my boss called from the kitchen, “Stop moping and take out the garbage.” My fingers tightened around the edge of the counter. It took every ounce of willpower I possessed not to fly off the handle and say something I’d later regret. “You got it,” I muttered, turning my back on the nearly empty coffee shop. We were just about to close up for the night, and the only people in sight were a couple of regulars who stuck around the place like bugs on flypaper. Usually, I got to close up on my own, or with one of my co-workers. But tonight, the boss had stayed late to deal with inventory. So instead of meandering through my closing duties as usual, I’d have to play the good soldier until I could finally go home and get some rest. I shuffled over to the garbage can and hoisted up the bag, heavy as it was with sodden coffee grounds. No one could say with a shred of sincerity that our shop had the best coffee in the city. We served the cheapest coffee the boss could find, but our regulars didn’t seem to mind.
