There were three empty slots on the machine not being used, so I found the owner’s manual and read it for a solution to an idea that I had. Sure enough, each individual vending item could be set to be purchased at an independent price point. In other words, you could have some items sell for a different price than others. I could buy HEB store brand soft drinks in a half liter bottle for about 41¢ plus tax, so I set those to vend at 55¢. Then I raided the dollar bill changer for $30.00 in singles. I would stop at HEB sometime this weekend and buy the store brand soft drinks for anyone who wanted something a little bit cheaper.
After lunch and later that day, my cell phone’s clock was displaying 13:25 when the phone on my desk rang. The light next to the intercom button was lit, indicating that Chelsea was trying to get me on the phone. I answered it with a cheeky tone.
“Yes mam?”
“Mr. Carter, I have a Mr. & Mrs. Fletcher here in the lobby and they would like to speak to you if you are not currently busy.” Chelsea’s voiced reply was all business and totally formal. None of the playful ex-girlfriend from earlier was coming through my ear piece.
“Is the conference room currently in use?” My tone immediately changed to ‘all business’ serious as well. I had been suddenly forced to think fast. I did not want them to be ushered up to my office because I had just started my new position today and the place was barren of anything that would indicate that I actually was supposed to be in there.
“The conference room is currently available, sir. Shall I escort them there?”
“Yes, dear. UGH! Sorry! Yes please!” Chelsea couldn’t bury her snicker at that faux pas and her chuckle hit my ear just before the line went dead.
I quickly rushed to the upstairs men’s room to check my appearance in the mirror before rushing down the hall towards the stairs. Once I reached the stairs, I altered my gate to appear as if I had been walking at a normal steady pace the entire time. When I reached the foot of the stairs, I saw Hannah’s parents for the very first time through the glass of the conference room wall. They had not taken any seats yet, which indicated to me that they intended to exert their power as we spoke. We had white ceramic coffee mugs with the company herald on them in the break room. Chelsea arrived at almost the same time as I did with two of those mugs giving off a light wisp of steam.
“Black,” she announced as she placed the first one on the table top closest to Hannah’s father. “Cream & Sugar,” she placed the second closest to Hannah’s mother. Chelsea, always paying close attention to the details, had already provided coasters for both mugs to rest upon. She made her exit closing the french doors behind herself and latching them securely in place.
“Mr. Steven Carter, so at last we meet,” Mr. Fletcher spoke to me. “Both of our girls have said such wonderful things about you. I am glad that we finally get to meet each other face to face!”
“Me too, sir. And you as well, mam. But please call me Skip. Almost no one who knows me calls me Steven. Now that I have met you both, I can certainly see where your daughters get their beauty from.”
“They get all of those genes from their mother. My ugly old face had nothing to do with it!” That garnered a laugh from all three of us. Mr. Fletcher’s tone changed to serious when he spoke next, “I have been told that my oldest made some poor decisions a few weeks back. I have also been told that she quite possibly owes her life to your good judgement and quick thinking.”
“It was really nothing, sir. I just happened to be at the right place at the right time. The whole thing took me by surprise. It was my pleasure to see that Haley got home safe and sound that night. I only did what any good Samaritan should do.”
“Yeah, but that isn’t the whole story is it, son? Haley told me about the encounter that you had with her earlier in the day. After Haley had all of the details straight about what had transpired that day, she was highly impressed with you. You see, my two girls are as different from each other as night and day in some aspects. And in others, they are twin sisters. Hannah is the responsible sibling and very conservative. Haley is the impetuous sibling and needs guidance from a steady hand on occasion.
“Haley confessed to me that at the bar she did everything short of taking you out back for a roll in the hay. But even though she threw herself at you, you remained a gentleman and didn’t take advantage of her. It took her a few days for that to sink in, but when it finally did, it blew her mind. She realized that not once, but twice in a twenty-four hour period that you could have had your way with her, but you took the high road and protected her instead. The first time around, you protected her from herself and her own foolish impulses. The second time around, you protected her from those who would have seen harm befall her.
“That shows a certain strength of character and I am very glad that you now have a significant place in the lives of both of our daughters. I have been concerned about their safety since they chose to remain here when my wife and I had to relocate because of my job. But now that they have you, I can release a lot of my anxiety. I’m so very glad that they found you or vice versa. You’re a good man, Mr. Carter.”
That was when he stuck out his hand for a shake. I took his hand firmly in mine for a strong handshake. We didn’t do the stupid macho crap like trying to outdo each other by squeezing as hard as we could. It was all very much a gentlemanly effort as we displayed physical strength to match our strength of character.
“Stev…er…Skip, if you don’t mind,” Mrs. Carter spoke up. “I don’t want to offend in any way, but Hannah left me with the impression that you would be called in to meet us from the shop floor. You’re certainly dressed for working in the shop, and yet the receptionist indicated that you were in “your office” upstairs. Could you explain that to me? From what I was previously told, I thought that you were a lathe and mill operator here.”
“Uh…yeah. About that,” I responded as I dropped my eyes to the floor and studied their shoes for a moment. I knew that they could easily read the embarrassment on my face. When I once again looked them in the eye, I blurted out in a rush, “I need your confidence for only 24 hours, PLEASE!
“I don’t normally keep secrets from Hannah. Or Haley either for that matter. But this has happened so fast that I have not had a chance to tell them yet and I refuse to send it as a text message. It is pretty big news because my boss pulled me aside only this morning, before I went out to the floor and he gave me a promotion. It is a brand new position so the responsibilities are rather fluid at the moment. But I am going to fit in somewhere between quality control, director of training, and Jack of All Trades. I am part of the management team starting today, and that comes with it’s own office.”
“Oh honey! That’s wonderful news!” I was momentarily stunned when Mrs. Fletcher approached me and gathered me up in her arms as if I was her natural born son. “I’m so happy for you!” She gushed as she hugged me tight.
“Congratulations young man!” Mr. Fletcher patted me on the shoulder blades, “well done!”
I invited them to have a seat so that we could talk some more and they eagerly accepted. We chatted about many different things as they proceeded to finish the coffee that they had been served. The subject of my cooking talents came up and naturally, I passed all of the credit on to my own mother and grandmothers since they had taught me everything that I knew. The time passed quickly and before I knew it it was time for my appointment with Ginger. I walked them to the front door and watched them walk out to their car. We all waved goodbye to one another and then they were gone.
As I made my way past the reception desk en route to Ginger’s office, I stopped briefly to thank Chelsea for making me look so professional.
“This chick had better be worth it,” she replied in a tone that showed that she was going to brook no nonsense.
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