At the End of the Day

“See you tomorrow.” Marcella said her goodbyes as, one by one, they punched out and left. Pretty soon she would be by herself. Mason had entrusted her with a set of keys to close up. It was pretty simple, turn off the lights, hide the till, lock the doors. She had already checked the hoses. They were all off. If left on they could burst in the night, and along with a huge mess, there was also the water bill. Mason wouldn’t complain. He rarely ever did because he said he had done all the stupid mistakes there was to do. But he rarely entertained making the same mistake twice. Once was just a foible, twice or more was purposeful ignorance. He had no patience for people who wouldn’t, couldn’t, or didn’t learn from their mistakes the first time.

She was in complete agreement with him. She was meticulous, neurotic even, but if that was required for diligence then so be it. She had made her share of mistakes, but as a whole she was dependable and that’s why Mason appreciated her. There were nights where she couldn’t sleep because she fretted over leaving the lights on, or a door unlocked, and more than once she drove back to work to ensure everything had been done correctly. Most of the time it was a wasted trip, but a handful of times she actually had forgotten something. She would remedy it and move on with a little less time to herself.

The others didn’t care. Well, they cared less. Mason made tons of excuses for them. He was forgiving and part of her didn’t understand it. Yes, they were young, Yes, they were just transitioning on their way to somewhere else. She had lost track of all the young employees. There had been countless and these were just the current ones. That didn’t explain Kevin though. Like her, he was a lifer. He seemed to care the least of them. His bad attitude was mostly a facade. A defense he could hide behind, but it torpedoed any chance that Mason would put any responsibility on him other than operating the machinery.

“See you tomorrow.” It was halfhearted. Almost defeat. Kevin didn’t glance back as he spoke. He just vanished out the front door leaving her in the silence she loved.

Everyone was gone. The customers and employees were gone, the place had been straightened up ready for the morning, and most of the closing tasks had been done. Kevin was good with those. He helped close gates, ensure the back are was clean and clear, and that any machines were put away for the night. It was quiet and still. There were no more questions to answer, or tasks to achieve. Just stillness and quiet.

She had already done her rounds. Everything was buttoned up. The day had been another success. They had been busy. Mason would be pleased. He would be by later to count the till and take the money. All the financial stuff was way beyond her. She was interested in the plants. It was bad enough that she had to deal with customers, but it was part of the job. Mason could deal with the money. It was his business. As long as his paychecks didn’t bounce she would be fine. She was happy organizing, cleaning, watering. Whatever it took to keep the Wilds presentable.

This was more her home than her apartment and, if she was honest, these people were her touchstone to the world. Otherwise it was TV, books, and doom scrolling. She was older, but she wasn’t immune to the intoxicating appeal of cat videos. In her apartment she could live her best hermit life, but the garden center forced her to be social. Forced her to care. A part of her needed that, wanted that, and though she would never admit it, the young people here kept her grounded. They were potential for a life lived. They had futures. They would have victories and failures. Marcella felt like her course was set. Like there was no deviation from the path she had chosen.

Tomorrow would come all too quickly.