forum So Broke I'm Breaking ~Bad~ (OPEN)

Started June 13, 2019 by @WriteOutofTime

tune

Nyir leaned against the cash register, her eyes dimming. This was going no where fast. She knew she was going to be fired soon, even though she had no idea why. She was trying her best, but with her stupid arm she wasn't nearly efficient enough for the company. She needed a way to make money, fast, because…well, her health wasn't great. She needed to be able to provide for her family. The question was, how?

Thalia sat in her room, waiting for her mom to get home. She sighed, and grabbed a book off of her shelf, then began flipping through the pages. Forget this she thought, putting her book down. She went downstairs and walked out the door, turning to go to the park. Once she was there, she sat down on a bench and watched all the animals. "I wonder when she's going to get home." She said to herself.

Obadiah approached the cashier with a basket full of interesting item hooked around his elbow. He glanced down to her name tag, “Nyir..? Is that how you pronounce your name?” He set down one roll of gray duck tape down at a time, a total of twelve of them, along with several small bags of Fritos snacks, plus a bottle of beer or two.

"It's like Near, but a softer 'e'," she said automatically, a fake smile on her face. She loathed customer service jobs more than anything else in the world. "Lot of duct tape you got there. What's it for?"

“Nyir..” he echoed with a small nod, “And hah, Yeah..” He feigned an embarrassed smile, “I do a lot of craft projects.” He forced out a a chuckle (quite believable if he said so himself), “I like making things out of duck tape. Like boats.” hah! yeah right

"Craft…projects," Nyir repeated, narrowing her eyes at him. Okay, so he was lying. But why? What was he up to? She noticed the expensive watch on his wrist and the shifty expression in his eyes. "They must be pretty lucrative."

“Lucrative indeed.” He wiggled his eyebrows, pursing his lips in a tight smile, “Would you like to buy some? You seem like a crafty person, Miss Nyir.” He rested his hands on the counter while he waited for his items to be scanned. He studied her face and expression, trying to determine what kind of person she was.

"How much do crafts normally go for?" she asked, her voice lowering as she studied his face. She picked up a roll of tape and scanned it.

Thalia thought about going to visit her mom, and started to head toward the shop. When she got there, she saw her mom talking to a customer through the window. She turned and headed back to her house because she didn't want to bug her mom when she was working.

“Mm..if we’re talking a bag, about fifty dollars depending on what you want in it.” He lowered his voice, “Glancing around himself to make sure no one else was close enough to hear them. He saw a teenager looking through the window, but relaxed when she didn’t come inside.

Nyir's thoughts raced. "And how many bags do you normally sell?" At first she'd been thinking of getting something recreational, but hearing that price…well, she was considering something quite different.

“That depends. In what time frame? A week? Three months?” He leaned closer, glad that she caught in to what he meant—and that she even seemed interested.

"Per week," she replied flatly. She needed quick money. No long, drawn out processes.

He glanced up to the ceiling to think, “Well…on average I make Twenty deals a week. The money depends on what color duck tape they want and how much.”

"Is it just you? Do you just distribute the crafts, or do you make them?" She scanned another of his items, a spasm going through her wrist. She winced slightly, hoping the man hadn't noticed. "And which crafts make the most money, fast?"

“It’s a business.” He opened his coat to take out a little index card and give it to her, “If you’re not just interested in mere duck tape, give me a call and we can talk more privately.”
The card was completely black with the words in a simple white font The Underground Craft Shop, with his phone number beneath it.

She stared down at his card for a long moment, her body completely still besides the usual slight tremor in her right hand. It was definitely an entertaining idea. She needed quick cash to provide for her daughter, and she wasn't in any condition to work any conventional jobs she was qualified for. "What the hell," she said, taking the card from him and slipping it into her pocket. "I guess I will. Here, do you want a receipt?"

“Yes please.” He closed his jacket after she had taken the card, “I’m looking forward to your call.” He waited for his receipt in general silence until he finally thought about, “If anyone else answers, ask for Obadiah. That’s me.”

"Right." She handed him the receipt. "Thanks for choosing to shop at Grab&Grab, Obadiah. Have a nice day."