Daboo on :
Woooooooooo!
Thursday, June 18. 2009Benoni
Author's Note: I started this during the writing game from a couple months back. Since things have slowed down at work, I'm thinking I might get to finish it. No promises.
I knew this must be Ben from the little squeal Kim unleashed on him. He had dark, curly hair cut close to his head, no doubt to prevent it from poofing out like he was Ronald McDonald. It seriously looked capable of going all clown on him. The slight upturn to his nose didn't help, but he had dark brown eyes and the kind of pale skin you get from living in a place with almost constant cloud cover. He had an average build, definitely not an athlete, and was about average height. He certainly wouldn't stand out in a crowd. He walked through the door with a vacant expression on his face and I didn't think he'd last the shift, let alone stick around long enough to have a lasting impact on my life. They briefly hugged and Kim brought him over for introductions. "This is Benoni, Rhys. Benoni, this is Rhys," she pronounced with a big grin on her face. "It's nice to meet you Reese. Please call me Ben." He extended a hand, and seeing no other option, I shook it. "Nice to meet you too, Ben. I understand we'll be working together now." I was beginning to feel a little awkward. She was smiling so much I was afraid it might break her face. "Yup! Well, Rhys, would you mind watching the registers while I show Ben around?" Kim was clearly a little too excited about having her cousin work for her, but whatever.
"Sure, Kim. No problem." The store was dead anyway. Not many folks hitting up a mall bookstore at two in the afternoon on a Sunday. I picked up a magazine to read as they walked around through the aisles; Kim explained the different sections and how they related to each other. Why each group was located where it was and how to help a customer find the book they were looking for while suggesting several related items to prompt impulse spending. At some point as they circled the store, I was interrupted by a little old lady walking up with a stack of six or seven romance monthlies. She was a regular and already knew about all the latest sales pitches - had already bought into most of them. It was a quick transaction and I sent her on her way with my best professional smile. "Thanks and come back soon." As she walked out the front entrance, Kim floated up with Ben in tow. "I'm going to take him back to read through the employee manual and fill out some paperwork in the break area. Everything under control out here?" I gestured vaguely at the now vacant store and said, "I think I can handle it." I patrolled the front of the store and straightened up some loose books and magazines. Not much was really out of place, and there didn't seem to be any risk of a shoplifter, so I went on a quick circuit through the store to see if there were any disasters in need of immediate attention. Whoever had closed up must have had extra time because the whole store was in tip-top shape. There wasn't much else to occupy me, so I went back to my magazine behind the registers. Kim was already back, but without Ben, so I figured he must still be filling out paperwork. I decided to make small talk. "He seems nice." "Oh he is! He's always been just the nicest boy! I don't understand why he was. . .um, I mean, I think he's here because of a misunderstanding," she seemed to catch herself like she was going to say something else. "What do you mean? I thought you said his parents were moving here and they sent him ahead to get adjusted in school." Suddenly that story seemed a little less plausible. "Well, I mean, sort of. Really, I. . .think they will move here when they see how well he does here and how well accepted he'll be." "So. . .they sent him here for a second chance in new surroundings?" I'd heard that before. Seems like every family in suburbia has a cousin who's "a little lost." And from what I'd seen, these kids brought their troubles with them. "Oh no. You make it sound like he's some drugged-up gang banger whose parents can't handle him. There was just a. . .problem with the school. He's going to do great here. You just watch, he'll be great to work with too." She seemed a little defensive, and I really didn't care that much. "Sure. I mean, you'd know him best, right? Having known him all his life." "Exactly. He's never been anything but an angel around me. You're going to love him." I just nodded trying to be non-committal. I sensed a classic case of cognitive dissonance but I liked my job and figured with the rate of turnover we enjoyed, he wouldn't be around long. He eventually must have finished the gauntlet of new employee forms because he wandered back up from the break area rubbing his left wrist. Huh, I thought. A southpaw. He started smiling at Kim and seemed way too happy for someone starting a new job in retail, and I say that as someone who really likes her job in retail so believe me, the grin was a bit much. Almost as if he were on some kind of. . .well, having that kind of attitude about him really wasn't going to help. Clearly Kim was going to keep him here as long he didn't get caught red-handed stealing from the register. Maybe even then. I decided to make the best of it. "Welcome back. Looks like you've got the beginnings of carpal tunnel there. Corporate really does love their paperwork." "Thanks, Reese. I'm sure my wrist will be fine. . .in a few years," he laughed. "So, read any good books lately? I think I might be able to recommend one or two, thousand." Hmm. Bookseller humor. How quaint. "Hmm, only two thousand? Why, there's gotta be three or four thousand titles here in the store. You better get reading." He convulsed chortling and I started to worry that maybe he was having a seizure. Kim must have been thinking the same thing, because she said, "Oh Ben. It wasn't that funny. Besides, you don't want to encourage Rhys or she'll bring in a mic and start doing stand-up for the customers." I thought he'd been laughing hard before. There was nothing to be done but roll my eyes. "I'll be straightening books in the humor section, working on my routine." More laughter. I couldn't resist chuckling a bit. Their laughter was a little contagious, and I'd always found myself a bit more funny than anyone else did. Trackbacks
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Daboo on :
Woooooooooo!
The Mad Giggler on :
Ancient of Days:
Hey Your story 1) Awesome 2) [Multiple errors in the story that have since been rectified (I hope)] The Mad Giggler: uh thought I edited that thanks Ancient of Days: :) The Mad Giggler: I hope the story turns out ok. I don't feel like I have a great handle on it Ancient of Days: I can relate. I rushed a lot of mine out the door. For example, Aaron proposed the name of some of the mental powers, and your wife later suggested he may have stolen them from a movie. The Mad Giggler: lol Ancient of Days: But I'm excited to see where you go with this. The Mad Giggler: I never read your or Jared's story because at the time I didn't want them to influence mine When I finish mine, I'll have to go back Ancient of Days: Oh, it's a girl narrating. Interesting! The Mad Giggler: You're like a writer's dream. :) boosting my confidence even while pointing out my errors haha Ancient of Days: :) I like to think of myself as some form of editor. If I can't write well enough to be the kind of success I dream of, maybe I can leech a little bit of the joy off of someone who CAN. The fact that your narrator is a girl makes the first paragraph make so much more sense It seemed...very odd for a male character to be describing another male in those terms. :) |
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