be charged twice if you take them again now.”
For a few seconds I seriously considered the idea of beating the cashier up but after a few deep breaths I just said slowly:
“Ok. I understand the policy. Does this also mean it’s pointless to call the supervisor?”
Kenneth shrugged his shoulders as if saying “It’s totally up to you”.
“Then what are the additional three points for?” The situation seemed like a disgusting farce to me now. The tone of my voice was full of poison and I felt if I say one more word there will be a toxic green cloud in front of me.
“Each customer is allowed ten minutes in the supermarket area and every additional minute costs one point. You’ve spent thirteen minutes in here.”
“Ten minutes a day?! Are you crazy???” I shouted paying no attention to the growing queue of shoppers behind me. “Do you think it’s enough to get everything I need? Do I have run like a sprinter and throw everything in the trolley without looking at what it actually is?”
Kenneth barely winced and answered, looking away:
“You either you pay for what you’ve got or...”
“Precisely! I’d like to pay exactly for what I’ve got and nothing else!”
- ...or I’m calling the security and you’ll be speaking to the supervisor.”
I knew that any conversation with the supervisor won’t be much different to this one I shut my mouth and let my bracelet to be scanned. After the scanner made a short sound Kenneth gave me a plastic bag.
Gritting my teeth and holding back the comments about such ridiculous rules and camp cashiers I threw my shopping in the plastic bag and ran out of the supermarket.
Once I was outside I kicked the nearest bin as hard as I could and the second I did that my bracelet beeped. Well, I have just been fined again!
Feeling incredibly angry I didn’t even look at the screen to find out how big the fine was and just hurried back home.
The trip to the shop became somewhat of a lesson to me. I sat on the balcony, looking at the mountains drowning in the summer heat; a cup of cold tea gleaming in the sun was next to me. Jenny was right - carelessness in the city could lead to disastrous results in a matter of just few days. At the beginning I didn’t think I should take the local rules or my neighbour’s advice seriously, and I was so wrong. Now my bracelet was showing only forty-two and a half points instead of fifty. In just one day I lost seven and half points! I paid 6.7 points in the shop, 0.3 points for the bus tickets (I put in some serious effort in finding out the bus ticket prices) and I was fined 0.5 points for kicking the bin. Welcome to Tally!
Damn it!
My mood was in tatters.
Laroche didn’t answer two more of my calls. Soon there will be a sunset. What if Laroche doesn’t answer my calls at all? What if he is dead? What should I do then? I decided not to think about the worst case scenario and began to compile a list of principles I was going to follow from this very minute: rule number one - I don’t buy anything unnecessary and only get the essentials. If my score will go into a minus I can be thrown out of my “hotel” room and relocated to “hell”, and Tally is the “hell” for many people. As long as there is some food in my fridge I must not go shopping or take trips anywhere. Now I was quite certain that another journey to the city will cost me an additional couple of dozens points.
I sighed heavily, got up and went back into the room. An hour later it was time to give Laroche another call. As I was putting my trainers on I was begging - please answer me this time. Please, just answer!
“Christopher? Christopher, is it you?” I was almost shouting down the phone because instead of the answering machine there was a real voice.
“Yes, Christopher speaking. Who is this?”
“This is Shereen! I’m sorry I forgot to introduce
For a few seconds I seriously considered the idea of beating the cashier up but after a few deep breaths I just said slowly:
“Ok. I understand the policy. Does this also mean it’s pointless to call the supervisor?”
Kenneth shrugged his shoulders as if saying “It’s totally up to you”.
“Then what are the additional three points for?” The situation seemed like a disgusting farce to me now. The tone of my voice was full of poison and I felt if I say one more word there will be a toxic green cloud in front of me.
“Each customer is allowed ten minutes in the supermarket area and every additional minute costs one point. You’ve spent thirteen minutes in here.”
“Ten minutes a day?! Are you crazy???” I shouted paying no attention to the growing queue of shoppers behind me. “Do you think it’s enough to get everything I need? Do I have run like a sprinter and throw everything in the trolley without looking at what it actually is?”
Kenneth barely winced and answered, looking away:
“You either you pay for what you’ve got or...”
“Precisely! I’d like to pay exactly for what I’ve got and nothing else!”
- ...or I’m calling the security and you’ll be speaking to the supervisor.”
I knew that any conversation with the supervisor won’t be much different to this one I shut my mouth and let my bracelet to be scanned. After the scanner made a short sound Kenneth gave me a plastic bag.
Gritting my teeth and holding back the comments about such ridiculous rules and camp cashiers I threw my shopping in the plastic bag and ran out of the supermarket.
Once I was outside I kicked the nearest bin as hard as I could and the second I did that my bracelet beeped. Well, I have just been fined again!
Feeling incredibly angry I didn’t even look at the screen to find out how big the fine was and just hurried back home.
The trip to the shop became somewhat of a lesson to me. I sat on the balcony, looking at the mountains drowning in the summer heat; a cup of cold tea gleaming in the sun was next to me. Jenny was right - carelessness in the city could lead to disastrous results in a matter of just few days. At the beginning I didn’t think I should take the local rules or my neighbour’s advice seriously, and I was so wrong. Now my bracelet was showing only forty-two and a half points instead of fifty. In just one day I lost seven and half points! I paid 6.7 points in the shop, 0.3 points for the bus tickets (I put in some serious effort in finding out the bus ticket prices) and I was fined 0.5 points for kicking the bin. Welcome to Tally!
Damn it!
My mood was in tatters.
Laroche didn’t answer two more of my calls. Soon there will be a sunset. What if Laroche doesn’t answer my calls at all? What if he is dead? What should I do then? I decided not to think about the worst case scenario and began to compile a list of principles I was going to follow from this very minute: rule number one - I don’t buy anything unnecessary and only get the essentials. If my score will go into a minus I can be thrown out of my “hotel” room and relocated to “hell”, and Tally is the “hell” for many people. As long as there is some food in my fridge I must not go shopping or take trips anywhere. Now I was quite certain that another journey to the city will cost me an additional couple of dozens points.
I sighed heavily, got up and went back into the room. An hour later it was time to give Laroche another call. As I was putting my trainers on I was begging - please answer me this time. Please, just answer!
“Christopher? Christopher, is it you?” I was almost shouting down the phone because instead of the answering machine there was a real voice.
“Yes, Christopher speaking. Who is this?”
“This is Shereen! I’m sorry I forgot to introduce
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