….. who checked me out countless times with my bags of cat litter and chocolate chips and toilet paper and English muffins. We always did the usual ‘good afternoon’ or ‘have a nice day’ kind of thing. Then one day, she tugged the sleeves of her sweater over her wrists and said, “Seven years I’ve worked here, and they’ve never fixed that cold air coming down on me.”
Come the pandemic, and she’s disappeared. Where you are now, I have no idea, but, gracious, woman, I hope no cold breeze dumps down on you all day.
… Rereading Ann Patchett in anticipation of her upcoming book: “I could understand why Gautama had to leave his wife and child in order to find the path to nirvana. The love between humans is what nails us to this earth.”
The waxing moon is especially cream-hued tonight, strutting her mysterious beauty. No nirvana here, but plenty. Plenty.
Stony Soil Vermont 
I was watching the moon rise at about 7:55pm EST and noted it was very creamy also. Were you watching then? Who else was watching? Funny how that happens.
How bizarre… Yes, it was about that time. I emailed my friend to go out and look at the moon, too, but that beauty hadn’t yet risen over her hillside…
Sometimes it is like magic, watching that moon rise. It changes so quickly and I always think how easy it would have been to miss.
So true!
Your cashier probably said enough is enough when COVID hit. I know I did. I worked behind a window selling things in the cold all day. In the summer, the air conditioning blew down on me; in the winter, it was an open door they said they had to leave open for the pipes. Then, they started again on again layoffs. I decided to retire.
That was a very wise move! Sorry to hear about your experiences.