40StudeDude
04-16-2004, 09:08 PM
NONA, the BAKERY QUEEN
Morning...way too early, head hurt, it’s raining, chilly and...wait...I remember now, it’s May, 1962. The cops were waiting when I wheeled into the supermarket parking lot...my job.
Damn, busted. Knew someone would get the license plate, turn us in. Looks like Deano is in, but, fortunately for him, he wasn’t with us last nite...his boss “Dandy Randy” isn’t in yet. Sam won’t be. The lot’s...save the three cop cars...empty...guess they’re not here after anyone else this morning. Looks like I’m it. Should I go in? Or...go back home, hide out? Makes no difference right now...they’re here, bet they know where I live, too.
Front doors were still locked, so us grocery types used the bakery door...big heavy metal sucker...on the south side...took both arms to pull it open. Thru the bakery, skirt around the dairy, into the grocery department, down a few aisles, then slip into the back room to punch the clock...just as well get paid while I’m getting busted. Damn, what a way to start the week. Hope I can get thru the bakery...before Nona sees me.
Nona was in love with me...don’t know what I did to deserve her attention and affection...I never encouraged her...worse than that, she was always the first person in the bakery mornings.
“Good Morning, Roger,” broke the silence...sweet and melodic.
Damn, busted...again, second time this morn. “Oh, hi Nona.”
“I’ve got a couple of your favorite donuts put aside.”
“Oh, uhm, thanx, I’ll grab ‘em later, kinda in a hurry right now.”
Nona was...well...on the heavy side of life...no, maybe Plus-sized are better words...dark hair, way too much perfume, not at all good-looking and liked her own donuts. “Can’t you stop and talk for just a minute?”
“Not right now,” I said as I backed thru the door into the darkened store...right into a u-boat...loaded with milk...and cheese...and eggs. Knocked them over, made a lot of noise...fell on my butt.
“Hey, what’re you doing?” Ox yelled. “You’re really makin’ a mess for me.”
Ox...the dairy guy...so nicknamed becuz he’s about six feet eleven and one half inches tall, mid-30’s, balding, weighed in about 128 pounds including his pocket protector, several ball point pens, bow tie, belt and label gun, always pushing his coke-bottle glasses back up on his undersized nose with his wrist, which wasn’t much bigger around than his thumb. He startled me, didn’t see him. “Uhm, didn’t know you were here already, Ox. What’s up with the cops?”
“What do you mean...they’re looking for you.”
I knew it! Shoulda quit that rat racing stuff last nite, but nooooooo! Dave wasn’t going to let me, it’s his fault! Dave’s straight exhausted Corvair made too much noise racing around the suburbs, but so did my six cylinder’s splits...now I’m as good as in jail. Ain’ta gonna be a good day...besides, Ox seldom makes jokes at anyone’s expense.
He struggled to pick up the two gallons of milk in the milk wire and set it back onto the cart, I turned the egg cartons on their sides and he picked up a case of margarine, grunting. “You’d better get up to the front office, let them know you’re here.”
“Are you kiddin’ me?” I asked. “If they want me they’re going to have to come into the back room to get me.” My bravado surprised him...surprised me. I turned and high-tailed it for the employee lounge. How many tickets am I gonna get for that little stunt last nite? Aw man, there goes my license...and my car. Pulled my coat off as I got to the door, found my time card, punched in and grabbed a clean apron. I finished tying it, turned and bumped right into Nona’s huge...uhm, donuts. How in hell’d she beat me in here?
She raised her bushy, single eyebrow, pursed her big red lips, grinned and said in her husky voice, “I heard your part-time girlfriend gave you the boot.”
Man, word gets around fast! “Wasn’t like that at all...,” I protested, trying to figure a way out of this one.
“Roger, please come to the office. Roger,” the intercom crackled.
Saved by the...bell...ehrr...intercom? They finally found out I was in...Ox musta told them. The intercom squawked again, said they knew I was in the store and I’d better get to the office...NOW!
Nona followed...“If you’re not doing anything Friday after work, I’d like to take you to the swim beach at the gravel pits...I’ve got a new swim suit.”
Whoa...not my kind of image. “Uhm, I don’t get off ‘til late Fridays...may have to work Saturday and Saturday nite, too.”
“That’s all right, I can change hours with Wendy. It’s a date then?”
