SOON

prose piece

The weather had changed again—warm for two days, cold for three—and Sam wished for spring. He was a vending machine deliveryman for a large corporation in a very large city. Sam had grown up poor in a tiny town and had come to the big one in search, of course, of better opportunities. He landed the delivery job and actually was quite happy. But the weather Sam wanted to alter in his favor.

One morning, when Sam had just begun his 6th-floor run, he encountered one of the corporation’s employees in the break room, where the vending machines, coffee makers, microwaves, forks, spoons, coffee packets and cups were stored. Sam was removing a plastic-wrapped stack of Styrofoam cups from a box. The employee, a young male, was just finishing pouring coffee into a large blue and white mug when Sam began to speak.

“Got cold again,” he said.

“Yeah,” said the young male corporate employee, stirring creamer into his coffee.

“It was warm for a while then it froze up.” The employee threw away the spoon. “Yeah, I was hoping it would stay warm, geez.”

Sam was silent for a moment, tearing off the plastic, then said, “Seems like every time those guys come back from outer space it gets cold again.”

There was a second moment of silence. The employee looked at Sam then lifted the coffee mug. “Yeah,” he said, then began to leave.

“I sure wish spring would come,” said Sam.

The employee, moving out of Sam’s sight, said, “Yeah, me too.”

And Sam at that point kept on stocking the Styrofoam cups and making sure there were enough vending machine selections, sweetener and coffee packets, spoons, forks, and creamer and sugar containers in the storage bins, so that all the employees on the 6th floor would be happy when they took their breaks.