CLANCY OVERELL | Editor | CONTACT
19-year-old Lennox Messi (Betoota Heights) is now a man.
This comes after the local school-leaver found himself immersed in the reposeful tranquility that comes with working his first solo night shift at the local servo.
With nothing but the occasional cab driver and late night talkback radio to keep him company, Lennox enters a flow state of price-checking items and packing shelves.
With a couple of staff discounted energy drinks swishing inside him, and a non-perishable sausage role from the counter bain marie for dinner, Lennox is not at all worried about fading away before his shift ends.
His youthful energy has him feeling the same way he feels during the day. But it’s not day. It’s the depths of night. And he’s being paid for every minute he spends underneath these bright fluro lights.
In fact, part of him feels like the real world isn’t as scary as he once thought. This one shift alone will result in the biggest pay check he’s ever received in one week. He’s now doing the math on how much he could earn if he did a couple more of these before pay day.
Nobody he knows is awake. There are no messages coming in. He’s just busy enough to not get stuck scrolling his phone. He’s neither overstimulated nor lonely. He’s meeting his nightly targets. He’s upselling the odd customer to get a two-fa on the soft drinks. He’s listening to a riveting conversation between a late night radio announcer and some British expert on horse breeding.
His trusty 2014 Corolla is parked safely on the other side of the glass. When this shift ends, it will be waiting to take him home to bed.
He has a house party lined up for the weekend, and he’s going to shout his mates a carton of premium seltzers.
This one shift has shown him more of the world than he ever learnt in school. He has mastered the art of idle chit chat with his fellow frontline workers.
Tomorrow, his family will let him sleep until whenever he needs to, because he’s been up all night working hard.
In this purgatory between high school and higher education, Lennox has found true peace.
He is no longer a boy, he is now a citizen.
