Tyler

Tyler, like Natalie, was working that Saturday night. He didn’t mind too much, as he needed the hours, but naturally there were places he’d rather be.

Tyler looks like a stereotypical hippie. 21 years old, with long brown dreadlocks, which he keeps meticulously clean. Standing tall at 6’2”, the thickened hair adds another two inches to his height. Light brown eyes are set in a kind, handsome face. Tyler has a lean body, lightly muscled but firm, arms hardened from the heavy lifting his job entailed. He’s the kind of guy who will be friendly towards everyone, and he has a lot of friends because of it.

Tyler works at a Whole Foods downtown, generally as the Dairy Manager, but occasionally they’d call him in for checker shifts if someone didn’t show. Like tonight.

Not surprising, it had been dead since about 9 pm. So when one of his friends showed up at 11 with a joint, Tyler didn’t hesitate to put a Be Right Back sign on his check stand and wander out back behind a decently clean dumpster that smelled of produce. Ten minutes later he was back at his station, head in the clouds. And lo and behold, he hadn’t missed any customers!

In fact, he thought he might last until closing time at 1 without seeing a single person, which would be excellent. Then she walked in.

If you’ve ever worked a customer service job, I’m sure this description will sound painfully familiar. I go out of my way to watch these encounters on one of the T.V.’s Upstairs because hilarity almost always ensues.

She was middle-aged and aging poorly, trying not to show either. Using makeup to try and appear ten years younger, only succeeded in looking like a painted up North Las Vegas streetwalker. She was wearing a bright baby blue jogging suit, which strained at the buttons trying to keep her bulk in. Wore an overlarge purse with a little yappy dog sticking its head out, the kind you yearn to punt like a football. Worst of all, she smelled like she bathed in perfume laced with chewing tobacco and menthol.

There’s only one way to deal with people like this. Treat them as nicely as possible and hope they don’t explode with rage over the most insignificant details.

As she grabbed a cart and waddled off, Tyler thanked his lucky stars that he was stoned, so if she freaked out about something at least it wouldn’t ruin his night and he wouldn’t be in danger of telling her off.

When 11:58 rolled around, we find the soon-to-be superhero ringing up the fat woman’s items and bagging them himself, since all the baggers had long since been sent home. And she was indeed yelling about something. Tyler didn’t know what, since he wasn’t listening to a word she said, but he’d bet it was about something trivial.

PAUSE

An angel walked in through the front doors, literally; not only was time frozen, but his body wasn’t substantial enough right now to set off the door scanners anyway. He walked over to Tyler, stuck his hand into his head, and flipped his switch. Before he left he spent a long moment studying the customer and laughing to himself at how stupid she looked. Like I’ve mentioned, we angels don’t get many opportunities to observe the characters in Earths little drama firsthand.

PLAY

Her voice rose in pitch until she started to sound like a dog whistle, which in turn was setting off the little football dog, making it harder and harder for Tyler to ignore her. Finally, head beginning to ache, he shut his eyes and wished with all his considerable brain power that she would tone it down a little!

His power kicked in, and with a mental hand he reached out to her mind, grasped the anger control, and turned it almost all the way down.

The woman’s mouth snapped shut. When Tyler opened his eyes a second later she was looking around, as thoroughly confused on the outside as he was on the inside.

Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Tyler hurriedly finished ringing her up and shuffled her the hell out of his store. Only when the doors had sighed shut behind her did he let his floating mind drift toward the one thought that was blazing like a beacon fire in the darkness: Did I really just do that?

***

Tell us what you think: What had Tyler done? What does it mean that he ‘turned her anger down’?