Market Feast closed a week and a half before Christmas.  The company saved a hundred thousand dollars or something like that for closing before the new year.   Dave, the regional manager, explained it to everyone.  How it was tax issue.  How the tax loophole was worth more than leaving the restaurant open another quarter.  Dave bought everyone cheese steaks the last day. 

Pete was sad.  Justin, the manager, was sad.  Dave was not so sad because he had closed the restaurant and evaded a hundred thousand dollars and bought everyone cheese steaks.  Everyone was happy about that and no one blamed him much.  Dave is just one rung in the ladder, Justin explained.  I took lots of ketchup with my cheese steak.
 
 “What are you doing after this, Pete?”  I asked.

 “Getting cigarettes and a bottle.”

 “I mean after the job.”

 “Probably the Market Feast in Abington.”
 

The lunch break ended and Dave directed us back to work.  We went on throwing stones at the brick walls, watching them richocete off.  Justin, the manager, called us over.  We started with the counter.  It was heavy and required everyone but we couldn’t lift it more than a few inches.  Dave said to hell with it so we left it there.  We moved to the food display counter.  The display was also heavy and required everyone.  We lifted and it was raised an inch or two before Dave said to hell with it.  We dropped it.  The glass covering cracked and rang through the restaurant.

 Next came the neon "Welcome" sign.

 “I'll take that,” I said.

 “I was here longer. It's mine,” Pete said.

 “I've been here since I was screwing both your mothers.” Justin said.

Justin dropped his cigarette on the floor.  He'd been there seven years.  He was no longer wearing his manager badge or the silver oxford manager shirt.  No one argued with him.

The rest of the day carried on much the same way until everything there was to be packed was packed and everything that was to be left was left.  I looked at Pete.  Pete looked at Justin.  Justin looked at Dave who was loading the "welcome" sign into his car.  I looked at Dave and then Justin.  Justin lit another cigarette and walked to Dave's car.

 “Dave, I sort of have dibs on that.”

 “Dibs?  Justin, this is company property.”

 “I've been here seven years, Dave.  This is my property.”

 “You seem to have it backwards.”

 “Backwards?”

 Justin inhaled on his cigarette.  He blew the smoke out and inhaled again.

 “Yeah, ass-backwards. You're property of the company.  Not the other way around.”

 “Well isn't that something.”

Justin walked back over to us.  He opened his car door and pulled out a pint of whiskey.  Half of it was left.  He took a long pull and passed it to me.  I took a quick pull and passed it to Pete.  Pete took a very long pull and gave me a look.  He passed it back to me.  I took a bigger pull than before and gave it back to Justin who took the longest pull of all.

By the time Dave drove off with the sign and the money, it was nearly dark.  I took a final pull and Pete took a final pull and Justin took a final two pulls because there was quite a bit left.   He chucked the empty bottle through the window of the store.  It made the sound of shattering glass.  It wasn't all that impressive and the glass pane splintered out a bit but not much. 

 “What are you doing after this, Justin?” I asked.

 “The bar.”

 “No, I mean after this.”

 “Probably Market Feast in Abington.”

 “But they already have two managers there.”

 “I know,” He said.

 “You'll be wearing a blue shirt again.”

 “I know.”

It was dark and the last shift had ended and there was no more pay.  I shook hands with Justin and shook hands with Pete.

 “Gentlemen, the last three years were a pleasure.”

 “Yeah Eddie.  Thanks for sticking around,” Justin said.

 “See you around Eddie,” Pete said.

I then started towards town in my blue shirt and my black pants and my employee of the month pin.  I went to the liquor store and bought a pack of cigarettes of Camels and bought a pint of Yukon Jack, the plastic bottle so if you drop it, it won't break.  Maybe I'd have eaten something but I was still full from the cheese steak and I didn't want anything to taint whatever taste was left in my teeth.

I walked back down to the train station, across the street from Market Feast.  I saw the glow of Pete and Justin's cigarettes.  I saw the glows hit the ground.  Justin got into his car and the headlights flashed on.  Pete walked across the other side of the parking lot.  It was very cold outside so I went inside to wait for my train.  

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