Bailey’s job had only one fringe benefit: free coffee and slushies. For many months, in Bailey’s mug, brightly labelled with the words, ‘Child of the Night’, that was all he took without payment. 

Bailey took a pack of ‘power mint, teeth whitening gum’ in the ‘30% extra’ size. He flicked open the register and tossed some coins in the drawer.

“What are you doing?” Jenna asked amused by what she’d seen.

“What?”

“You paid for the gum?”

“He pays for everything,” Kylie said. “He’s such a goody-goody.”

“You pay for your meals?” Jenna asked.

“I’m not going to steal them.”

“Why not?”

“Because I’m not.”

“How much do they pay you an hour?”

“What’s that got to do with anything?”

“They’re ripping you off, that’s what!”

“I signed the contract,” Bailey said, trying to end the conversation by busying himself in work. He knelt in front of the fridge and moved all the creams, cheeses and dips to the front of the window, ready for the new stock to fill up space behind. But Jenna wasn’t willing to let the subject drop.

“You’ve never taken anything while you’ve been working here?”

“You’ve got a problem with me being honest?” Bailey asked, acutely embarrassed. He knew it wasn’t cool, but he’d been brought up that way; honesty ingrained in him as a child.

“He’s like a priest,” Kylie called out.

“Yeah,” Jenna added with a laugh. “Father Bailey!”

“No, I mean he’s perfect for ages, like a priest. But the stuff he wants to do builds up until it comes out a thousand times worse.”

The comment brought silence. Jenna and Bailey looked to Kylie. Kylie smiled, walked towards the doughnut case, pulled out and jam doughnut and held it up in the air.

“This one’s stale.”

“Write it on the sheet.” 

Jenna’s attention snapped to Kylie.

“What sheet?”

“For stuff that’s off, you mark it down and chuck it out.”

Jenna looked stunned.

“They’re giving you permission to steal!”

“No, they’re not,” Bailey argued.

Jenna was beside herself with frustration.

“Are you crazy? How have you survived for twenty-three years in this world with that sort of attitude?”

“I know I could take stuff, Jenna. I’m not stupid. I take plenty of slushies, the milk and bread guys give me freebies, and I read every magazine and paper in the place for free. Why should I push it?”

“I’m not saying ‘clean out the store’. I’m saying have dinner. Make it part of what they pay you.”

“It’s not what they pay me. And once I start taking one thing it proves to them I’m dishonest, and they’d have every right to fire me.”

“Goodie-goodie,” Kylie shouted, in between rimming her doughnut.

“You’re screwed up.”

“Maybe, but I sleep well,” Bailey said, bringing the subject to a close.

Jenna and Bailey had become inseparable. Bailey slept most afternoons to be woken once Jenna came back from college. They’d pass the next few hours together in bed until Bailey had to get ready for work. A few hours later Jenna would join him in the store and together they’d count down the hours, often with Kylie as they’re faithful sidekick.

And then one night, well into the early hours of the morning when Bailey had no company at all, Jenna’s influence began to show. Bailey had woken late and headed for work, forgetting his wallet. At three-thirty with no customer in sight, his willpower began to fail as his hunger increased.

A baby faced 19-year-old guy rushed into the store, stopping in the middle of the floor and looking desperately from side to side like someone lost. He couldn’t see what he wanted.

“Condoms!” he said with urgency.

“End of the last aisle, hanging up.”

Without another word, the young man raced to what he was looking for and brought them to the counter. He stood waiting to pay when a beautiful woman, a drunk, blond FTV type, came staggering into the store.

“I need something to eat.”

“Okay, just be quick,” the horny teen said as he waited at the counter.

“I’ll pay for whatever she gets.” 

The wait began as the girl took a chicken roll, split the packet and loaded it into the microwave. She looked at doughnuts, toyed with chocolate milk and then settled on three chocolate bars. The only thing that stopped her search was her impatient partner.

