Another

Paul was a Bagger at the local grocery store and had worked there for three years. He bagged there part-time to earn some extra money as he worked in the fashion industry.

Mr. Bradford or Brad as his employees called him, worked as a store manager of the same store for fifteen years. He liked his job and loved the people he worked with.

One day, Paul was bagging until he asked to go to the bathroom. The managers knew he had an overactive bladder, so they let him go to the bathroom often.

Mr. Bradford popped up from a chair in the seating area in the cafe, which were outside the bathrooms. He made his rounds throughout the store.

After twenty minutes, an assistant manager called Paul up to the Checkout. He popped out of the bathroom and returned. The assistant manager was confused and wondered why he took so long, but they didn’t want to ask.

Later, Paul clocked out for his lunch break and walked to the back of the store to the breakroom. He went to the bathroom.

Mr. Bradford exited the office next to the breakroom and he passed the tables and chairs as he walked downstairs. He talked to James, a stocker in the backroom.

“James, how’s the latest skid coming?”

“Good, Brad. It’s almost packed up to bring to aisle twelve.”

“Great, let me help you.”

Mr. Bradford looked at his watch and rushed back to the breakroom.

“Wait, we’re not done yet! I’ll finish it myself, thanks!” James shouted.

Paul looked down the steps and swung open the doors back to the main store. He returned to the Checkout as if nothing had happened.

Another day, another dollar passed.

One day in the winter, a snowstorm blew through the region and Paul still drove to work as he needed the money. Once he got to the store, he saw that there were only four registers open. He went to the bathroom before his shift.

Mr. Bradford had to drive to work since he had to run the store. Once, he got there, someone from the Courtesy Booth (Customer Service) was running the Checkout, so Mr. Bradford took over. He called an assistant manager, who was supposed to come in, but she said she couldn’t because her driveway wasn’t shoveled. He told her to come when she could or when her driveway gets shoveled. He wondered why Paul hadn’t shown up for his shift yet. It was 2 o’clock. He asked the Courtesy Booth girl to come back up front, so he could go to the bathroom.

Paul opened the bathroom door and clocked in for his shift.

A few hours later, the snowstorm turned into a blizzard and the store closed early. Paul was sent home, while Mr. Bradford stayed until after the store closed so he could lock up.

The next day was busier than usual and a customer asked to talk to the manager. The customer wanted more registers open to cut down the lines. The assistant manager told her, they would talk to the manager. They called him, but the line was busy.

Paul heard the assistant’s conversation with the customer and asked to go to the bathroom.

Mr. Bradford rushed out of the bathroom and heard the echoing voices of the customers. He hurried over to the Checkout.

“Brad, a customer kind of yelled at me. She said we need to open more registers and cut down the lines.”

“Then open more registers.”

“We’re don’t have enough cashiers. I could open, but I’ve got to get lights.” (Lights refers to the light bulbs flicking above the registers to show the cashier needs help from the manager or if the register is open.)

“I’ll talk to her. Which register is she at?”

“Register eight.” The assistant pointed in the direction of the register.

He walked to the register, but the woman was already checking out.

Paul returned from the bathroom and went back to bagging.

Later, since Paul worked at the store for a few years, they made him do overstock. (Putting the products, produce, and meat the customers don’t want back where they belong in the store.) He walked around the store and looked in almost every aisle to find where the products belonged. He saw a spill and rushed to the maintenance closet to grab a mop to clean it.

The mop bucket crashed into the backroom doors as Mr. Bradford pushed it. He cleaned up the olive oil spill in aisle two.

After the spill was cleaned, Mr. Bradford returned to the backroom. He walked upstairs to the breakroom and washed his hands in the bathroom.

A cashier named Michael waited for his shift to start as he sat in the breakroom. He watched Mr. Bradford walk into the bathroom and Michael decided he also had to use the bathroom. He used the urinal and saw a different man come out of the stall.

“Wait, I just saw Brad come in here. Where is he?” Michael asked the man.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I just came in here to pee,” the man (Paul) replied.

“Why would you bring a backpack into the bathroom?”

“I didn’t want anyone to steal it.”

“Right.” Michael snatched Paul’s backpack and opened it up. He found a full-body costume inside. He dropped the bag and costume in shock. “You’re Brad?”

“You figured it out. I’ve been doing this for three years and someone finally figured it out.”

“What are you gonna do to me?”

“What am I gonna do to you? Kill you? No, too easy.”

“I’ll keep your secret, I promise.”

