Story Time Friday: Observations At The Gas Station

    I know I'm running super late today, but I fell asleep after a meeting. Plus starting to purge nicotine slowly, which is making me sleep more. I'm trying to do it in a manner so that I don't become a grumpy bear. So thank you for bearing with me in the coming weeks. This will not be easy. Tonight we will be going to a space gas station and seeing what we observe, much like at the airport bar a while back. So without further ado on with the show.
Prompt:

Observations At The Gas Station

    Tommy had been a grease monkey at the Space Mart for as long as he could remember, which was saying a lot since he was heading into his fortieth birthday next week. He had the overnight shift so it was pretty quiet for him in this part of space. Usually the most he had to deal with were the Space Cabs coming in for fuel and a cup of free coffee, when they brought their own cups, and the occasional drunk coming in trying to get alcohol after hours.
    Usually he just called the cops on the ones after alcohol and they came and picked them up no problem. Otherwise for the most part he sat around hearing tales of the Universe from the cabbies. They got to see all sort of sights after all while he was stuck in this joint. He always said he would make the jump but always chickened out on taking the chance. Mainly because this job was steady money and that wasn't the case in the cab business.
    He seen guys coming in on a slow night bumming smokes off him and just getting by on the free coffee. As well as being thrifty with how much matter and anti-matter they bought. Those were the nights he was really glad he wasn't a cabbie even with all the sights they got to see. Despite the fact that all he did was push buttons, make coffee, and mop floors for the most part. Sure he had to put the papers out when they came in and he did a few extras out of habit when he had time, but they weren't really part of his job.
    Though he did get to drink all the coffee he wanted to through the night, and he did get to read the news first before his morning rush of colorful characters came in. They were the initial wave of the morning rush, but before they get there Tommy smokes his herbs off camera ear the back airlock since they aren't exactly legal though even there he can keep an eye on things. They renew him though and prepare him to deal with both the colorful people and the annoying people.
    Just as he finishes smoking up space walks Anthony one of the more colorful morning people to deal with. He'll talk your ear off all morning if he could, but he has to make morning mass. He never misses it especially not since his heart attack. Then as Anthony is heading out to mass in comes Bob the Contractor to read the morning paper for free over a cup of coffee. He's been doing this for I don't know how long but he always has some colorful observation. Tommy and he usually get into debates as Tommy is making coffee.
    Then Bob will say he is late for work and head out the door as the cooler guy Elmo arrives. As colorful as the previous two guys always are Elmo put them to shame as he launches into there being too much too much work to do in the day. Tommy tells him to get to it then as he goes back to making coffee. Elmo just grumbles heading for the coolers. It never fails though at least fifteen minutes before the bars come off the alcohol one or two people walk in complaining it is already time to be able to buy it, and Tommy sarcastically tells them not by his watch which is the only one that counts in here.
    So they'll go outside and wait till he removes the bars and then come buy what they came for. Peter the owner of the local laundry mat in that sector will zip over and have a cup of coffee with Tommy as he is out in the smoking section near the front airlock. They talk about how it used to be and how things are much the same out here in space. Then Peter will zip back to his laundry mat as Tommy gets ready for shift change. As the sun comes up more ships are coming in by the minute though few of them regulars like Tommy's night crew. At least not to him as he waits for his shift relief. As it arrives in the form of his sister-in-law he smiles wishing her a good day as he counts out his drawer and heads for home to prepare for another night at Space Mart.