“That’s enough,” he said as he took her selections and put them on the counter. Bailey rang it up, and the impatient young man quickly ushered the girl out of the store towards the waiting car. A moment later with a squeal of tyres, the couple sped into the distance.

Five loud piercing beeps let out. They’d forgotten their chicken roll. It was cooked and ready to eat. The temptation for Bailey to claim it was too much.

Two nights later, now with a taste for processed chicken rolls, Bailey had the same meal, fully intending to pay. It was something he never did.

Within a month his shift began with a chocolate bar. Then he’d open some honey-coated popcorn and move onto a dinner of rice crackers, a hot dog and a chicken roll. Bailey felt little guilt about any of his culinary write-offs. He was able to justify every one with the same worker’s benefit’s argument he’d inherited from Jenna. 

While his conscience was refusing to keep the same hours he was Bailey’s only real concern was being found out by Kylie and Jenna, who’d no doubt get immense pleasure at seeing his impenetrable moral barrier crumble over a chicken roll.

He managed to go undetected and well fed for three full weeks without once being discovered by a late night visit from Kylie or Jenna. But with each passing meal, he became more relaxed about what he was doing and the odds of being caught increased. Finally, Jenna arrived mid meal. Bailey saw her walking across the car park and panicked, clearing up wrappers and any left overs off the bench. By the time Jenna entered Bailey was stuffing the last of his meal wrappers into the nearby bin.

“How’s it going?” Jenna asked cautiously. She could tell something wasn’t right. Bailey feigned being startled and wore an obviously false smile.

“Hi. What are you doing here so late?”

“Couldn’t sleep. I lay there for an hour, and I ended up more awake than when I started so …”

Bailey didn’t stay for her to finish. He went into the back office and emerged carrying cigarette cartons. Jenna watched him stack them with a curious frown. There had been no welcoming kiss, no consideration or sympathy for her restless night and that wasn’t like Bailey. She knew something was up.

“What’s going on?” she asked.

“Nothing,” Bailey said with a defiant, innocent tone commonly used when a person is guilty. Jenna slowly walked the shop. Bailey followed close behind.

“Have I done something wrong?”

“I don’t know.”

As a boy, Bailey learnt that his mother could spot a lie in an instant, so he’d given up trying. He’d assumed it was a maternal gift, a sixth sense that separated her from all others. Now he was worried his girlfriend shared this gift.

 “You saw me as I was coming across the car park.”

“What?” Bailey tried to sound confused. His reaction only helped convince Jenna she was right.

“Do you want me to go? I mean, tell me, because I don’t have to be here. It’s,” Jenna glanced at her watch, “Almost half past two in the morning. You saw me walking across the car park and don’t say you didn’t because I know you did. Then when I walk in here, you put on this pathetic act, like you have no idea you saw me.”

Jenna stood looking at Bailey who was growing more and more awkward.

“I wasn’t doing anything!” He had a look of panic.

“You were doing something when I turned up. I don’t know what it was, but I know it’s something you don’t want me to know. Which means …?”

“What? What does it mean?”

“I don’t know! You tell me! What are you hiding from me? Or who.”

Bailey stopped still, staring at Jenna like a wild animal in headlights.

“Who?”

 “Just tell me what you were doing when you looked across the car park and saw me. And don’t say it was nothing because I saw the look on your face and I know I caught you doing something. Was there someone here with you?”

“No!”

“Then what?”

Bailey and Jenna stared at each other for a moment. Jenna wanted an answer, a truthful, clear and straightforward answer. Bailey wanted to keep his broken moral code to himself. The hesitation was enough for Jenna to believe the worst.

“I thought so. Where is she? In the office?” Jenna was tired, frustrated and had no reserves of patience left. Bailey realised she was suspecting a far worse crime than the one he was guilty of so he decided to own up to stop things spinning out of control.

