Photo © 2006 HD41117 CC 2.0 BY NC SA
Her great claim to fame was that she failed Freshman English Lit. Twice.
How is it even possible to fail English Lit? Think about it. This is a course that has no real requirements, save that you show up and say something. Yes, you’re supposed to read the novel that everyone else is also reading. But lesser students had squeaked by on the Cliff Notes, or even outright faking it.
Even so, she managed to fail English Lit. Twice. And so ended her college career.
She promptly moved back in with her parents. She discussed the situation with them only in sketches. Her father asked her what she was going to do now. She replied that she didn’t know, which was the truth. He quietly accepted her answer. He didn’t seem upset. He seemed a little worried.
She took a service-industry job at a local ice-cream-and-coffee place, promptly proving her klutziness. She was constantly getting ice-cream flavors mixed up, or putting half-and-half in a customer’s coffee instead of milk. When her boss asked her to wipe down the counter, she promptly sprayed cleaning fluid all over the lemon sorbet. This made him none too happy and earned her a sharp rebuke. She couldn’t even pour a fruit smoothy without fucking it up— spilled it all over the floor.
As she is returning from the back with a mop and pail, the last customer of the morning rush walks out. The place is empty except for Dawn, her coworker, who says, “Don’t worry about him. He’s an ass.”
“Who?”
“Samson.” That’s her boss.
“He gives everyone a hard time,” Dawn says. “I think he’s trying to compensate for other inadequacies.” Dawn makes a humping motion with her hips.
The girl turns her attention to the puddle of strawberry-red liquid with melting chunks on the floor and begins to sop up what she can with the mop.
Dawn continues. “He even once scolded Tom… the owner. Have you met him?”
The girl shakes her head, no.
“Big guy, dark hair… Anyhow, you’ll meet him eventually. Pretty easy going. You’ll like him. Anyhow, Samson chews him out, right in front of a customer.” Takes a moment to grin. “I’ve never seen Tom’s face turn that color before. He takes Samson into the back for a private chat. That was actually kinda fun.”
A pause, with the slurp of the mop occasionally interrupting the adult-contemporary playing in the background.
“Has he made a pass at you yet?” Dawn asks.
No, he hasn’t. She’s not even worthy enough to be sexually harassed.
“My first day here, he pinches my ass and starts flicking his tongue at me. Says it’s a demonstration of his ah-bil-ah-TAYz.”
Dawn so flawlessly imitates Samson’s inflection, when he’s trying to sound cool, that the girl can’t help but giggle. She stops her mopping for a moment and turns to Dawn. Soberly, “Did you report him?”
“No. I actually kind of like holding it over him.” Then Dawn changes her tone. “But don’t let that stop you. If you want to get him, I’ll stick up for you.” There’s just a drop of vitriol in her voice.
No, the girl shakes her head. “He hasn’t done anything to me.” Sadly.
A pause.
“He’s probably intimidated by you,” Dawn says. “You’re too good looking, out of his league. He’s probably afraid your family has an army of lawyers or something. I wouldn’t mind that,” without missing a beat, “seeing him taken down a few pegs. I don’t even know why Tom keeps him around. He does drugs, doesn’t work. He’s probably out back toking up right now.” Stares at the ceiling, thoughtful. “Don’t think he’s related. Tom must owe his family or something.”
The girl laughs. Something about the way Dawn said it must have struck her funny. “I’m sorry,” she says. “I didn’t mean to laugh.”
“No, that’s okay,” Dawn says. “You gotta maintain your sense of humor around here.” Dawn is smiling.
“Actually, the job isn’t that bad. It’s just Samson, that’s all. I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong idea. I didn’t mean to unload on you.”
“What’s so wrong about that?” the girl asks.
A customer arrives. But before serving him, Dawn says, “Would you like to grab a bite after work?” Then almost as an afterthought, she adds, “You know, you’d make a good shrink.”
Hadn’t been here in a while, so missed this one. I like it. I’d like to hear more about these characters, actually. Seems like a decent start to a female buddy movie or something.
Wow. Thanks, Jim. I threw this story together in a couple hours. I had not written a story that Friday, and so I scrambled to get one to post. Really cool. Sometimes, I guess, pressure can loose the creativity and allow inspiration to strike. -TimK
Aww, I love this one. Simple and to the point. Great characters too.
Thank you for your sharing. I am worried that I lack creative ideas. It is your article that makes me full of hope. Thank you. But, I have a question, can you help me?
Your point of view caught my eye and was very interesting. Thanks. I have a question for you.
Can you be more specific about the content of your article? After reading it, I still have some doubts. Hope you can help me. https://accounts.binance.com/register?ref=P9L9FQKY
Hi there, i read your blog from time to time and i own a similar one and i was just curious if you get a lot of spam comments? If so how do you stop it, any plugin or anything you can advise? I get so much lately it’s driving me insane so any assistance is very much appreciated.
I don’t think the title of your article matches the content lol. Just kidding, mainly because I had some doubts after reading the article.
Refresh your vaping with doing vaping 24. Known for bold flavors, lasting quality, and easy use, it delivers smooth satisfaction that keeps every session enjoyable and worry-free daily.
Thanks for sharing. I read many of your blog posts, cool, your blog is very good.
Your point of view caught my eye and was very interesting. Thanks. I have a question for you.
Breeze Prime Flavors deliver smooth, flavorful clouds with refreshing blends. Each puff provides lasting enjoyment, balanced sweetness, and rich aroma for an unforgettable disposable vape experience.
Your point of view caught my eye and was very interesting. Thanks. I have a question for you. https://www.binance.com/bn/register?ref=UM6SMJM3
I really treasure your work, Great post.
Very interesting points you have mentioned, appreciate it for posting. “Ignorance, the root and the stem of every evil.” by Plato.
Your point of view caught my eye and was very interesting. Thanks. I have a question for you.
Thank you for every other great post. Where else may just anybody get that type of information in such a perfect means of writing? I have a presentation next week, and I am on the look for such information.
Hi there! I know this is kinda off topic but I’d figured I’d ask. Would you be interested in trading links or maybe guest writing a blog post or vice-versa? My blog addresses a lot of the same topics as yours and I feel we could greatly benefit from each other. If you might be interested feel free to send me an e-mail. I look forward to hearing from you! Fantastic blog by the way!
As I web-site possessor I believe the content material here is rattling magnificent , appreciate it for your hard work. You should keep it up forever! Good Luck.