Story 70
The stall was finally open
The market crew had the stock and the coffee. They were only waiting for the shutter to go up.
The boxes were in the van. The coffee was going cold. Somewhere inside the market building, Sal was looking for the right key.
Outside, Nia and Tom waited with the first trolley of stock. They had helped at the stall before and knew there was no point blocking the narrow passage while the shutter was down. They moved to the loading bay and split a pastry.
At last, Sal found the key on a hook behind the office door. She unlocked the stall, lifted the shutter, and moved yesterday's empty crates out of the entrance. Then she tapped their PingRoom Quick Ping: “Stall open. Bring the first trolley.”
Nia saw it with half the pastry still in her hand. Tom took the trolley handle.
When they reached the stall, morning light was falling across the bare counter. Sal took the first box from them. By the time the neighboring stall opened, their red tablecloth was down and the first customer was choosing pears.
