Overtime
I hated working late.
The clock above the door was stuck at 8:55. It had to be. I'd checked it three times in the last ten minutes and it hadn't moved. The thirty-pound roll of paper slid from my shoulder to the floor with a thump next to the large format printer. Maybe by the time I finished this chore the clock would take care of itself.
It was my third double shift of the week and I was beat. We had been running extended hours since March. When COVID shut everyone else down we kept rolling right along, because when it absolutely positively has to be there overnight...well...you get the picture. Anyway, it was now July. It was hot, it was humid, and I just wanted to get home.
Rolling the drawer shut I looked up and miracle of miracles, it was 9:00. With a sigh of relief, I yanked my mask down under my chin and trudged over to the door, flipping the deadbolt shut and keying off all but the night lights, signaling the end of this interminable day. I slumped a shoulder against the window mullion, rubbing my eyes. Something popped next to my ear. I rolled my head to the side. Splotches appeared on the glass next to me. Water. Raindrops. Then, the sky opened up.
Sheets of rain washed over everything, scouring the windows and flooding the parking lot. Through the deluge I could just make out the outline of my car parked beneath the lamppost; the windows cracked for ventilation. "Of course," I muttered, shaking my head. It was going to be a soggy drive home.
I scooped up the plastic wrapper I had left on the printer and headed back to the counter. I only made it a few steps before being startled by a sharp knock at the window. I turned. Lightning lit the sky like midday, silhouetting a figure huddled beneath the overhang peering through the glass.
"We're closed," I said, louder than I'd intended. The figure knocked again, more insistent this time, followed by speech I couldn't decipher. I tossed the plastic at the counter and headed back toward the door. As I approached, I could make out the distressed figure of a woman, absolutely drenched, a canvas messenger bag slung over her shoulder, disposable mask covering her nose and mouth.
"We're closed," I repeated, reaching the storefront. She started to speak but was cut off by a clap of thunder directly overhead. She rapped on the glass again, pointing to the door. Reluctantly I pulled my mask back up, spun the deadbolt back and pushed the door open just wide enough to poke my head out. The sweltering heat smacked me in the face, making me instantly grateful for the office air conditioning.
"We're closed," I said, pointing to the window sticker listing the store hours. She pinched her mask by the corner and pulled it down to talk. One of the ear loops separated from the fabric and the mask fell from her face into a stream on the sidewalk. She cursed under her breath, looked up at me.
"I know I'm late," she replied, "I'm sorry. But I really need your help. There's nowhere else I can go tonight. Please, it won't take long."
I shook my head. "I'm sorry, but we close at nine. You'll have to come back tomorrow."
She reached out and planted a hand on the door just above mine. She cocked her head to the side, distraught, looking me dead in the eyes.
"Please," she said, "I
need
to get these motion records printed. My boss has a conference with the judge tomorrow and it's her first case since the courts reopened and if I don't have these ready before the meeting she will
fire
me."
She was pleading now, her voice starting to waver. I tried again. "We open at 8:00 tomorrow morning," I offered. "Rick will be happy to help you then."
She shook her head. "The meeting is at 8:30, there's no way I could finish and get them to her on time. I was working on them this afternoon and my kid fell off his bike and I had to take him to urgent care and wait there for three hours before they treated him and then find him and his sister something to eat and take them to my aunt's house so she could watch them while I tried to take care of this and then my printer stopped working and I tried to get here before you closed and I just ran out of time."
Water trickled down her forehead into her eyes. She wiped it away, fingers trembling. "I'll pay you double," she offered, "whatever it takes.
Please
. I can't lose my job."
I sighed, exhausted. She seemed like a nice lady. I had no idea what a motion record was, but it sounded important. And this would be a shitty time to lose a job. Slowly I swung the door open and stepped back to let her through. She ducked inside and I locked the door behind her.
"Thank you
so
much," she gushed, shaking the water off over the doormat, "you are a life-saver."
I smiled half-heartedly. Realizing she couldn't see it I gave a nod. "So, what are we looking at?"
She dried her hands on the sides of her jacket, then slipped the bag off her shoulder and raised the flap, careful not to spill any water inside. I looked her over while she rummaged around.
She was professionally dressed -- black heels, patterned grey skirt and suit jacket over a light blue collared shirt, the top two buttons open. She filled them all out; thick in the hips and thighs, soft and round up top. Her curly brown hair was twisted up in the back with a tortoise shell jaw clip, dark eyeliner accenting bright green eyes. I thought I detected a slight accent -- South, maybe Central American? A pretty woman in her mid-thirties. A welcome site at the end of a miserable day.