Closing me in on all sides, protecting me from the outside world that inflicts such great pain, suffering, jealousy, crime, money, and human emotions or actions. And who to await my arrival but the only beings I will ever treasure till death. The world is a catastrophic ball of chaos that no matter what laws are written cannot contain the animals humans truly are.

Animals, I waited on one once. A six foot, spiked haired blond grizzly woman. She was in my lane, lane eight, and she claimed the pizza was two dollars and fifty six cents and the second was free because they were on sale. I ran a price check. She was wrong, it could have ended there. No. She told me, “No, this is on sale and since it’s wrong I want it for free” and she bared a set menacing rotting teeth.

“Ma’am, I’m sorry but it is not”.

“I don’t care you little !#$@! Give it to me for free or I will call the manager!” she roared. And Greg my service manager took her to the side, they had a heated discussion and then returned to me, “Rachael, just give it to her for free, our policies say that the customer is always right, so we must abide by these rules.” Red faced I finished the order, never looking up. Then I turned off my light and shut down, and as I was walking to check stand six, she approached me.

“Hope you learned something you stupid #@%$, If I wanted I could get you fired, but you got lucky this time”. And she stuck her face in mine, the smell of rotting flesh spilled from her lips, and said a few more spicy things and stormed off. This was not the only incidence I’ve been chewed like a cow cud. I’ve had older red necked men threaten me, but this was one of those days that I remember coming home crying like a toddler to a loving embrace, a warm beverage, candy, and “you’re always safe at home, this is the one place on earth no one can invade, you can be yourself, and everyone loves you”. My turtle shell. Warm, cozy, happy, safe, a wooden, brick bubble form the demons of this earth. Everyday on my way out the door I grab my shield and sword, knowing that I can put them back upon my return.