Middle of nowhere

As the sky turned a more confident shade of grey, I could finally feel the first sign of raindrops excitedly scattering all over me as I glided through the glistening fields. I watched as the constant flow of fresh water began to bathe the surrounding landscape, quenching the thirst of the local plants and wildlife. My mind began to carve out melodies from the soft pattering of raindrops as they fell gently into the ground.  

“You’re really enjoying this rain aren’t you?” said my friend Charlie.

“What gave it away?” I replied.

“I’m good at reading minds. I personally can’t stand rain.”

“Why aren’t you using your umbrella? I could have sworn you had one.”

“Someone stole it.”

“Well if you want someone to give a statement about your missing umbrella to the police, I’ll happily be your spokesperson.”

A man nearby called out, “Excuse me? Do you know the way to the local toll road?”

“I don’t I’m afraid. By the way, is that Australian which I detect?” I asked.

“Nope, that was just me asking a question,” replied the man.

“Well whatever it is, I think it’s a great accent.”

“Thanks. Most people seem to think that.”

“You’re lucky. As soon as people hear my accent, they usually react by rambling on about the Second World War.”

“Well if it helps, that never crossed my mind.”

“Thanks. Anyway, I appreciate your concern. I’ll try and find my own way to the toll road somehow. It’s been a pleasure to stumble across the both of you. I’m Ian. ”

“And I’m…”

A loud bang interrupted the conversation. I ducked hurriedly.

Ian was slow to react. Charlie looked over in his direction and yelled, “You crane, Ian!”

“No, I’m not Ukrainian either.”

“I MEANT CRANE YOUR HEAD DOWNWARDS! THERE’S SOME FLYING DEBRIS RIGHT BEHIND YOU!”

Ian hurriedly ducked before inspecting what had nearly hit him.  Parts of what looked like a worn out tyre were strewn all over the place.

“That must have come from the toll road.”

“Yeah. By the way, you don’t look like a toll booth collector to me.”

“I’m only there part time.”

“Ah, that explains it. “

“Out of interest, which particular occupation did you think I looked like?”

“A grass cutter.”

“Oh, well I don’t particularly want to do that either. I’d love to be a helicopter pilot.”

“Well, all the best to you. I’m sure you’ll have fun in your new part time job.”

Ian said his goodbyes to us as he began to make his way over to the toll booth which was now visible in the distance.

I turned to Charlie, “It would be a shame to end Ian’s story there. We’ve only just met him.”

“I was thinking the same. Let’s find out how his first day at his new workplace goes.”

Charlie and I ran towards the toll booth.

I shouted out, “Quick, Ian’s almost out of sight. We don’t want to miss any of the story.”

“Don’t worry. I can still clearly see him,” replied Charlie.

We both continued to sprint until we were within hearing distance of the toll booth.

Ian could now be seen taking out a piece of paper which informed him which number booth he worked at. Once he made his way to toll number 5, he opened the window, and yelled out to the adjacent booth. “Hi, I’m Ian and I’m new here. I just wanted to introduce myself.”

“Hello, I’m Douglas. Glad to have you join our ranks.”

“Where’s the boss?”

“She’s just taking her break. That’s her over there sitting on the hard shoulder, having her lunch. Her name’s Gladys.”

“Why is she eating there?”

“There aren’t many choices when it comes down to choosing somewhere to eat on a motorway. The nearest service station is over 10 miles away. It’s nice to get out of the booth for a bit. Especially on such a lovely day like today.  I mean don’t you just want to join her?”

“Not especially,” said Ian with disbelief.

After a few minutes of waiting, Ian noticed a car approaching his booth. He could hear Douglas shout with excitement, “Look Ian, there’s your first customer! I always get emotional when a newcomer gets their first customer. I always feel so proud of them. This job is not as easy as it looks.”

As another car pulled up to a nearby vacant booth, Douglas called out, “There’s a car coming to your booth Kamara. Come over here quick!”

Ian looked out of his window where he spotted a short person sprinting.

“What’s Kamara like?” asked Ian.

“Let’s just say that he’s about as funny as a drowning beetle.”

Ian giggled before stopping abruptly when he saw Douglas’s serious expression. “Oh right. You mean to say that he isn’t funny then? Sorry, I misunderstood. You have a different sense of humour to me.”

Douglas raised his eyebrows, “Anyway, he isn’t the most popular person here.”

As Douglas took a break, Ian could hear him regaling the day’s events to their boss, Gladys. “I was in my booth, when suddenly this new bloke appeared out of nowhere. I was so shocked.  I’m always shy around newcomers so I didn’t have a clue what to say, and my heart was pounding. The rain was really racketing down as well.”

Ian thought out aloud, “Blimey, talk about a different perspective.” He started to have doubts over whether he was in the right job.

“What are you looking so glum about brother?” said the boss Gladys as she wandered towards Ian.

“It’s just that I’m not sure about this job,” replied Ian.

“What were you expecting from a toll booth?”

“I don’t know, I just thought it would be more entertaining. I’m just worried I’ve chosen the wrong path in life.”.

The conversation was swiftly interrupted as a car arrived at Ian’s booth.

“Hello, how may I help?” he asked.

Once the driver had left his booth, Ian mumbled out an incoherent sentence.

I threw an orange towards him in order to get his attention and find out what I had just missed. The orange hit him square on the head.

“Hey, you guys came along,” he cried enthusiastically.

“Yeah. We wanted to find out how your first day was going,” I replied.

“It’s going alright so far.”

“That’s great. What did you just say? You know, just before the orange hit you on the head. We want to know.”

“I can’t remember. Nothing too interesting really.”

“Oh right. Never mind. At least you’re settling in,” I said.

“Somewhat. This place takes quite some getting used to,” replied Ian.

A few uneventful minutes later I decided to take a stroll through the fields. Upon my return, the toll booth was a lot more bustling than before. I shouted out to the nearest co-worker, “What happened?”

“Only a diversion from the slower route, which means we’ve got more business,” grinned a nearby worker.

“Did anything else happen?”

“Nothing really, apart from a rowdy van driver causing a bit of trouble.”

“That’s good, so I’m pretty much up to date then.”

Ian was in a chirpier mood as he smiled while serving a customer.

“You’re enjoying the job now?” I asked.

“It’s not as bad as I first thought it would be. My colleagues are really nice and have made this job easier and more bearable than I thought it would be. I’ve learnt that working in a toll booth is not just about serving customer after customer doing the same thing repeatedly. You can meet lots of different characters, and you can make each customer have a unique experience. I have to say I’m actually having a bit of fun now.”

Just as Ian had finished his first day at work, a car broke down a few hundred metres away. Ian sprinted from his booth.

I thought to myself, ‘I’ve done enough running about today. I’m finished with storytelling for now.’