by Chesla, Gary
He hadn’t come close to selling a car this week and he knew that probably wouldn’t change next week.
Mike just couldn’t sell someone a car that they didn’t need or couldn’t afford.
In order to be successful at this job, he would have to do too many things that just went against his beliefs.
He didn’t believe in taking advantage of people in order to make a dollar.
Most of the salesmen here didn’t have that problem. Most of the guys here wouldn’t have a problem selling a bottle of Jack Daniels to a recovering alcoholic.
Mike picked up his newspaper and his first week’s paycheck from his desk and headed for the door.
He waved at the two new guys that were hired the same time as he was.
They waved back, looking as depressed as Mike felt.
All Mike could think as he walked out the door was that he and Linda needed to have a long talk this weekend.
Taking this job had been a mistake.
He hadn’t felt this bad since he ran over a gray squirrel in the driveway. He tried not to hit it, but the damn squirrel just seemed determined to get itself run over.
Mike liked squirrels, even though they were ornery pests that managed to get into everything from the garbage can to his tools in the garage. However, none of those offenses required a death sentence as a penalty.
Mike walked back behind the dealership and opened the door to his old Toyota Corolla.
“I have to think about how to find another job this weekend,” Mike sighed as he put the key in the ignition. “Another week of this and I’m going to need therapy.”
He was about to put the car in gear when his phone rang.
Mike pulled the phone out of his pocket and looked at the screen, it was his friend, Tony.
“Hey Tony,” Mike said trying to sound cheerful.
“Hey buddy,” Tony chuckled. “How many Vettes did you unload today? I hear GM can’t make them fast enough to keep up with demand. I hear those things almost sell themselves.”
“Shit,” Mike replied, “I wish that was true. I doubt if I could give one away for free.”
“Try me,” Tony laughed.
“That’s the closest I’ve come to getting a car out the door all week,” Mike chuckled, “Maybe you should come in next week and I could take you for a test drive.”
“I don’t think so,” Tony replied.
“You don’t know how many times I’ve heard that this week,” Mike sighed.
“That bad?” Tony asked now sounding more serious.
Yeah, that bad,” Mike replied.
“Well, it sounds like you could use a little get away,” Tony said. “I just got off the phone with Ryan. He called and suggested we all go up to the cabin for a little relaxation. What do you say? Ryan said he would bring the beer. Having that cheap bastard offer to buy the beer is just too good of an offer to pass up.”
“I don’t know Tony,” Mike replied, “I think I need to talk some things over with Linda this weekend. I just don’t think I’m cut out to be a car salesman. I need to start looking for something else. I think I better do some leg work this weekend before my two weeks are up at the car dealership. I really don’t want to do this job any longer. It was a mistake and I need to move on.”
“That’s what Linda said,” Tony laughed. “I called your house to see if you were home and I talked to Linda. She thinks a weekend with the boys would do you good.”
“Maybe,” Mike said. “Let me go home and talk with Linda and I’ll call you back. It does sound nice, but I have so much on my mind right now, I should probably just stay home and try to get my life together.”
“You talk to Linda and call me back,” Tony said. “We plan on leaving for the cabin around 6:30. It will be relaxing and besides, I have a proposal I want to talk over with you.”
“What kind of proposal?” Mike asked.
“Talk to Linda and call me,” Tony replied, “I think she would be happy to have a weekend to herself. Hey, I need to go, I have another call coming in. It’s going to be a great weekend. Just say yes. I have to go.”
The phone went dead in Mike’s ear and he slipped the phone back into his pocket.
Mike smiled as he thought about the possibility of getting away to the cabin.
It had been a couple of months since he had a break. It had been even longer since he had been up to the cabin with the guys.
The last time he had gone to the cabin with Tony and Ryan it had been a blast.
They had intended on doing some hunting but instead had ended up drinking beer and playing cards all weekend.
The real excitement started when Ryan needed a bathroom break and went outside to use the outhouse.
A few minutes later they heard Ryan yelling his head off.
When he and Tony ran to the door to see what Ryan was yelling about, they both started laughing hysterically when they saw Ryan up in a tree with his pants down around his ankles.
A large black bear was slowly walking away from the cabin.
It could have ended tragically, but at the time with all the beer they had been drinking, they couldn’t help but laugh at the sight of Ryan’s bare ass up in the tree.
Mike could use a laugh right now but he would prefer that it didn’t have anything to do with Ryan’s ass this time.