“I’m sure you will,” Paul said with sarcasm. “Maybe I should punish you, so you won’t talk.”

“If you do, I’ll tell.”

“What are you five? Or trying to blackmail me?”

“What do you want me to do?”

“I want you to transfer stores so we will never see each other again.”

“What?”

“Brad has connections with the other store managers. He can help you.”

“But I live and go to school in Everet.”

“That can change too–just kidding. I don’t have that much power–or do I? You can start there next Monday.”

“Fine, you’re lucky I can drive and have my own car.”

Michael walked out of the breakroom and downstairs.

“Bye, Michael.”

Mr. Bradford called his buddy, the manager at the Wricity store and told him he’d be getting some more help.

Michael transferred stores and told his family about the secret. His sister, Michelle started as a cashier at the Everet store, knowing Paul’s secret. She was like an informant or spy.

Michelle had to tell someone. Brad didn’t really have fifteen years of experience at the store like he said he did. But if she did tell someone, Brad/Paul might lose their jobs.

Weeks passed and Brad was on vacation, Paul was still working. He suspected someone else knew his secret, but he didn’t know who.

Mr. Bradford visited the store on his last day off before he came back to work. He looked around and saw Michelle a new cashier staring at him.

He talked to her as he bought his groceries at her register.

“I know you know,” Mr. Bradford said.

“That’ll be twenty-five fifty-six and you know I know what?” Drops of sweat ran down her forehead.

“Just know, I know.” Mr. Bradford walked out of the store with his grocery bags.

The next day, around three o’clock, Mr. Bradford walked into the breakroom and saw Michelle again. He couldn’t prove anything yet, but he knew she knew his secret.

That night, Michael walked into the store as Michelle waited in the cafe seating area.

“Michelle, come on I’ve been waiting in the car for twenty minutes.”

“Sorry, I didn’t see your texts, I was talking to my new friend.”

“Bye, Sarah!”

Michael grabbed Michelle by the wrist and pulled her outside.

Mr. Bradford saw Michael and Michelle. “Wait, I told you to never come into this store again.”

“You! I was just picking up my sister.”

“Don’t come back here!”

“Sorry, maybe if some people would answer their texts, then none of this would have happened.”

“I’ll transfer your ass too.”

“Yeah, sure,” Michelle said sarcastically.

Everyone in the Checkout heard the commotion, including the other store manager.

They transferred Mr. Bradford to the Wricity store.

Next Monday, Mr. Bradford walked into his new store. He introduced himself to the Courtesy Booth girls and then the Front-end manager and assistants.

He walked around the store and then saw Him, Michael from his old store. Michael was a Grocery department associate now, he stocked and organized the shelves in the aisles. Mr. Bradford squinted and then pointed at him.

“What are you doing here?” Michael knelt down as he stocked the cereal boxes. He turned his head toward the voice.

“I was transferred, too.”

“Why? What happened?”

“They heard me yelling at you. They thought you were a customer, but I told them you were an old employee of mine. They still transferred me.”

“I guess we’re stuck here together.”

“I guess so. When did you move to Grocery?”

“A few weeks ago.”

“Cool. I’ll see you around, Michael.”

“Bye.”

A few days later, a new Bagger, Paul was transferred to the Wricity store. He re-adjusted to the store, its aisles, and rules.

But one day, it was a busy Monday afternoon and the Front-end manager called Michael to the Checkout. She needed him to open a register and ring on it.

Paul was nervous, so he rushed to the bathroom.

Mr. Bradford walked out of the seating area and bagged for Michael.

“Michael, what are you doing here?”

“It was a half-day at school, so I picked up a shift–That’ll be fifty-six fifteen.”

The Front-end manager told Michael to return to the aisles once it slowed down.

Paul later returned from the bathroom.

Hours later, Mr. Bradford walked into the backroom and found Michael trying to mop up a wine spill.

“Michael! What did you do this time?”

“I’m sorry, I was moving this box of wine, tripped over a loose wood piece, and it spilled everywhere.”

“I’ll have to fire ya for this,” Mr. Bradford joked.

“Yeah right, it was an accident.”

“One more slip up and I will have to fire you.”

“Oh, okay.”

Mr. Bradford walked out of the backroom and saw another Grocery employee, his nametag said: KYLE. He was organizing the bar soap in aisle nine.

“Hi, Kyle, I’m Mr. Bradford, but you can call me Brad. I just transferred here from the Evert store.”

“Hello, Brad? Welcome to the store. How do you like it so far?”

