Spinning on a dizzy edge

 It was such a tiring day and here Vicki was in the middle of the aisle between the baking essentials and baking needs at the grocery store, thinking she'd gone down the wrong way until she saw him working on the display.

Her shift was over and she'd had enough displays for the day at the drugstore. Oh, it was so hard to keep busy. Now she might as well be sleepwalking.

She meant to say something, but there was nothing that felt urgent. Besides, she was no good at finding a slight opening for a conversation. Usually, it was something pathetic which left her with an uneasy feeling. It felt like that feeling this guy was having now. If only he would turn so she could see a name tag.

Naturally, he didn't even see her. Not once did he turn to ask, "Do you need something? Could I help you?"

Perhaps her attitude was just as swollen. It hadn't been the best day. A part of her wanted to let him know about her rotten day, looking for medications that didn't even exist that worried mothers swore they did. Or the old man who kept leaving whatever he bought at the counter. It was hard being cheerful, sometimes.

All the while she was trying to think where she knew this guy from, working on the display. Finally, she nodded. The grocery store. Wasn't it obvious?

About then someone's butt bumped into her back and made her edge closer to the busy guy with the dark hair getting the display for Classic Cake Mixes in line like Lego pieces. 

Vicki turned and found her head was stuck directly into the middle of his buttoned-down shirt.

"Oh, sorry." The tall fellow's words were kept short. He reached for some baking gadget. She looked him over.

It was him. She knew this guy from the library.

"Why are you here?" She asked, knowing his schedule. He was at the library at this time in the afternoon.

"Oh, I don't work there anymore," he told her.

"What?" Vicki swelled a frown. He was her favorite clerk by far. "Why not?"

"It wasn't fulltime," he told her and then remembered she was the one who wanted the Glass Maiden Manga that the library didn't have.

"See, not anybody else would remember that, but you." She assured him.

"Well, I'm no elephant," He looked over to the flour and picked up a sack of self-rising.

"What about an elephant?" She didn't get it.

"It's nothing," he sighed. "How have you been Vicki?"

Her eyes lit. He remembered her name too. She thought she might collapse with joy. He was looking at all sorts of flavors for baking essentials.

"You..you.." Now she was stumbling for words, and the guy working on the display left.

"You're Melissa the Intern's little sister, aren't you?"

Vicki was back to a swelled frown. Why did he bring her up? She looked up at him. No nametag of course.

"Oh, that's right, you're Steve. My sister's favorite co-worker," Vicki nodded. They walked on, and he found the little loaf pan. 

He didn't say another word about Melissa, but mentioned he was living alone now and he was trying to make meals for one. To Vicki, it felt he was making things harder than it really was. 

"Why don't you just go out?" She asked.

"I can't do that," he said he was on a budget. "Besides, what is the fun of eating out, by yourself?'

Vicki nodded wishing she knew what to say, but it came out anyway. "If you want to go out sometime, I'd be happy to go."