I never was the kind of person to be mean to anyone...my way was to just kind of ignore, uhm, certain romantic advancements...sorta like it never happened... and maybe it’d go away. Hope, hope! I backed away from her. “Uhmmm, better wait until I find out what’s going on up in the office...may not be around here anymore.” I heard her say something but I was hurrying away, tried to get that swim-suit image out of my head.
Two cops and a suit waited in the Manager’s office…the Assistant Manager was already in...unusual for this time of the morning as he always had late shift. He stepped out of the door, stopped me from going in. “Soon as they get done with Chuckie, you’re next. Just hang out...right here.”
“What’s going on,” I asked, acting all innocent, but really worried.
“Ox didn’t tell you? You’ve been caught, knew they’d get you sooner or later. You’ll find out in a minnit. I can’t say anything.”
Huh? Something strange going on here. If they were going to bust me, they’d have me in handcuffs right now. Wonder what Chuckie’s got to do with any of this, he wasn’t with us last night. I waited by the counter. Two suits came walking out of the bakery door on the other side of the store...hmmm, that makes five of them...no way they’d bring that many cops just to arrest me. Gotta be something else...the cops walked past the registers, stopped, turned and looked at the south wall…the one separating the cash register lanes and the bakery...looked up and down the wall, got on their hands and knees and sorta scooted around the big ol’ safe with flashlights .
“Roger? Please come in.”
Please? Cops asking please? Strange. I grabbed Chuck’s arm as he went past. “Hey Chuckie, what’s going on?” He kept going, waved his middle finger, didn’t say a thing.
I entered the Manager’s office...was asked to sit. Ox stood outside the office, in front of the huge window overlooking the registers, grinning like a Cheshire cat. He’s liking this. Deano sidled up next to him, saluted me, grinning about as much as Ox was. Damn, I’m going down and my pals are laffing at me. The older suit placed a clip-board in front of me and handed me a ball point. “Please write down your whereabouts last nite and who you were with, if anyone. Say, from about seven on. If your parents can verify where you were and who you were with, please put their names down, too. Oh, phone numbers, too.”
“Anything else?” I asked. Very curious...and I’m not too worried now. Usually they confront you...with twenty questions...these guys are being too nice. “What’s this for?”
“Just write down what we asked for.”
Sigh of relief...I was still sweating tho...but don’t think it’s me they’re after. Wonder what’s up? I wrote diligently, clearly, not hurrying. OK, looks like all of it...hate to write all that down but got no choice...maybe these guys won’t read between the lines, figure out what we were really doing last nite. “I’m done.”
“Please print out your name at the bottom and sign next to it in your usual signature.”
The suit picked up the clip-board, studied my writing, conversed with the cop, pointed out a few things on the clip-board and asked me to step out of the office, but “don’t go back to work just yet, we’re not done” and closed the door. I watched him hand the Manager the clip-board, ask him a few questions I couldn’t hear, looked my way a couple of times and opened the door...motioned me back in.
“Oh man, here it comes.” I’m going to jail now.
“We’re sorry to have to put you thru this, Mr. Jetter. Joe has nice things to say about you and your work ethic. But we have to check up on everyone that works here...however, at this time it’s nothing more than routine...part of our job”
“OK...I guess. Does everyone have to go thru this?”
“Yes, we’ll be asking everyone that works here to come in...we’ll be here all day,” the suit said. ”You’re probably wondering what this is about?”
Well, duh! Now I know we didn’t get turned in for last nite...and it’s not about me...or Dave. “I am kinda curious, never been thru anything like this before.”
Joe, the store manager smiled. “Second time for me.” The suit just grinned.
“You came thru the bakery this morning?” the suit asked. “You notice anything unusual?”
Other than Nona? “No.”
“We were burglared last nite,” Joe said. “They got away with the weekend’s receipts.”
The suit added, “They clipped the alarm, came in thru the bakery door, once inside they spent several hours over there on the other side of the south wall. Tore out the wallboard, bored into the back of the safe, hole’s big enuff to remove all the contents. Left quite a mess too.”
Whew...dodged the bullet on that one...guess there’s some guys out there a lot worse than Dave and I.
Now all I have to worry about is Nona...
“Is it a date on Friday, Roger?”
“Oh, say Roger,” Joe the manager yelled out the door. “Don’t forget, you’re working Friday nite and coming in at 2:00 on Saturday.” He winked.
“If that’s the way you want it boss,” I said.