“I love it, it’s smaller than my last store. Do you know Michael? He was transferred to the store a few weeks ago.”

“Yes, we’ve already became friends. Great guy.”

“Right–Well, it was great meeting you.”

“You too.”

Hours later, before the store closed, it was decided that Mr. Bradford had to lock the doors. The closing manager went home sick. Michael was organizing aisle six, the sauce and pasta aisle.

“Yeah, last night was great. I can’t believe I beat you!” Michael said to Kyle.

“I know, but I’ll get ya tonight.”

“It’s on.” Michael turned around with his arm extended and smashed it into the marinara sauce jars. Glass shattered and fell onto the floor. Sauce dripped down the shelves and onto the titled floor.

Mr. Bradford heard the shattering and yelling. He walked over to the aisle. “What happened? That’s it, you’re fired!”

“What? You can’t do that. This is your first day here and you know me,” Michael replied.

“Brad, you can’t do this! You’re new to this store and he’s new. It was an accident,” Kyle exclaimed.

“I’m sorry, but if Jeff heard about this, a big spill, on my watch, he’d fire both of us.”

“You don’t have to tell Jeff. He doesn’t need to know about this,” Michael responded.

“Just get the mop and clean this mess up. I’ll think about what I’ll do next.”

“Fine.”

“And Kyle get some paper towels to pick up the glass pieces.”

The next morning, Jeff entered the store a little late and walked through aisle six. Kyle and Michael were stocking the sauce.

“Why are you stocking the sauce? Did a new shipment come in?” Jeff asked.

“I guess customers really needed sauce,” Michael replied.

Jeff continued to walk through the aisle and around his employees.

Later that day, Paul entered the store before his 2 o’clock shift. He walked to the backroom and changed into his work uniform in the bathroom of the breakroom. He thought he heard the bathroom door lock. He didn’t even know the bathroom door could lock.

“Hello? Is someone there?” Paul called out.

The lights turned off and Paul pulled out his phone to turn on the flashlight. He peeked through the stall door and opened it. He walked out of the stall.

The lights flickered back on and Michael appeared.

“I know your secret, my sister knows your secret, and soon everyone will know,” Michael said.

“What secret? I’m just a–”

“Don’t play dumb with me. You can’t keep your secret any longer. I’m sick of being under your thumb. You can’t control me anymore. I’m gonna tell Jeff.”

Paul laughed. “And Brad will just tell him about the broken jars.”

“He won’t care. This is bigger than me.”

“You need proof, which you have none of.”

“Oh, yeah.” Michael showed him the photos of Paul changing into his Mr. Bradford bodysuit.

“How did you get these?”

“I have my ways.”

“Delete those and Brad will give you a raise.”

“No, I can’t stand being around you or Brad anymore. It’s time.”

Michael unlocked the door and walked out of the bathroom.

I have to get that phone.

Mr. Bradford checked Michael’s jacket pockets on the coat rack, but there was nothing but lint and coins. He always kept his phone in his jacket pocket in the breakroom. But not this time, Michael knew he had to be careful and cautious.

Jeff was on his lunch, so Michael would have to wait until later to tell him. Mr. Bradford knew Jeff went to Endy’s, the fast-food joint nearby on his lunches. Mr. Braford needed to take his lunch early, but he couldn’t, he had to watch the store. He told the Front-end manager to watch the store while he was gone.

He got in his car and drove to Endy’s. He pulled into the parking lot and there was a long line at the drive-thru. He then saw Jeff inside through the windows. He walked in and ordered a Sprite and a small order of fries. But once he turned around, Jeff was gone. He had to beat him back to the store.

He drove out of the parking lot and sped around the turns. But there was a red light. He saw Jeff in his car speeding towards the store.

The light finally turned green and he sped back to the store. Maybe he could still catch him.

Once he walked into the store, he looked for signs of Michael and Jeff, but they were nowhere to be found. He looked up and they were in the managers’ office, above the Customer Service Booth. Through all the customers’ talking, the registers’ beeping, and the Courtesy Booth girls chatting, he heard the phrases “Ya know” and “Let me tell you”.

Jeff walked downstairs and looked at Brad with a furrowed brow. “I saw the pictures, Mr. Bradford or should I say, Paul.” He unzipped the bodysuit from the back and revealed to everyone that he was an imposter.

“It’s not what it looks like–” Paul tried to explain.

“It’s exactly what it looks like. It looks like you’re fired, both of you.”

Paul completely took the bodysuit off and walked out of the store never to be seen again.