Within minutes, Derrick was hired provisionally. He would work overnight, stocking shelves and running the register if needed. Relief collided with panic. He had only hours to scrape together enough money for Rusty’s surgery. Every second that passed felt like the drumbeat of a ticking clock.
Darkness crept over the parking lot as Derrick took his post behind a dimly lit register. His first customers were late-night wanderers seeking snacks or last-minute essentials. He fumbled with barcodes and struggled to keep his exhaustion at bay. Yet each beep of the scanner felt like progress.