My New Job

Recently I started working at First Choice Liquor in Capalaba. Retail is a welcome change after eight years in hospitality! Of course, the basic principles are similar, if not identical, although the way we go about it is slightly different. Customer chatter is much the same, except now it needs to fit into the 30 seconds or so between ‘hi, how are you today,’ and ‘like a box or bag for those?’ Most people are pretty quiet, but some like a bit of a chat.

“My family’s doing a Mexican night tonight, so we need tequila!”

“Don’t worry about a receipt, I won’t be bringing it back – I know this stuff works!”

“I know what this looks like, but I promise this cheap sherry is for cooking – I won’t be drinking it in the car park!”

Apparently it’s a good substitute for sweet rice wine in Asian style meals. But apart from the banter and occasional advice, sometimes customers can catch you off guard.

“How are you today?”
“Not great, actually. Today, I had to switch off my wife’s life support.”

His words hit me like a tonne of bricks, and they echoed in my ears for the rest of the day.

It was confronting. And so out of the blue. But this is how death usually creeps into our lives; a phone call in the night, an unexpected knock on the door. Rarely do we choose a time. Rarer still, is when we must choose that time for another. I can’t imagine what he was going through. Questions raced through my mind. How long had you been together? How did it happen? Did she look at peace when she died?

The eftpos machine beeped, and I only had time for one.

“Are you alright?”

He held his rum close, and avoided my eyes.

“I will be.”

The sorrow. The guilt. The relief. I could hear it all in his voice.

I think his words hit me particularly hard because in six short months Amy and I will be married.

I keep wondering, in a similar hopeless scenario, would I have the fortitude to make such a decision? I pray I never have to find out.