one thing at a time.” Tink replied, drawing his attention back to the task at hand. It exhausted her. Tired of the job, drained by annoying customers, and sick of Mr. Stern getting a bit tooclose for hercomfort every moment she worked with him.

Dick Stern glanced at her and sighed. His years of managing teenagers had increased his ineptness in dealing with them. Gone were the goodtimes when workers jumped at his every request and accepted it stoically while he made inappropriate passing contact with the particular breast or crotch. This current generation pissed him off, and it showed. Tink waited for his feedback. He took a heavy breath and grinned at Edna again.

“I’ll runandgrab the eggs. Clean this up, and take it off the bill, don’t forget. Turn off your light when you’re finished. I need to see you in my office.” Dick turned and ambled off towards the rear of the store to the dairy department. He stoppedandglanced back, hoping to capture either woman checking out his ass as he sauntered away. Left with disillusionment, no one was looking. Tink deleted the $1.00 for the eggs and gazed at Edna, disdain etched across her smooth skin.

“That will be $23.59.” Tink waited as Edna stood glowering at her.

“Why so high? Did you take off my coupons? You didn’t take off my coupons, did you?” Tink pulled up the register tape.

“You didn’t give me any, so the precise answer is no. I didn’t take off your coupons. If you’d like to give me your coupons, I guess now would be the occasion to doso, yes?”

Tink plastered on her broadest grin, snickering as Edna took her pocketbook and tilted it upside down on the rubber conveyor belt.

“I know for a fact I gave you a stack of them. Did you throw them out? Are you trying to gyp me?” Edna lifted item after item and pulled open every receipt in her purse, then tossed the items to the side. Her lipstick went sailing to the floor. She reached out her foot and caught it with her toe, as efficientas a goalie with a puck heading towards the net.

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