Circlefield Mall: "Pretzel Princess"

Circlefield Mall, IL

Pretzel Princess: Back of the House

“Let me out!” Raymond screamed.

Fumbling with a tub of butter, he was banging on the walk-in fridge door. He heard the snickering of coworkers Andy and Claire from the other side as the lights in the fridge were turned off. Now slamming his full body weight on the door, he yells, “You sons of a-”

With one more slam, the fridge door opened suddenly as he tumbled to the ground. The tub of butter fell to the floor. Looking up, he saw his Boss chastising his coworkers as they fled giggling from the kitchen area, past the office, and through the swivel door to the store lobby.

“Where do you two think you’re supposed to be?!... Throw that away before it melts.” He demands as he eyes the tub. His cheeks are flushed pink. As he walks away to the little office, he mutters, “$20 worth of butter is worth nothing now.”

“Got you, Boss.” Raymond lay on the floor with his lanky limbs outstretched and bruises forming. He stood up and straightened the hat on his head. Morphed over time to fit his skull, he felt his buzzed hair flatten with the hat’s crease. He slouched low as a pretzel with a princess cap embroidered on his forehead.

He swiped away whatever crumbs he got on his apron and his black pants. He washed his hands and retrieved another tub of butter from the fridge to bring to the preparation table: a steel counter with dough that needed kneading and an underside of plaque built up over the last 40 years. From his station, he can see Boss fumbling with his pocket on the little swivel chair in the office. Next to him is the money safe, which Raymond never knew how much was in there. It could be easily $1,000, maybe $10,000.

“Ray!”

“Yes, Boss?” Raymond scurried to the office’s small entrance. His shoulders were inches away from touching each side of the doorframe. His neck slumped to make eye contact with his Boss.

The Boss let out a sigh. “The owner really wants to make some changes around here with how it’s managed, especially in the fourth quarter. Y'know how people get around Christmastime. Hungry, grouchy, needy. There's a lot of pressure around Christmas for everyone.”

Raymond flinched. “Yeah I get that, like I know last winter got a lil crazy. But what’re you trying to say?”

“The Owner really wants another supervisor for the winter.” The Boss looked at him with a look that wondered how much longer this conversation will last. “You’re the second best candidate after Nora left. Since it’s slow, what we're gonna do is put you upfront with Andy to get you used to cash. Then, uh... the other one can go do dough.”

Looking to the cashiers, Raymond remarks, “Is that a good idea?”

Boss crossed his arms. “What do you mean?”

“Like, I don’t know. They don’t really like me. I don’t wanna cause trouble.”

Boss groaned. “Raymond, this is a job. Not everyone is gonna like you. I'm your manager, I’m just supposed to tell you what to do, and...” Boss eyed the swivel door leading to the lobby.

“Gotchu.”

“You can tell them the situation. Look at that, you’re already managing team members. Maybe you can be working here for 20 years like me.” Boss stood up and hovelled out of the office. “Keep an eye on them and make sure they’re doing their jobs. I’m taking a lil smoke break.”

Pretzel Princess: Front of the House

Raymond pushed the swinging doors open. To his left was the counter where dough was kneaded and twisted into a pretzel. To his right was the cash registers where Andy and Claire were gossiping. Both a year below him, they go to the high school he graduated from. That's all he really knew about them outside of work.

He saw Andy gesticulate with his gloved hands as he said, “I heard that she would only do it in the bathroom during-”

“Hey. Boss says that I’m in charge. I'm doing orders, and Claire’s doing dough now.”

Andy’s eyes compulsively sneered at him as Claire twirled her hair. They both looked offended at that suggestion. Andy says, “So you interrupt our conversation for that, Ray?”

“What can I say. Boss have an order.”

“I don’t know... why can’t you convince him to put you on dough duty? You like the silence in there, don’t you?” Andy says with a cheeky smile.

Claire adds on, “There are so many mean customers. I’m doing you a favor by being out here. Why don’t you pay it back?”

“You two are funny. But it’s supposed to be me and Andy out here.”

“Fine.” Claire tilts her head back and groans. She turns to Andy, “Have fun, I’ll miss you!”

“Miss you already~” Andy says as he blows her a kiss.

Claire feigns fainting against the swivel door and slips away to take care of the dough. Andy turns to Raymond. “So, why do you want it to be just us~?”

Raymond lowers his head and squints his eyes at him. “Don’t make it weird. I just need to get better at being a cashier. I’m gonna be a supervisor, apparently.”

“Lucky you.” Andy’s laugh echoed in the empty lobby. “I doubt it’d be any fun.”

