Katie stared blankly at the whirring conveyor belt, counting the revolutions by the steady click of the seam. When it was her turn, she roughly handed the clerk a packet of stride gum.
“Thats all?”
Katie looked up to confirm, but the answer stuck in her throat.
The clerk was young; probably still in school, her dirty blonde hair tucked neatly behind an ear. A small studded nose ring adorned her otherwise unremarkable visage. Nothing I don’t see everyday, Katie told herself, as her face grew warm. Unremarkable, she thought, as her eyes brimmed with tears.
Katie finally blinked, nodded her head, and pulled a crumpled five out of her wallet. Stop it, she thought to herself, discretely wiping at her eyes.
“Thanks for shopping with us, enjoy your gum!”
A receipt was thrust into Katie’s limp hand. She started to walk away, but then she turned back:
“You know-”
The cashier was already helping the next person.
Nevermind, thought Katie,
Who would want to be told that they look like someone’s dead sister?