It was almost a daily occurrence to hear the brunette boy swearing the aisles of seats in the empty theaters at The Aladdin, as he swept popcorn from the floors and scraped chewed bubblegum from the bottom of seats. He’d gotten cozy at the little theater in town, just after graduating from college, and as he progressed into adulthood, despite outgrowing his dead-end career, wasting his degree, and hating nearly every moment he was there, he was too invested to just throw in the towel – so was his rent, running him dry nearly every month. But, as his sneakers sloshed against the carpets below, an empty soda cup surely to blame, he let out a groan that could have been heard from the lobby, leaning his broom against the wall only to grab a snickers bar and head outside, leaning near the front doors, watching the cars drive by.
Noticing the soft sounds of approaching feet, his head fell back in frustration. They’d already began to clean up, an indication that the theater was nearing closing time. Don’t do it, asshole. Don’t do it. He thought to himself, chomping off another bite of the caramel candy. “Sorry, we’re closed for the night.” He mumbled as they approached the door. “Unless you’re here for the leftover popcorn.” A stale attempt at a joke, but the frustration was still clear in his tone. He just wanted to go home, and sometimes turning somebody away, even if just for a box of Mike and Ikes was enough to stress the boy out. He’d never been very good at saying no.
Oliver’s love for photography had disseminated into an appreciation for film as well. And, while he had never been ballsy enough to take on film work for himself, he could appreciate the artistry when he saw it. So it wasn’t entirely uncommon to see Oliver at the theater. He, like everyone else, had switched to mostly viewing movies on streaming services, but once or twice a month, or if there was a film he was exceptionally excited about, he would go to the theater instead. He still liked the atmosphere of sitting in the dark theater, looking at the giant screen, the buttery smell of popcorn tickling his nostrils. Besides, it just didn’t get better than movie theater nachos.
Unfortunately for him, he seemed to have misplaced his wallet, realizing once he had arrived home from the movies. He had begun retracing his steps, checking all in his car and the front of his apartment, before making his way back to the theater, his eyes peeling to the ground as he walked through the lobby all the way to the theater he’d seen his movie in. He jumped when he heard the voice, not having been paying enough attention to realize the worker was in there “no, I know! I’m sorry, I just...seem to have misplaced my wallet and I’m trying to find it. You haven’t seen one yet sweeping, have you? It’s brown leather, looks like it might fall apart at any moment, certainly not overflowing.”
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