Copyright 04-04 Aden Rush/R.A. Jetter
Morning...way too early, head hurt, it’s raining, chilly and...wait...I remember now, it’s May, 1962. The cops were waiting when I wheeled into the supermarket parking lot...my job.
Damn, busted. Knew someone would get the license plate, turn us in. Looks like Deano is in, but, fortunately for him, he wasn’t with us last nite...his boss “Dandy Randy” isn’t in yet. Sam won’t be. The lot’s...save the three cop cars...empty...guess they’re not here after anyone else this morning. Looks like I’m it. Should I go in? Or...go back home, hide out? Makes no difference right now...they’re here, bet they know where I live, too.
Front doors were still locked, so us grocery types used the bakery door...big heavy metal sucker...on the south side...took both arms to pull it open. Thru the bakery, skirt around the dairy, into the grocery department, down a few aisles, then slip into the back room to punch the clock...just as well get paid while I’m getting busted. Damn, what a way to start the week. Hope I can get thru the bakery...before Nona sees me.
Nona was in love with me...don’t know what I did to deserve her attention and affection...I never encouraged her...worse than that, she was always the first person in the bakery mornings.
“Good Morning, Roger,” broke the silence...sweet and melodic.
Damn, busted...again, second time this morn. “Oh, hi Nona.”
“I’ve got a couple of your favorite donuts put aside.”
“Oh, uhm, thanx, I’ll grab ‘em later, kinda in a hurry right now.”
Nona was...well...on the heavy side of life...no, maybe Plus-sized are better words...dark hair, way too much perfume, not at all good-looking and liked her own donuts. “Can’t you stop and talk for just a minute?”
“Not right now,” I said as I backed thru the door into the darkened store...right into a u-boat...loaded with milk...and cheese...and eggs. Knocked them over, made a lot of noise...fell on my butt.
“Hey, what’re you doing?” Ox yelled. “You’re really makin’ a mess for me.”
Ox...the dairy guy...so nicknamed becuz he’s about six feet eleven and one half inches tall, mid-30’s, balding, weighed in about 128 pounds including his pocket protector, several ball point pens, bow tie, belt and label gun, always pushing his coke-bottle glasses back up on his undersized nose with his wrist, which wasn’t much bigger around than his thumb. He startled me, didn’t see him. “Uhm, didn’t know you were here already, Ox. What’s up with the cops?”
“What do you mean...they’re looking for you.”
I knew it! Shoulda quit that rat racing stuff last nite, but nooooooo! Dave wasn’t going to let me, it’s his fault! Dave’s straight exhausted Corvair made too much noise racing around the suburbs, but so did my six cylinder’s splits...now I’m as good as in jail. Ain’ta gonna be a good day...besides, Ox seldom makes jokes at anyone’s expense.
He struggled to pick up the two gallons of milk in the milk wire and set it back onto the cart, I turned the egg cartons on their sides and he picked up a case of margarine, grunting. “You’d better get up to the front office, let them know you’re here.”
“Are you kiddin’ me?” I asked. “If they want me they’re going to have to come into the back room to get me.” My bravado surprised him...surprised me. I turned and high-tailed it for the employee lounge. How many tickets am I gonna get for that little stunt last nite? Aw man, there goes my license...and my car. Pulled my coat off as I got to the door, found my time card, punched in and grabbed a clean apron. I finished tying it, turned and bumped right into Nona’s huge...uhm, donuts. How in hell’d she beat me in here?
She raised her bushy, single eyebrow, pursed her big red lips, grinned and said in her husky voice, “I heard your part-time girlfriend gave you the boot.”
Man, word gets around fast! “Wasn’t like that at all...,” I protested, trying to figure a way out of this one.
“Roger, please come to the office. Roger,” the intercom crackled.
Saved by the...bell...ehrr...intercom? They finally found out I was in...Ox musta told them. The intercom squawked again, said they knew I was in the store and I’d better get to the office...NOW!
Nona followed...“If you’re not doing anything Friday after work, I’d like to take you to the swim beach at the gravel pits...I’ve got a new swim suit.”
Whoa...not my kind of image. “Uhm, I don’t get off ‘til late Fridays...may have to work Saturday and Saturday nite, too.”
“That’s all right, I can change hours with Wendy. It’s a date then?”
