A Janitor's Simple Wish - A Short Story

This idea came to me as a thought after a movie had ended. After the credits rolled and the lights were up, I turned to leave. Cleaners had already started their work, cleaning up the trash that everyone left behind... so here you go, my first very short story and one of the reasons this blog exists (so that I can share some stories).

A Janitor’s Simple Wish

All his life, Shen had worked as a cleaner in a movie theatre. A cleaner was a cleaner as far as he was concerned but in this part of the world, the folks called him a janitor. His primary duties were to make sure the place was always clean – within and without, and the boss emphasised that washrooms must be free of stains and always smelled pleasant. Whenever a show reached its end, Shen entered the hall to pick up the trash and swept, or mopped the floor. He silently wished that the patrons would just bring their trash – cups, wrappers, cartons, etc. – with them when they left. Sometimes, on a bad day, he let himself imagine pouring those leftover popcorns over arrogant patrons’ heads.

During the early years, he worked alone because there was only one screen. As business flourished, the company relocated from a shop lot to an abandoned warehouse in the middle of town. As far as the boss was concerned, she was doing the community a favour because she had bought over (cheaply), repaired the dilapidated building and made it into a revenue generating piece of real estate. She converted it into a five-screen multiplex – something rare, something new – for the town folks.

While Shen’s position remained the same, his wages, at the very least went up, even exceeding the inflation rate by a single percent. He thought the boss was kind to have employed a female co-worker so that he did not have to clean the women’s washroom anymore. He was always fearful he might accidentally enter the toilet when someone was still inside. He could not afford a lawsuit because his immigrant status was not favourable to him. His new colleague, Min, freshly out of retirement, was also tasked to vacuum the halls while Shen continued to pick up the trash.

In a nutshell, he and his colleague had to ensure that the areas under their jurisdiction did not receive complaints from patrons nor management. Both of them got along well and were a great team, covering for each other if they overlooked something. Whenever he missed a wrapper, she would not hesitate to vacuum it. Where the floors used to be cement, the new halls were now carpeted so a spill always proved catastrophic. Shen, with the assistance of modern chemicals, would help Min remove the stains, more often than not, through vigorous scrubbing. Shen and colleague agreed that liquid should be banned from cinema halls.

When a young couple returned to the town after years of city life, they decided to visit the cineplex for the first time. After the movie ended and the lights came on, they were appalled by the mess that the moviegoers left behind. Cartons and paper trays were strewn across the aisle, their contents scattered all over the floor. Paper cups and plastic bottles were left in the cup holders. Some were on the floor on their sides, spilt cola soaking into the carpet.

The couple were outraged when they spotted an old man (Shen was in his late-fifties but he certainly looked like he was a decade older) straining to pick up a crumpled wrapper. A similarly aged woman was at the other side of the aisle vacuuming the carpet. They were quick to write a post and upload photos of the scene on their blog. Friends shared the post. More friends of friends shared it and so forth. The post went viral on social media within days. By the end of the week, half the town had read it and a quarter of that felt slightly ashamed. The post’s initial intent to admonishing litter bugs turned into an uproar on elderly abuse.

At first, Shen and colleague had not noticed it but a week later, they were pleasantly amazed at how little they needed to clean up after each show. Both of them wondered how long would such obedience last. Rarely, they had time to pause for a chat. They did not bother after trying a few times to shout over the sound of the vacuum cleaner. It was way too exhausting but recently they had more time on their hands.

“This is interesting. I never imagined we could find time to sit down for a cup of tea,” Shen said.

“The world is changing for the better, old man. I always tell this to my grandchildren,” Min smiled.

One fine afternoon, the boss called them into her office. She did not tell them she had wanted to fire them because she felt they were getting old and lazy. She was well aware of the potential backlash. It would destroy her entertainment business. She also did not share how frustrated she was to be stuck with them until they reached retirement age.

Instead, she put on her best smile and told them how much she appreciated the effort they put into their work. She told them how concerned she was about their well-being. She told them she was bringing in younger (she conveniently skipped the cheaper and illegal parts) immigrants to help them out. Shen and Min only needed to supervise them to make sure they did their work efficiently. A few weeks later, she even put up a plaque to showcase the company’s recognition of Shen’s and Min’s contributions. She was confident this was a brilliant move to bring in much, much more profits for her company...

- End -