“I was eating a chicken roll,” he said with shame. Jenna didn’t initially realise this was the revelation, so she stared at him waiting for more. Bailey assumed she’d sensed he was still holding back.

“And a hot dog,” he said with remorse. 

Jenna still looked puzzled, so Bailey made the horror of his crime clear.

“I didn’t pay.”

A change of expression came over Jenna like a wave. Her eyes lit up. Her mouth opened in excitement and a wide grin spread from ear to ear. It was as much from the relief on realising she had nothing to fear from some mystery woman as it was to know Bailey had finally cracked.

“You naughty little boy! A chicken roll and a hot dog? Was that all?”

Bailey stayed silent. He wasn’t sharing her joy.

“Did the sirens go off?” she asked.

Jenna was quickly behind the counter and to the bin where she took the lid off to start sifting through the evidence.

“One Vienna chocolate ice cream! Very fancy. Popcorn, a packet of tiny teddy chocolate biscuits.” she paused momentarily holding the wrapper up.

“I didn’t have them.”

Jenna held the incriminating packet and waved it in the air.

“Maybe you forgot?”

“And that’s why I didn’t want to take anything!”

“Oh, come on,” Jenna said. “I’m joking.”

“I’m not laughing!”

Bailey gathered the bag liner from inside the bin and tied the ends before carrying it out of the store. It was his way of letting Jenna know her sense of humour wasn’t appreciated.

By the time Bailey returned Jenna was sitting on the bench with her back against the newly stocked cigarettes.

“You know what I think?” she posed.

“No, but I bet it’s incredibly funny.” Bailey walked past her and entered the office. Jenna knew she’d pushed things too far.

“You’re not going to go all moody on me, are you?”

Bailey emerged from the office pushing the mop and bucket. He stayed silent prompting Jenna to try and initiate some conversation.

“I’ve known you’re not perfect for a while if that’s why you’re upset.” 

“Why don’t you go home and sleep?”

“Because I can’t sleep and this is a conversation we should have had months ago.”

“What conversation?”

“About the things that piss us off about each other. Like this ridiculous act you try and put on that you never do anything wrong. No-one’s perfect, you know? And you never talk about anything, so I never know what’s going on in your head. Also, while I think of it, please don’t leave the frying pan on the stove if you’ve used it and when the football’s on, don’t act like you’re listening when you’re not. If I tell you something important, something that affects me or something I’ve got planned, don’t pretend to listen. Sometimes you even say ‘yes’ or ‘okay’ and then when the time comes for whatever it is you go, ‘Why didn’t you tell me we were doing that?’ – that pisses me off.”

Bailey was stunned.

“How did me being mad at you turn into me being in trouble for stuff?”

“You’re not in trouble. It’s just things I’ve noticed since we got together.”

“And you saved it all up until now?”

“It seemed like the right time. Do you know what sort of relationships I’ve had in the past?”

“I would think short ones.” Bailey pulled out his wallet, walked behind the counter and began ringing up items on the till.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m paying for my dinner, so I don’t have to have this conversation.” 

Jenna tried not to laugh. Bailey was upset. He was doing everything he could to stop from looking at Jenna. He rang up his dinner, closed the till forcefully and went back to his mop and bucket to simmer as he worked.

“You don’t think there are things we need to talk about?” Jenna asked after a moment.

“Like what an arsehole I am? Or how much I piss you off? No, I don’t think we need to talk about that.”

The mop continued to do a figure eight across the linoleum floor as Bailey put his whole body into the task. Jenna walked to him, down the middle chocolate aisle and around the end of the store to arrive where Bailey was mopping. He was so focused on his mopping he didn’t notice she’d moved.

“Bailey,” she said quietly and full of compassion. Bailey jumped a mile.

“Jesus Christ!” he said as all the breath left him. “You’re like some fucking cat!”

“I just want to talk.”

