A familiar face.

Two years ago I worked at a cellphone kiosk in the mall that sold plans and products for a few different carriers*. I hated it there because the manager was a wretched woman, but on the plus side, I got to dress like a 1960s Air Hostess (my version of business casual) and work with good friends. I was reminded of my time at this particular job today, when a familiar figure walked by my store, stopped, gazed up at our sign, realized that it we sold phones, and hobbled his way inside. 
"Oh no, oh no!" said my brain.
"I wanna see if I can get a phone!" he enthusiastically slurred, as he placed several grocery bags on the floor of the store. 
"Um, okay..." I replied nervously. 
"It's so hard to get phones now," he leaned against the counter, one eye veering off to the left, the other, spinning to the right, "Back in 2008, they were giving me all the phones I liked! It was great."
"Oh yeah?" I remembered all too well. 
"One feller gave me ten blackberries! All I had to do was sign some papers!" The man beamed, prideful in his recollection, "Gave me ten of them bastards for free! It was unbelievable!" 
"Wow..."
"A-course the bill came..." His left eye seemed to droop sadly, before springing back into action, "I couldn't afford that! Who knew?"
"Well sir, I couldn't afford 10 phones either." 
"I give them to people. People like that. They like them from all the different stores. But I'd like some phones here with you folks," he sipped his coffee, and looked (I gather) around the store, "They won't let me back in the mall, you see."
"No?"
"I've been banned til..." he paused in deep thought, "til November! June to November. I can't go back there, no ma'am."
"Oh my..."
"That's some mean security guard they got there, I tell you," he shook his head, "He told me if I step foot at the mall again, he'd kick me right back out again."
"Some people, 'eh?"
"Let's try me for some phones!"
"Oh, no!" I said, feigning disappointment, "I've been having trouble with the system all day, and it's still down."
"It's down? So I can't get my phones?"
"Not right now, unfortunately. You can try again later, I suppose."
"Okay. I'll do that. Listen, I gotta take the bus. You got any big bags? I wanna put all my groceries in one big bag..."
"We don't really have anything that would work..."
"I got 40 cents for the bus," he paused for a long while, as though I should helpfully open the till and retrieve the rest of the necessary change for his fare. I did not. "What's next door?"
I told him, and he left (after giving me his coffee cup to dispose of) to ask the store next door for a large bag. 

I wish him luck. Though, not in the procurement of several expensive cellphones. He was a legend during the time I worked at the mall (and yes, got credit approval for lots of phones before it caught up to him!) 




*Now I work at a cellphone store which is not in the mall - movin' on up!