I can see it now.
Housewares employee, out on floor carefully rearranging merchandise that has been removed from shelves and racks, pawed by pajama clad customers, then carelessly tossed back on shelves and racks, not even the correct ones in many cases.
In the distance, telephone rings. "Brrrriinnnngg, brriiinnnngg." Housewares employee, a single mom with three hungry kids to feed at home, making minimum wage with no health insurance benefits, picking up as many hours as she can because the rent was just raised this month, starts to walk back toward the telephone way in the back.
She spies a little old lady looking lost. "Brrrinnng!!! Brrriiinnnnnnggg!!!!" insists the telephone.
Housewares employee to little old lady: "Can I help you find anything, ma'am?"
"Brrriiiinnnnng!!!! Brrriinnnnnnngggg!!!" blares the telephone.
Little old lady: "Yes, I was looking for the buttons."
Housewares employee: "Well, you have found them, ma'am. The buttons are right here."
Little old lady: "Is this all?"
Telephone: "Brrrriiiiiinnnnnnnngggg!!!!!!!!! Brrriiiiinnnnnnnggggg!!!!"
Housewares employee: "Yes, ma'am. Were you looking for a particular kind of button?"
Telephone: "Brrriinnnnnngggg! Brrrriiiiinnnnnnnnggg!!!!!"
Little old lady: "Well, yes, I was looking for the little white ones."
Housewares employee: "Here are some little white ones."
Little old lady: "Those aren't the right kind. I need the little white ones with two holes, not four, and they're sort of pearly, like a seashell."
Telephone: "Brrrriiiiinnnnggggg!!!! Brrriiiiinnnnnngggg!!!!!"
Housewares employee: "I'm sorry ma'am, I don't think we have those kind."
Little old lady: "Well, I'm sure I got them here before."
Telephone: "Brrrriiiiinnnnnnnggggggg!!!!!! Brrrriiiiiiinnnnnnnngggggg!!!!!"
Housewares employee: "I'm sorry, ma'am......"
Little old lady: "I suppose I'll just have to get these then." as she tremulously places two packets of little white buttons in her shopping cart.
Housewares employee, walking as quickly as her diabetic foot ulcers will allow her- she is unable to afford medical management of her diabetes, and due to her busy work schedule, does not control her blood sugars as well as she should- toward the telephone thinks "It must be a very important phone call since they keep calling back. I wonder what ever it could be?" As she nears the area in back where the housewares telephone sits on a counter that she never gets to sit at, the insistent ringing stops and the phone is silent.
Sigh. She turns around and goes back out to the floor to finish straightening up the yarn, where a mother with a small child covered in grease and sticky milkshake from McDonald's had allowed the child to touch every single skein of yarn in the yarn aisle and leave it haphazardly perched, about to fall onto the floor. Next are the kitchen utensils, where a group of loud teenagers had tromped through, grabbing several kitchen implements from their hangers and waving them around at each other, then tossing them carelessly onto nearby shelves.
As she reaches the yarn and begins reaching for a fuzzy burnt sienna colored skein that had fallen on the floor, in the distance the phone begins to ring anew. "Brrriiiinnnngggg!!!!! Brrrriiiiiiinnnnngggg!!!" As she nears the telephone, once again it falls silent. Sigh. "Maybe I'll just sit here for a minute and see if the person calls back. Besides, my feet are killing me." Just as her rear touches the small rickety stool behind the counter, the store manager, a twenty something year old kid working his way through college, walks up. "Serena, the floor is a mess. You can take your break later."
"But Mike, the phone was ringing and..."
"Well it's not ringing now!"
Sigh. As Serena ambles off to kitchen utensil aisle, thinking about how nice some of those kitchen utensils would look sticking out of Mike's ear, her reverie is interrupted. "Brrrriiiinnnnnngggg!!!!!! Brrriiiiinnnnnnngggg!!!" She considers going back and answering, but Mike was just there. Maybe he'll get it. "Brrrriiiiiiinnnnnggggggggg!!!! Brrriiiiiinnnnnnngggggg!!!! Brrriiiiiinnnnnnggggg!!!! Brrrriiiiiinnnnnngggggg!!!!! Brrriiiiiinnnnnnggggg!!!!!"
Resigned, beaten, worn out, Serena turns and makes her way back to the telephone. Mike is nowhere in sight. "Brrriiiiinnnnngggg!!!!!! BRRRRIIIIINNNNNNNGGGGGG!!!!!!" blasts the telephone. Serena lifts the receiver and says "WalMart, Serena speaking, how may I help you?"
"Do you have yarn?" asks the caller on the other end.
"Yes, we have a large selection of colors and fibers." Serena says, trying her best to sound friendly and cheerful, and to hold back the tears that are stinging her eyes, threatening to spill over her cheeks.
