Big Red Baby!!

"Good morning," says an older man as he walks through the tall glass door. "Cream cheese bagel please." An empty store that sees one or two customers at a time. The only sounds being made in the store consist of a working cash register and a faucet that doesn't stop dripping. The self-serve soda machine makes 'that noise' as a customer/student fills his 24 ounce cup with Coca-Cola.

"Just a couple more weeks," says the older lady working the register. I assume she's talking about spring break. The people that have come into the store so far are either getting coffee, soda or breakfast food. The women behind the register watch as students walk by. There's really nothing else to do. The full-size windows of the store catch the eye of who-ever is in it. You can't help but look out the window every time someone walks by.

"Do you need a receipt," says the older lady behind the register. As I look in front of me, I see bagels, muffins, a large bowl of fresh fruit and a half-empty large bowl of 'fresh' garden salad. The dripping sound doesn't stop. It's starting to annoy me at this point.

People come and go very quickly. When the store doesn't have any customers, the people inside it can't help but constantly look at one another. Again, there's not really anything else to do. The potato chip and candy bar section of the store is unoccupied. It's too early for that kind of food.

"It's too cold outside for me," says a student to the register lady as he walks in. "I'm from Arizona so I'm used to the warmer weather." Not a lot is going on in the store at this hour, but the flow is very steady and consistent. As soon as someone walks out of the store, someone else walks in. The service and convenience strongly resemble that of a gas station-type of environment.

"We need more coffee," says one of the female employees. Finally some action. As one employee prepares more coffee, the other stares me down s I write. To take my mind off her eavesdropping, I shift my eyes to the only sign on the deli counter. It reads, "Today's Fresh Salad: Asparagus and Grilled Chicken Spring Salad with Roasted Red Peppers, Bowtie Pasta and a Dijon Cider Vinaigrette. Only $2.99"

"That looks gross," says one customer/student. "I might get that for lunch," says another. That might be the only option by lunch. The bagels and donuts are almost gone. "We need more coffee," says the register lady again.