“You sure know how to have fun at the job.” Raymond approached the cash register: it's been a few years since it was last replaced and was a grid of worn-out plastic squares.

“I thought you already know everything, isn’t that why you’re the Boss’s favorite?”

Raymond felt tension in his temples. “Just because I don’t know everything doesn’t mean I don’t know more than you.”

Andy looked aghast, then resumed a sly grin. “And here I thought you just sit back and take it all.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“I’m sure you know.”

A bell rings, and a mother and daughter walk through the door. The mother carries a slew of shopping bags and the daughter bounces all the way to the counter. Andy steps back as Raymond turns to look at him.

“Welcome to Pretzel Princess. How would you like your royal order?” Raymond instinctually asks.

Andy scoffs at Raymond as the mother asks “Yes, a cinnamon pretzel for us.”

Raymond presses buttons on the cash register. As he puts pressure on a stubborn button, he asks “Cash or card?”

“Cash.”

“$9.86.”

“I would’ve at least tried to sell them a cheese dish,” Andy whispered over Raymond’s shoulder.

Stilted, Raymond asks, “Do you want a cup of cheese with that? Only $1.25”

“No.”

Raymond flashed a straight-face at Andy as the mother began checking her handbag. Grabbing her $10 bill, Raymond opened the register and got her change. He gave her the change and a freshly printed receipt and said, “Order number 6. Have a great day.”

Andy interjects, “Have a royal day! Lemme go get your food!”

The mother’s face softened as Andy flashed a pearly smile and went to the preparation area. He unpacked a ball of dough from the mixer machine and started kneading it.

“You need to use new gloves,” said Raymond as he leaned on the counter ledge. “Apparently, you’re supposed to know that.”

“I barely touched anything, it's like the 5-second rule. Doesn’t count here.” He puts force through his palms into the dough.

“If you wanna keep your job. I know I wanna keep mine.”

Andy cut a row of dough with a knife and began rolling out. “Oh, I’m sorry. I forgot all you care about is daddy Boss’s opinion on you.”

Raymond leaned forward. “Does it get exhausting running your mouth?”

With an eyeroll, Andy was twisting the dough into a pretzel. “You can’t say you don’t have fun with me.” Andy pressed the pretzel on a tray and slammed it in the countertop oven. “I heard stories y’know. You didn’t talk with anyone but some girl who got hired with you. Now look at you. Bossing everyone around now.”

Raymond leered at the oven. It must have been there just as long as the Boss.

Andy studied Raymond. “I knew you two had a thing going on. You miss your girlfriend, Raymond?”

Raymond checked Andy. “Jealous of her or me?”

Andy scoffed. The mother peered from her daughter to them and said, “How long for my pretzel?”

Mall Parking Lot

The clock struck 8:00pm and Pretzel Princess closed for the night. Raymond had just clocked out of scrubbing, sanitizing, and wiping clean every countertop in the store. He lumbered his way to the mall’s exit when Andy ran to catch up with him.

“Ray!”

Raymond turned around.

Andy ran with a deflated smile. He approached Raymond and said, “Listen, it burns my soul to say this but I really need a ride home. My phone’s dead, my parents are asleep. I know I’m asking a lot but...”

“... I don’t know, man,” Raymond walked out the door. “You’re a big boy. You can take care of yourself.”

Andy chased after Raymond across the floor of the parking garage. Despite being four floors, the parking garage felt like a labyrinth of concrete with fluorescent light.

“Pretty please! I will make it worth your while~” Andy begged as Raymond tracked down his beat up old car.

“Why? I’m better alone, apparently.” Raymond grew a cheeky grin.

“Ray, I’m desperate. I don’t have a car like you.”

“If you’re so desperate, why not take a bus?”

“You’re safer.”

“Oh, so now you like my company. I don’t really appreciate being used like that.”

“Don't you like being told what to do, though. Isn’t that why they chose you to be a supervisor?"

Raymond stopped scanning the parking garage. “Guy, you don’t even know me outside of this place so don’t make anymore assumptions about me.”

Andy rubbed his temples with one hand. “I can tolerate your little ego trips at work, but damn it gets exhausting after a while.”

“I don’t ego trip.”

“Well, what do you think you do?”

“I make it a priority to get the job done. I don’t care about your petty slights, I wanna go home.”

“Where do you think I wanna go?” Andy stretched out his arms and let them fall to his sides. The thud when his palms hit his thighs echoed through the parking garage floor.

Raymond studied Andy’s slouch. With an inhale, he pulled his shoulders back and leaned back his neck. “... My car’s up ahead. I can take you home.”