The Hat That Held Everything

Kezia works the night shift at the supermarket. At two in the morning, the aisles are bright and empty. The only sounds are the fridges and Quill's squeaky cart.

Tonight Kezia wears a new hat. It is green and made of thick wool. It is also much too big.

Every few steps, the hat slides down. It covers her eyes. She pushes it up with one finger. A minute later, it slides down again.

"Nice hat," says Quill. He stops his cart in aisle nine. "Is it a hat or a sleeping bag?"

"It was on sale," says Kezia. "The small ones were gone."

"So you bought the giant one."

"It was the only one left."

Quill puts a box of soup cans on the floor. "You have two choices. Take it back tomorrow and find a small one. Or keep it and put paper inside."

"Both choices are fine," says Kezia. "That is the problem."

"Then flip a coin."

Kezia finds a coin in her pocket. She throws it high in the air. It hits a shelf, bounces twice and rolls under the freezer. Both of them stare at the dark gap.

"I think the freezer chose," says Quill.

"The freezer cannot choose. It does not have a hat."

Quill laughs so hard that he drops a can. It rolls away down the aisle. Kezia chases it, and the hat falls over her eyes again. She walks straight into a stand of crackers.

"I will decide by five," she says from under the wool. "I promise."

"Good. Or I decide for you. I pick the paper."

At half past two, Kezia tries the paper plan. She stuffs old paper inside the hat. Then she puts it on. The hat now stands up like a tall green tube.

"Better?" asks Quill.

"Taller," says Kezia. "I feel like a clown at a birthday party."

"You look like a clown at a birthday party."

She pulls out the paper and sighs. Both plans still seem fine. She still cannot choose.

At three o'clock, the big delivery arrives. A big box of lemons waits at the back door. The manager's note says, "Lemons in the front window by five." Kezia and Quill push the box through the shop. It sits on a big yellow trolley. It is heavy and slow.

Halfway down aisle four, one wheel hits a crack in the floor. The trolley jumps. The box tears open. Lemons pour out like yellow water. They bounce and roll in every direction.

"Catch them!" shouts Quill.

Kezia drops to her knees. She tries to hold the lemons in her arms. Three roll away at once. Quill grabs six in his hands and loses four more. A lemon rolls under the cereal shelf. Another one bumps his shoe and rolls the other way.

"We need a basket!" shouts Kezia.

"The baskets are at the front door!"

Kezia pulls the hat off her head. It is wide and deep and soft. She holds it open like a bag. She picks up lemons from the floor. The first time, ten lemons. The next time, twelve more. The wool is thick, so nothing falls out.

Quill stops and watches her. He has a lemon in each hand. His mouth is open.

"Do not just stand there," says Kezia. "Give me those."

He puts the lemons in the hat. Then he runs to the end of the aisle. He chases the last ones. Kezia follows with the hat held close to her chest. In five minutes, every lemon is back on the trolley.

They sit on the floor between the trolley and the shelves. Both of them breathe hard. The hat sits between them, full to the top.

"How many are in there?" asks Quill.

Kezia counts them out loud. "Twenty-six. A basket holds twenty. This hat is better than a basket."

"It is better than a basket," says Quill slowly. "It is a pity."

"Why a pity?"

"Because now I cannot laugh at it."

Kezia smiles. She puts the hat on her head again. It slides down over her eyes, as always.

"That is still funny," says Quill.

"Then you can keep laughing. I choose this hat." She pushes it up again. "The small hat cannot hold one lemon. This one is a basket, a hat and a joke."

Quill nods. "A good choice. You showed me why."

At four, a man in a long coat walks into aisle four. He looks at the trolley and then at Kezia. She wears the hat, and she holds a lemon in each hand.

"Is that a special offer?" he asks.

"No," says Kezia. "But the hat is."

The man buys one lemon and leaves. Kezia and Quill finish the window by half past four. The lemons shine in the lights like a hundred small suns. Outside, the street is empty and quiet. Inside, the fridges hum.

At five the morning staff arrive. Kezia puts on her coat and takes her bag from the locker. She puts the green hat on her head. She walks to the door.

Quill stands by the till. He holds a big, round melon from the front display. He looks at the hat, and then at the melon.

"Kezia," he says. "Does it hold a melon too?"