The small-talk chit-chat began seven years ago. A few months in, we were on first name basis. That was a huge deal given that all our interactions were for a couple of minutes as she scanned my purchases and rang up the total at the grocery store.
She has been gone for a month or so.
Absence of a person during these Covid times makes one worry a lot. At least, I do. I did.
Covid has taken the fun out of life. Over the past months, we stopped trading horrible jokes and puns. Like, "What is the one food that has caused the greatest grief and misery to humans?" We barely had the time and the energy to inquire about each other's physical and mental health. The coronavirus has the last laugh, it seems like.
So, when she has been gone for a month, I worried that it was because of Covid. I decided to ask about her.
The checkout clerk was familiar with me after these years. But, we are not on first name basis though.
As she scanned, I asked her, "hey, whatever happened to W? I haven't seen her like for more than a month"
I hesitated to ask even that much. I didn't want a bureaucratic response like, "you have to ask the manager." Or worse, for my intentions to be misunderstood. But, with this clerk, I knew I would not be misunderstood, and that I would get a straight response.
"She had a fracture at home for which she needed to have a surgery. It might take her another 2 weeks or so. I haven't texted her recently."
I told her to convey my regards.
She will tell me all about it when she returns.
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