My Favorite Customer

I work at a convenience store. We’re just off the highway, next to the ramp, so most of our business is road trippers taking a break to use the restroom or grab a bite to eat. Small ones, mostly. Older couples or young families with one or two kids. A couple friends road tripping here and there. Even the occasional high schooler with a couple of friends driving around blasting their music and trying to look cool.<br><br>I like it. It’s a quiet little job that doesn’t stress me out too much. Plus the tips are good.<br><br>And that brings us to my favorite customer.<br><br>It was a Sunday night, early in the morning, and I was halfway through my shift. I was sitting on the stool at the register, texting my boyfriend, when a car pulled in and parked by the gas pumps. The bell above the door jingled when it opened, which I thought was odd at first because the guy had parked by the pumps, not at the entrance. I looked up to see a nice looking man standing in the doorway, smiling. It was dark out, and the only light was the single bulb on either side of the building, but I remember thinking that his eyes seemed to gleam in the dark, and that he looked like he was in his mid 40s. <br><br>I smiled back and he walked up to the register. I shoot small talk with most of the customers; where they’re headed, if they’re going to be in the area for long, that kind of thing. It’s just something I’ve always done because I’m an extrovert and it makes the job more enjoyable. But this guy? I think I said five words to him inside the building.<br><br>“Did you find everything okay?”<br><br>He smiled and kinda chuckled, and said “I didn’t come in for anything.” And then he just walked back outside. And that was it. A couple of minutes later a guy in his early 20s, probably, came in and paid for his gas. When I asked him how his night was going, he said it was going alright, except his dad had been acting a little weird for the last half hour or so. And then they left.<br><br>I didn’t really think much of it at the time. I figured maybe I had embarrassed myself in front of him or something, and his son had noticed it. I wasn’t really paying much attention up until the next time they came in.<br><br>It was about three weeks later, on a Monday night, taking the overnight shift again. I had just started when the same car pulled in again, and the same young guy came in to pay for his gas. I smiled at him and we chatted for a little bit, exchanging pleasantries and whatnot. But the dad didn’t come in this time. When I asked where he was, the guy told me that his dad had fallen ill a couple of weeks ago. <br><br>And that was it. I never saw them again after that.<br><br>But that’s not the end of the story. I’m sure you’re wondering who my favorite customer is, because I haven’t pointed him out yet. I didn’t even know myself at that point. But a couple of months later, when I was taking the overnight shift again, a car pulled in. It was a nice car, I remember, a Mercedes of some kind. I distinctly remember because I’m not too knowledgeable when it comes to cars. The bell above the door jingled again, which by this point had started to irritate me. It’s just one of those things, you know?<br><br>But again, the car had parked by the gas pumps, not at the entrance. But the guy came in anyway, smiling, and walked up to the register. I remember this time he looked to be in his late 30s. He was still well dressed, but in more casual clothes than the first time. And the same thing happened. He smiled, said “I didn’t come in for anything.” and left.<br><br>I remember this time I followed him outside, because by this point I was a little concerned. To my surprise, there was no one in the car. In fact, with the exception of his car, the parking lot was empty. The gas pumps were empty, too. He had driven up, parked, gotten out, come in, smiled at me, and left.<br><br>But then, a couple of minutes later, a guy in his mid 20s came inside to pay for his gas. And I recognized him.<br><br>It was the guy who had come in a few times before, the son of the smiling man. But the last time I had seen him, he was in his early 20s.<br><br>I didn’t say anything about that, though. At the time, I didn’t think too much of it, and even if I did, it wouldn’t do much good to bring it up. So we chatted for a little while, like we had before. We talked about our jobs, our parents, stuff like that. To tell you the truth I don’t really remember. I do remember, though, bringing up his dad, and asking how he was. But instead of answering me directly, he just kind of tensed up for a second, and then looked at me and said “Why do you keep asking about my dad?”<br><br>It was a little odd, I’ll admit, but I figured he was just a little protective of his father, so I dropped it. I asked him about his day instead, and he answered, but he seemed a little short with me. He wasn’t angry or upset with me or anything, but he just wasn’t his usual self for some reason. And that was it. He paid for his gas, and left.<br><br>The last time he came in, though, is what started to bother me.<br><br>I worked overnight shifts a lot, taking some that my coworkers didn’t want to take. I didn’t mind because I did my best work at night anyway, and I’m not much of a morning person. So I was working one night, about halfway through my shift, when a car pulled in.<br><br>It was the nice looking man again, smiling. I had started to expect this, because it had happened so many times before, but for some reason this one seemed different. Because this time, he looked different. This time, he looked **younger.**<br><br>And that’s what bothered me. This time, he looked like he was in his mid 20s. And then it all clicked in place. The guy who had been coming in was his son, but every time he came in, he was older. And the dad was younger.<br><br>I know this sounds crazy, but I swear that every time I saw this guy, he looked younger than the last time I saw him. And his son looked older.<br><br>And that brings me to where I am now. About a week ago, I saw him again. His car pulled in, the bell above the door jingled, and he came in, smiling. But I didn’t wait for him to ask me anything this time. As soon as he walked in, I ran outside, intent on catching him in the act.<br><br>I failed.<br><br>But that’s not to say I didn’t catch anything. As I ran out the door, the bell above it jingled, almost in my ear. But this time I was prepared, and caught the door before it shut. I looked back inside, and that’s when I saw it.<br><br>A bunch of strangers, with no cars in the parking lot, looking around in confusion. And the bell above the door was still jingling.<br><br>It hadn’t ever stopped. <br><br>And that’s how it is every night now. Every night, a car pulls in and parks next to the gas pumps. To this day, the bell above the door hasn’t stopped jingling. I still see him out of the corner of my eye, smiling at me. And I can feel his eyes on me, even when there’s no one there.<br><br>I know this sounds crazy. But I don’t care. Because that’s my life now. Every night I step into that convenience store, it’s like stepping into his world.<br><br>And one day, I’ll be like him. Young and smiling, driving around with my son in the car.<br><br>And it just won’t end.<br><br>***EDIT: This account is no longer mine. It has been hijacked by an imposter, using my account to post sexist and racist comments. To those of you I have offended, I am deeply sorry.***<br><br>***EDIT 2: I have regained control of my account. Once again, I am deeply sorry for the derogatory comments posted from my account***