Check Out

Check Out
By Scott Wilson
Word Count: 539

“Just go and talk to her, mate.”

“I can’t, Paul. I don’t know what to say.”

“Just say whatever comes to mind. I mean, you know she likes U2, science fiction and playing guitar to. You have those things in common.”

“Yeh, but I’m just too shy. I feel too self conscious when I try and talk with girls. Always so worried that I will say to wrong thing or get rejected.”

“So you’d rather not even bother trying.”

“No that’s not it, it’s just...”

“PACKER TO REGISTERS, PLEASE.” The announcement came over the Foodstore’s PA system.

“There you go Chris, she needs yo....”

Before Paul had even finished his sentence, Chris was halfway down to the checkout. Down to the girl of his dreams, Alice.

“Thanks, Chris.” Alice said to Chris when he arrived and slid in behind her at the front registers. Chris liked packing for Alice. When you packed the groceries, you stood less than a foot behind the checkout operator. He could smell her perfume and she often bumped into him when she slid the groceries back along the counter.

By the time Chris had finished packing, he had had about five different fantasies about Alice.
Why couldn’t he talk to her?

He smiled at Alice when he walked back in the store and headed back down to the cold room to help Paul stock the selves. As usual, Paul was pigging out on some of the ‘broken’ stock. This time it was chocolate yo-go.

“Did you ask her out?”

Chris kicked the milk crates near the door.

“No.”

“Chris, Chris, Chris,” Paul said, shaking his head. “I reckon she likes you, you know.”

“I wish she did.”

“I’ve seen her check you out, you know. She looks at you like she has the hots for you when you walk away from the checkouts. She bumps in to you a lot when you are packing for her to. Never bumps in to any of the other guys that much.”

“PACKER TO THE REGISTER, PLEASE”

“She can’t get enough of you today, mate.”

Chris walked down to the registers again and slid in to his favourite place in the store. Alice stepped back and bumped into him, turned and smiled, “Sorry, Chris.”

“That’s cool.”

Chris finished packing and was glad when the customer didn’t want the groceries taken out to the car for them. He stood behind Alice and breathed in, savouring her perfume.

“Would you like to go out sometime?”

Chris looked at Alice in disbelief. Did she just ask him out?

“Yeh that would be great.”

“The new Indiana Jones movie is out this weekend, would you like to see that?”

Chris was relieved, going to a movie meant that he wouldn’t have to worry about not talking much and looking too nervous.

“I’d really like that, Alice”

Alice handed him a small slip of paper with her phone number on it and smiled.

Chris was so excited and started to job back to the coolroom to tell Paul the great news. He didn't notice that one of the other guys had moped the floor. Chris slipped over and landed heavily on his back, hearing a loud cracking noise.

"Chris, are you okay?" Chris could see Alice leaning over top of him. He must be laying on the floor. He thought he must have blacked out for a few seconds.

Chris tried to sit up, but he couldn't move his arms. He tried to roll over and get up that way, but found that he couldn't move a muscle.

"I can't move, Alice."

"Are you okay, Chris?"

"I can't move, why can't I move?"

Chris saw two paramedics kneel down next to Alice, who was holding Chris' hand and crying.

"I don't think he can hear me?" Alice said to the paramedics. "His eyes are open but he isn't saying anything back when I talk to him."

The paramedics carefully slid the stretcher under Chris, making sure they braced his neck to support it and reduce the chance of damaging it anymore than it already was.

"We'll check him out, miss."