Regular Workday

Shona pushed her glasses up onto her nose again as she handed the circular back to the customer. Everyone knew she did this when she was nervous or unsure of something. "I'm sorry, ma'am, but the sale ended yesterday and--"

"Well that would have been nice to know before you rang it up," the customer shot back as she snatched the store circular from the cashier.

Holding her temper, Shona smiled and said, "Well, ma'am, you didn't bring the circular to my attention until after I'd rung up the sale. We have another item close to this one that happens to be on sale this week. It's actually cheaper than--"

"Oh shut up!" the customer shot back rudely. "I want the manager NOW."

Shona, once again, held her temper and closed out her register. "I'll be right back with the manager."

Gareth Maxim recognized the look on Shona's face. "Another irate customer?" he asked. Shona only nodded in the affirmative, her eyes downcast as she stood waiting in his doorway. "Well all right then, let's go."

Gareth knew Shona was better than a good employee. She was excellent. Her style of dress may have left a lot to be desired since she seemed to always be covered from neck to ankle, but she was courteous and professional with the public and he knew whatever the situation happened to be was most likely an attitude problem on the part of the customer. As the manager, however, he could never let on that he thought a customer was the problem. It would lose Yoreland's lots of business if it got out that the customer was not always right.

The other cashiers knew exactly how the situation with the customer would play out. The irate lady would get one look at Gareth and he might be able to get her to buy the Shady Lakes Overpass Bridge, if he was so inclined.

As soon as he walked up, all six foot four of him, muscles bulging from his clean white tee, grey eyes turning slightly warm and perfect white teeth showing through his smile, he pushed back his long wavy river of black hair and then extended his hand to the woman. "I'm the manager. How may I help you, ma'am?"

The woman reacted the same as all the others before her. She took one look at the hair, the gorgeous face and lovely eyes and positively melted as she shook his hand. "Oh, I--" the nasty attitude fully gone now, she faltered. "I, uh, thought this was still on sale," she said as she opened the circular to the watch on page four and then pointed to the counter at the very item sitting atop it. "And it was already rung up and I really wanted this one. But the cashier says the sale ended yesterday."

He nodded as he pointed to the date at the bottom of the circular. "Yes, ma'am, I'm sorry, but the sale did end yesterday."

"Oh, my," she said as she stared at his eyes.

"But don't worry, that purchase can be voided very easily and I'll personally take you back to the section you got this from and show you the watches that are on sale today."

The woman nodded, seemingly in some sort of ridiculous trance, not remembering that the cashier in front of her had mentioned another sale item of lesser cost not three minutes before. She only followed behind Gareth Maxim like a puppy.

"The woman should be ashamed of herself," whispered head cashier Rosemarie Moorehouse in her heavy Caribbean accent. "She's actin' like a floozy."

Shona smiled despite her anger. "You know that's how all the women react to Gareth."

"And they should," chimed in Candy. "I mean, the man is hotter than the sun!"

"Just because the man good-lookin' don't mean the women them have to go turnin' into buckets of water over him," countered Rosemarie.

Candy waved her off, "Oh, you're just saying that because you're old and married."

Sucking her teeth at Candy, the older woman turned and said to Shona, "Go and take a break now; you're due. And I can see you're mad as hell about this situation."

Not arguing with her, Shona closed out her register and escaped from the sales floor as fast as her legs would carry her.

This was not the first time Shona found herself locked in a bathroom stall of the employees lounge at Yoreland's drying her tears. She was twenty-four and couldn't shake the feeling that her life was going nowhere. How long was she going to be a cashier? She had had one burst of ambition a little over two years back. After being out of high school an entire five years she'd returned to community college part time and finished an Associates Degree in Business Administration. But for some reason, afterward, she only mentioned it to the store's top manager, Cleveland Mac, once. She had not truly pushed for a promotion or new position. She was strongly considering swallowing her pride, giving up her tiny rented room and returning home to her parents to pursue a Bachelor's Degree in business. The thought made her cry anew.

Looking down through the sheen of tears, she used her wash-faded shirt to clean her tear-encrusted glasses. Seeing the state of her shirt and skirt caused a new set of tears to begin to flow. She hated the way she dressed, but she had no idea how to change or even why she should. I'm just fat, anyway she found herself thinking as she buried her face in her hands and boohooed all over again.

