Jake peered closely at the items in the aisles he just walked through, guy things, girl things, sex things, job and hobby things, toy/books, miscellaneous stuff all along the perimeter. "I mean... besides most of the things suddenly diverting to being unexpectedly sexual its not too weird. I guess?"
"John had to know that the message cut off... maybe he left a note in the back explaining why he is willing to pay me to be in his shop but he isn't asking me to open or do anything while here..." Jake muttered finding the big empty store a little intimidating. Jake wandered to a door in the back marked employees only and carefully stepped through. He was greeted with darkness and boxes of inventory.
After several minutes of stumbling and groping he found a switch to turn on a fluorescent light which buzzed ominously as he looked around. There was a tiny office space tucked in the corner, it was a windowed room and Jake could see a desk and computer setup... "Makes sense to leave a note there I guess..." Jack opened the door and found the light switch without problems and made his way to the desk... It was cluttered with papers and notes but none seemed to be addressed to him... "Phooey! This will be a very long and boring few days if I have nothing to do but sit here." Jack noticed the chair wasn't a normal office chair but one of those ornate grandma chairs you'd find in the 'sitting area' where you'd gather to sip tea and share gossip... With a sigh, Jack pulled out the chair and sat down letting his mind wander for a bit considering his situation.
On the desk was an ancient box looking to be from the 80's. as he touched it something unlatched and it turned out to be one of those old polaroid cameras that they used for selfies before digital images... on a whim Jack took a picture of himself and marveled as it slowly developed. To think that waiting 2 minutes to see if the picture turned out used to be the height of technology.
'Why does Uncle John want me here? Does it even matter? Would anyone notice if I just stopped in to check on things in the beginning and end of the day?' Jack pondered. A piercing pain hit his head and he winced for a moment before it passed. 'No, I'd waste my time anyway and this... this is an opportunity... I.. I can involve myself in a family business! How many other kids could say that? Maybe Uncle JT will give the business to me one day if I can prove to him I'm worthy! I need to find a way to make the business more profitable! Prove myself!'
Jack pulled the laptop over now filled with vigor and wondering how he could help his Uncle make this place the next big hit... Youtube product demonstration videos, Online store is a must... does he even have a website? Social media engagement! Where to begin? Oh, pictures of inventory!
As the computer booted directly into the OS Jack noticed several folders on the desktop, one labeled finances, another labeled tracking, one labeled taxes... Jack smirked, Uncle John should be more careful with technology. Uncle John was older than his dad by quite a few years, 50 something as Jack recalled, and probably didn't know any better... thankfully Jack was a good actor, not a bad actor.
It was still only like 7:45 in the morning, and despite it being summer, the t-shirt he was wearing wasn't quite enough to keep him warm when he was sitting still and not in the sun. Jack stood up and left the office seeing the mountains of inventory with renewed awe at what his Uncle had accomplished, and opportunity! He has a couple days, maybe he could organize all this stuff? Convert half of this area to more show room! Yeah, that would be awesome. Jack went out to the store looking again over the clothes, surely his uncle wouldn't mind if he borrowed something to stay comfortable seeing as how he'd otherwise have to go home to get a hoodie or something.
Looking back over the aisles Jack remembered the motorcycle jacket which he thought was a little much, but it was lighter than the ski jacket and less weird than him putting on a second t-shirt from the firemen section, or a tactical vest from the military area. The jacket was a little big for him being sized for an adult, but after zipping it up it was okay. He wandered the aisle again looking at the items... He picked up one of the soiled rags from the mechanics section. How did all these things fit together?
A flash of light drew his attention to the store front, it was nothing, sun shining off a car that drove by... Jack slipped the rag into his back jeans pocket without realizing. How did his uncle make a living with this place? His confusion was tempered now with fascination and respect. As he passed the pipes he didn't know his earlier goofing around connected him to the item, he didn't realize it was magical in the first place, and he surely didn't know he needed to actively resist using it to keep it from slowly changing him, so now it was resting comfortably in his mouth just like before.
Jack went outside to have a look around, obviously this was the first time he'd been to his uncle's shop and he isn't familiar with this area. As he was walking in he didn't pay much attention to the surroundings. Maybe Uncle John can work with other local business owners to get more customers... a tent sale in the parking lot? A discount circle with 5% off coupons? A website for the shopping center advertising all the shops here to get people to see it as a resource to visit!
Jack glanced around, there was an unmanned 24-7 laundromat. a screen-printing store, a convenience store, and a travel agency... not the most exciting of places to work with... Jack puffed on his pipe thoughtfully and walked around the business to the back. A wooden bench, a spot for deliveries, a bucket with sand for cigarette butts and another with a cover that Jack knew had Uncle John's cigar butts.
John and Dad had similar facial features, height, and hair color but that was about it. John is much heavier, more hairy, and his booming voice is a bit lower than Dad's or even Grandpa's. Burly, that seems to be the right word for him. Stronger and fatter than dad. Silver and black hair everywhere. Dad was spared the back hair. The awkwardness between John and Dad come from, apparently, John focusing on this place so intently for years at the expense of not showing when invited to family functions after accepting the invitation. Jack saw nothing he could use back here so he went back to the front of the store...
He looked at the truck he was borrowing from his family and considered his knowledge of how to take it apart and put it back together, sometime soon he should give it an oil change, save mom and dad from having to take it in, and save them some money too. Jack liked motor vehicles? Yeah, yeah! He only ever got to get into this truck but maybe one day, no... he just started working with his friend on their car in his friend's garage. Turning 16 was really exciting for him, not only to get his license, but also to have access to more vehicles to explore. Jack does have a burning need for speed though, and hopes to get a motorcycle of his own one day, that's why he liked this jacket.
The casual and reckless interactions he's had were starting to change him. He never saw vehicles as anything more than a tool to get from point a to point b but depending on how things go, it might just be his new career path.
Jack reentered the building, pipe now acting full and lit, but Jack was unaware. The place as a whole still being a mystery to him, he went back to the computer to see what he could find there, maybe he has some kind of store description... Wandering the computer, Jack found a letter from John and was floored by what it said...