The Calicos

I'm not quiet about my dislike of my Saturday shifts.
Because the managers began scheduling me the 'midday' shift. 
Which basically means I start work just before lunch, and end my shift like an hour before we close.

I hate it. 
Because a) I'm there ALL day. So I can't do anything before or after work because it literally takes up the ENTIRE day. 
and b) Having to socialize with customers the entire Eight Hours of my shift is exhausting to me. I don't have that big of a social battery and I often end up exhausted after a Saturday shift because agh. too many people. Too much energy expended. I'm like a vegetable when I get home. 

Honestly, I wish the managers wouldn't schedule me then.
But because I'm basically the 'best' in my department, they want me to be there ALL day so I can help customers out and be there for the crazy rushes and such. 
*exhales* 

I hate it. 

But that's not what this post is quite about.

No, another issue with me working the Saturday shift....
Is the buying of fish.

When I want to buy fish specifically. 

Because if I want to get fish....I usually have to wait until the end of my shift to buy them.
And if I'm working that midday/evening shift....it means I have to wait until nearly close to buy fish I want.

(I'm aware that I could go into work before I'm scheduled, buy my fish take them home and then come back to work...but that's waaaaaayyy too much work/effort/gasmoney for me. Not worth it.) 

Usually I take the more mellow route.
If I see a fish I want...and it ends up getting sold....then I take the "well, I guess it wasn't meant to be" mentality. 

(We don't have a place to take fish off the floor either, and I'm not sticking a fish in a bag for hours upon hours :S ) 

In any case.

For a while now, I've been searching for some Calico Goldfish to add to my tank.
But for the past forever, we haven't really gotten in any calicos that have caught my attention in the "I WANT TO TAKE YOU HOME!" fashion. 

But today.
When I got to work and looked at the goldfish.

I saw it.
A beautiful mostly orange calico goldfish that sparked that "I WANT TO TAKE YOU HOME!" feeling.

And after a bit of studying of the other calicos -because we got in a whole shipment of them randomly- I saw another one that was mostly white with black spots that I too also liked.

-I had the slight conundrum that both of them were orandas, and I was trying to avoid buying more orandas and vary my goldfish in my tank a bit. (Because I already have three of those brainy fish)

But I couldn't stop thinking about them.
Those two Calicos.
I wanted them.

But, since it was the beginning of my shift...I could only hope that they wouldn't be sold before I got the chance to get them. 

And it went well enough. 
People were buying goldfish, but the orandas I wanted were hanging out on the top row of tanks at the bottom so most people couldn't see them. Therefore they were ignored. 

In the meantime I was dithering on whether or not I actually wanted the two orandas or if I should continue to wait for others to come along. 

Then it happened.

About an hour before my shift ended, a woman came into the store wanting some goldfish and koi for her pond. 

Which I didn't think was a big deal...
Until she started looking at the fancy goldfish.

O.o Normally the fancy goldfish aren't the type to be put in ponds -though people have done so with success.
She was apparently one of those success stories because even though I tried to direct her to the feeder goldfish and the koi that are common to put in ponds...she zeroed in on the fancies. 
Specifically the Orandas in the top tank.

My heart jumped into my throat when she said. "I want two of the calico orandas on top." 
Only for me to relax slightly as she added "It doesn't matter which two."
Because we had four calico orandas in that tank.  (and two more orange ones as well.) 

Which meant I was able to fish out the two calicos that I had no interest in.
Leaving the other two that I Did want in the tank. 

It didn't stop my heart from pounding as she continued to pick out fish, and I was quick to point her to other potential goldfish in other tanks for her to go for. 

And when she said she was satisfied, I bagged those fish up as quickly as I could.
Because she was still curiously peering in the tanks on the top row and I didn't want her to change her mind and demand I fish out the two calicos that I wanted for myself. 

Thankfully, she left without further incident and my fish were safe!

Except...I was now paranoid.
I only had an hour left in my shift. More than likely I wasn't going to have any more customers going after the goldfish. 
But... I'd already had had one close call. :S 

I waited another twenty minutes -finishing up some tasks I was in the middle of.
Before I got to ansy to focus and so fished out my goldfish from the tank and bagged them up and placed them out of sight. 
Because no one was going to take MY fish. I'd decided I wanted them and I was going to GET them. No one would take them from me, especially not when the end of my shift was in sight!

And it's probably a good thing I did.

As five minutes before I was off.
Another customer came into the store.
Wanting goldfish.

He didn't ask for any of the fish in the top tanks thankfully, instead focusing on the smaller varieties below. But I couldn't help and wonder if I hadn't got my fish out when I did, if he would have noticed them and wanted them.

But! I dodged the bullets and I got my fish!!
The two orandas are mine. ^^ Yay. 

Until you next see these words;
I'll be watching the leaves.
Enjoy the day!

-Sarnic Dirchi