“Well, I don’t!” Bailey screamed as his temper got the best of him and he slammed the handle of the mop into the bags of dry dog food stacked high on a nearby shelf. The handle bounced back and cracked him on the side of his head before falling sideways, knocking the bucket over and letting grey sudsy water spill across the floor. As he tried to get out of the way he slipped. His legs flew out from under him, and he cracked his head hard on the floor coming down.

“Fuck!” Bailey screamed. He got up rubbing his head in pain. His temper had control of him now, and he screamed again and punched a stack of family sized corn chips. The packet exploded sending corn chips spraying into his face like ninja stars.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck!” he roared.

Bailey then stormed from the store, swinging the door open so hard it bounced back on itself as it jammed against the pressure of the pneumatic device and hit him square in the face.

“Fuuuuuck!” he bellowed one last time before walking out into the car park.

The exit left Jenna standing stunned. She’d never seen such violent rage explode from anyone and certainly never from Bailey. And over what? She didn’t know. She certainly didn’t know Bailey was capable of such an outburst. She’d grown accustomed to his happy, calm façade. Until this moment he seemed to be affected by nothing.

“Jesus,” she said quietly to herself as she surveyed the carnage. She cautiously went to the service area where she looked out into the car park. Bailey was to one side, away from any light, pacing back and forth.

His face was red. His brow furrowed and his teeth were grinding with enough pressure to produce pain. His chest heaved as he took large breaths. Slowly he regained control and calmed down.

Jenna opened the store door enough to be heard.

“Are you okay?”

Bailey wasn’t. He was angry and confused. Confused because he didn’t understand why Jenna had chosen now to come and list all his faults. Angry because his loss of control had given her another addition to her list of things she disliked about him. When it came to real feelings he was like a volcano. He’d show nothing to anyone for long periods and then emotions kept deep inside would need venting. He’d hoped to avoid this happening in front of Jenna, but knew if she stuck around long enough she’d witness an eruption. Tonight she was Pompeii.

Slowly Jenna came out of the store and walked across the car park. When she got close, Bailey held his hands up in a cautioning gesture for her not to come closer.

“Can you please go?”

“We need to talk.”

“Trust me, now’s not the time.”

“It’s the perfect time. I think I just saw you for the first time.”

This was the last thing Bailey needed to hear. He couldn’t bring himself to say anything.

“What just happened?” 

Bailey looked at her with pleading eyes.

“You just got me wound up. You know I’m not like that normally.” 

“How do I know?” Jenna asked as an introduction to a larger idea. Bailey didn’t give her any time to finish. He jumped on the statement, pleading his case, certain he was about to be dumped.

“I’ve never lost it like that before. I swear. I’m tired, I guess, and working nights screws me up.”

“Bailey,” Jenna said with reassurance in her voice. “It’s okay. Calm down.”

Bailey paused. Jenna moved closer and took his hand.

“How am I meant to support you when you never talk to me about how you’re feeling? And I know you’re feeling stuff because of tonight, which is good, I think. You just have it so deeply locked up. It’s not healthy.”

“Not everyone talks about stuff that gets to them,” Bailey said, not knowing if this was true or not. Certainly, in his family, no one had.

“I want us to,” Jenna said. “To make sure we don’t change the way we feel about each other.”

“You don’t get it, do you?” Bailey blurted. “There’s nothing about you I don’t like.”

“Oh, come on. Doing my toenails on the bed? One of them hit you, remember?”

“Since the day we met all I’ve been thinking is, why is this amazing girl interested in me?”

“There’re lots of reasons,” Jenna assured.

“And lots of reasons you don’t like me as well.”

“Not lots and just little things. Things that I find annoying, that’s all. Nothing serious.”

Bailey looked at Jenna and nodded.

“That’s the difference; I can’t think of one thing I don’t like about you, let alone a whole list.”

Jenna was flattered. It was a beautiful thing to say. Then she realised what it meant. She’d just laid down a partial list of faults, and Bailey had trumped her with a blank page.

Next Chapter: The One