At some point Shona became aware that she had to stop doing this to herself and make up her mind about her life. Wipe your face, stop whining and get back to work. Vacation is coming. Figure out what you're going to do then, not now. Now is not the time for this. Pulling herself together, Shona exited the bathroom stall, washed her face and went back to work.

Gareth saw Shona walk past his office as she returned from her break, "Hey, Shona," he called after her.

Nervous, she backtracked and stood in his doorway. "Yes?"

"Hey, I know that lady was just being difficult, okay?" he said, back to his usual serious self. Smiles were reserved for angry customers.

She nodded, grateful her job was not in jeopardy. She didn't understand why she felt that way since she hated the job. "Thank you, Mr. Maxim."

He cringed. Everytime she called him that he felt like an old man. He wasn't even ten years her senior and didn't understand why she refused to call him 'Gareth' like everyone else. "You're all right," he comforted her in his awkward way. "I know you do your job well." She nodded and disappeared from his doorway. As the shy girl moved away, Garth turned his mind to his own problems.

He had been offered a wonderfully lucrative position as Administrative Manager at a top wholesaler. He knew he had been offered the job partway because of his looks. Negotiations seemed to go better when the representative was very attractive. He also knew, however, that his experience and skills with people were top-notch. He'd been careful throughout his short career in management to be fair handed and level headed. He had been careful not to show any employee too much undue attention and he had never even been accused of anything like sexual harassment. An extra 30 thousand a year never hurt anyone, and the job would sure take up less hours than Yoreland's seemed to be eating these days.

Cleveland Mac, the overall store manager, was getting up in years and could handle less and less responsibility. Gareth didn't mind helping the much older man, but he didn't think it was right to have him assuming so much extra responsibility year after year and remain at a salary of 60 thousand a year for almost five years in a row now. He had asked for a raise only once, and Mr. Mac acted just as if he hadn't heard a word Gareth said. It didn't help matters that everyone far and wide knew Mr. Mac was a notorious cheapskate who cut corners everywhere he could. Christmas bonuses usually entailed an employee's check of 25 dollars each. Last year he'd shocked them all with a whopping thirty bucks per person.

Sitting back in his chair, Gareth ignored the paperwork in front of him as he considered his options. If he took the other job, he would have to dress differently. No more tee shirts and jeans, no more casual work atmosphere. He would also have to take the piercing out of his ear and would most likely have to cut his hair. That was the only point that truly pained him. His hair. He'd been growing it for years now and it was nearly halfway down his back. Women swooned left and right when they saw the stuff. Some lady always came up to him on the street and shyly asked, 'how long have you been growing it' or 'what do you use in your hair?' and his favorite 'can I touch your hair?'

Gareth liked women a lot. But he was tired of the parade of them going in and out of his life. He knew he needed a different job, but he also knew he needed a permanent woman in his life. If she wanted to get married, fine. He was open to that, too. He hadn't been in the distant past, but he was beginning to feel his mortality and wanted to share his home with someone and have children.

He was considering asking Candice Appleton out, an employee of the store. Everyone called her Candy, however, and something told him that Candy was not as unintelligent as she tried to make herself appear. That façade was the only thing that gave him pause in finally asking her out and for some reason he suspected that he maybe couldn't trust her. Otherwise, he had no problems with her. She dressed very sexy and he liked her body. She could stand to gain about ten or twenty pounds, but her boobs were good and big and he couldn't deny being a breast man. He wanted to get to know her and find out why she found the need to dumb herself down.

Candy couldn't wait for Gareth to make one of his appearances on the sale floor. The man was like a tower of silver. He was big, strong, manly and just scream-worthy. She was hoping her creative outfits had caught his attention. Each day, they became more and more scandalous and risqué. She was wearing a pink top that day with the word 'HEALTHY' emblazoned across her full bust. Her skirt was a denim, low-rise, tight number short enough to make her have to bend over very carefully when picking up things so as not to show the bottom of her backside off to the world.

Gareth was good looking enough, but the thing that influenced her the most in his direction was accidentally finding out his salary. His attractiveness in her book went through the roof after that. He made enough to live okay and already owned his own home. If she could land him she would never have to work again a day in her life, especially since to her thinking yearly raises would shortly give him more salary than a single man could ever want or need. It didn't bother her in the least that without the salary Gareth would not interest her as much. Everyone has something they want, and she felt justified in her needs.

The man had shown a slight interest in her, but nothing overt. She didn't know exactly where he stood, but she knew that if she really wanted him she could come onto and have him. She sighed, satisfied. It was only a matter of time and Gareth would be hers.