I never was the kind of person to be mean to anyone...my way was to just kind of ignore, uhm, certain romantic advancements...sorta like it never happened... and maybe it’d go away. Hope, hope! I backed away from her. “Uhmmm, better wait until I find out what’s going on up in the office...may not be around here anymore.” I heard her say something but I was hurrying away, tried to get that swim-suit image out of my head.
Two cops and a suit waited in the Manager’s office…the Assistant Manager was already in...unusual for this time of the morning as he always had late shift. He stepped out of the door, stopped me from going in. “Soon as they get done with Chuckie, you’re next. Just hang out...right here.”
“What’s going on,” I asked, acting all innocent, but really worried.
“Ox didn’t tell you? You’ve been caught, knew they’d get you sooner or later. You’ll find out in a minnit. I can’t say anything.”
Huh? Something strange going on here. If they were going to bust me, they’d have me in handcuffs right now. Wonder what Chuckie’s got to do with any of this, he wasn’t with us last night. I waited by the counter. Two suits came walking out of the bakery door on the other side of the store...hmmm, that makes five of them...no way they’d bring that many cops just to arrest me. Gotta be something else...the cops walked past the registers, stopped, turned and looked at the south wall…the one separating the cash register lanes and the bakery...looked up and down the wall, got on their hands and knees and sorta scooted around the big ol’ safe with flashlights .
“Roger? Please come in.”
Please? Cops asking please? Strange. I grabbed Chuck’s arm as he went past. “Hey Chuckie, what’s going on?” He kept going, waved his middle finger, didn’t say a thing.
I entered the Manager’s office...was asked to sit. Ox stood outside the office, in front of the huge window overlooking the registers, grinning like a Cheshire cat. He’s liking this. Deano sidled up next to him, saluted me, grinning about as much as Ox was. Damn, I’m going down and my pals are laffing at me. The older suit placed a clip-board in front of me and handed me a ball point. “Please write down your whereabouts last nite and who you were with, if anyone. Say, from about seven on. If your parents can verify where you were and who you were with, please put their names down, too. Oh, phone numbers, too.”
“Anything else?” I asked. Very curious...and I’m not too worried now. Usually they confront you...with twenty questions...these guys are being too nice. “What’s this for?”
“Just write down what we asked for.”
Sigh of relief...I was still sweating tho...but don’t think it’s me they’re after. Wonder what’s up? I wrote diligently, clearly, not hurrying. OK, looks like all of it...hate to write all that down but got no choice...maybe these guys won’t read between the lines, figure out what we were really doing last nite. “I’m done.”
“Please print out your name at the bottom and sign next to it in your usual signature.”
The suit picked up the clip-board, studied my writing, conversed with the cop, pointed out a few things on the clip-board and asked me to step out of the office, but “don’t go back to work just yet, we’re not done” and closed the door. I watched him hand the Manager the clip-board, ask him a few questions I couldn’t hear, looked my way a couple of times and opened the door...motioned me back in.
“Oh man, here it comes.” I’m going to jail now.
“We’re sorry to have to put you thru this, Mr. Jetter. Joe has nice things to say about you and your work ethic. But we have to check up on everyone that works here...however, at this time it’s nothing more than routine...part of our job”
“OK...I guess. Does everyone have to go thru this?”
“Yes, we’ll be asking everyone that works here to come in...we’ll be here all day,” the suit said. ”You’re probably wondering what this is about?”
Well, duh! Now I know we didn’t get turned in for last nite...and it’s not about me...or Dave. “I am kinda curious, never been thru anything like this before.”
Joe, the store manager smiled. “Second time for me.” The suit just grinned.
“You came thru the bakery this morning?” the suit asked. “You notice anything unusual?”
Other than Nona? “No.”
“We were burglared last nite,” Joe said. “They got away with the weekend’s receipts.”
The suit added, “They clipped the alarm, came in thru the bakery door, once inside they spent several hours over there on the other side of the south wall. Tore out the wallboard, bored into the back of the safe, hole’s big enuff to remove all the contents. Left quite a mess too.”
Whew...dodged the bullet on that one...guess there’s some guys out there a lot worse than Dave and I.
Now all I have to worry about is Nona...
“Is it a date on Friday, Roger?”
“Oh, say Roger,” Joe the manager yelled out the door. “Don’t forget, you’re working Friday nite and coming in at 2:00 on Saturday.” He winked.
“If that’s the way you want it boss,” I said.
Copyright 04-04 Aden Rush/R.A. Jetter