“It would be nice, but I just can’t. Not this weekend,” Mike thought.
He turned on the radio, hoping to find something to get his mind off his problems.
After listening to car commercials and news reports on the tense situation with North Korea, he turned off the radio.
The news reports were depressing and the car commercials only made him feel worse than he already felt.
A new Chevy Malibu for only $99.00 a month.
“Yeah, $99.00 a month for ten years, after five thousand down,” Mike said, “and the damn car will only last for four of those years. Then you have to buy another car and you still owe eight grand on the old one. They are burying these people and make it sound like they are doing them a favor. But it’s your job to help them buy a car. It’s not your job to tell them they are making a mistake, besides if you don’t sell them a car someone else will. They are going to buy a car somewhere, so you might as well be the one to get paid.”
Mike shook his head, “Shit, maybe I should get a job at McDonalds, I think I could live with myself knowing all I did was help someone get fat.”
Mike laughed to himself, “And double cheeseburgers are only ninety-nine cents.”
Mike finally pulled into his driveway.
Talking to himself had made his drive home go quickly even if it had done little to ease his mind.
Mike got out of the car and walked to the front door.
As he opened the door, he was surprised to see little Jamie standing there looking up at him with a puzzled look on her face and a pair of his socks in her hand.
Next to her was his overnight duffel bag. It was hanging open with a shirt sleeve, a trouser leg and a pair of underwear were hanging out of the zipper.
“Hey short stuff,” Mike smiled, “are you going somewhere?”
“I’m commfused,” Jamie said looking at her dad. “If you’re going hunting bare in the woods, why are you taking clothes. Aren’t you afraid of getting poison ivy on your butt? I thought you said good little girls didn’t go bare outside where people can see you. Are you going bare in the woods because there won’t be anyone there to see you? I didn’t think Daddy’s went bare because they were grown up and grownups didn’t go bare? Can me and Mommy come with you?”
“What? Slow down,” Mike laughed.
“I said your Daddy is going bear hunting. I didn’t say he was going hunting bare,” Linda laughed as she walked into the entry way from the kitchen and gave Mike a kiss.
Jamie was still looking at Mike and Linda strangely.
“You know, bears, like Yogi bear,” Linda smiled.
“Oh,” Jamie smiled as she looked at Li
nda, “that’s good because Daddy looks funny bare. He would scare Yogi.”
Linda smiled up at Mike, “I don’t know about that.”
“Who said I was going bear hunting?” Mike asked then grinned, “bare.”
“I did,” Linda smiled, “and I had better not hear about any bare bear hunting up there.”
“Who said I was going bear hunting, bare or otherwise?” Mike laughed again.
“I did. I talked to Tony and I think it’s a good idea for you to go let off steam this weekend with the guys,” Linda replied then smiled, “just don’t take off your pants until you’re safely in the outhouse.”
“Honest Linda, it sounds good, but I think we need to talk,” Mike said seriously. “This car sales job is not working out. I need to think about finding another job. I’m only going to get paid for one more week. I don’t think you understand what this job is doing to me.”
“You mean how it makes you grumpy,” Linda smiled. “Or how it makes you not be able to sleep, or how it makes you miserable and impossible to live with, or how that makes me miserable.”
“OK, you know how miserable it makes me, but…,” Mike replied.
“No buts,” Linda smiled.
“Yeah Daddy, no butts,” Jamie giggled.
“You need a break,” Linda added, “you can think about finding another job next week. Something will come up. We have enough money put away to get by for a few months. Right now, you need to get your mind off bills and selling cars and relax. Once you’re relaxed, you’ll see things aren’t as bad as you think. I want you to go and have fun.”
“But what about you and Jamie?” Mike asked.
“She and I can go bare here at home,” Linda grinned.
“Really?” Jamie beamed.
“Then I want to stay here,” Mike smiled.
No!” Linda said sternly and looked at Jamie who already had her pants down around her knees, “Keep your pants on kiddo.”
Linda looked back at Mike and grinned, “She gets that from you. That and a few other things I can’t talk about in front of her, or you!”
Mike laughed and whispered in Linda’s ear, “But in the butt department, I definitely think she got that from you, thank God.”
Linda looked at Mike and said, “Seriously Mike, we’ll be fine. Besides, knowing you are having a good time for a change will make all of us happy. I want you to go. Please!”
“Are you sure?” Mike asked.
“Yes, I’m sure,” Linda smiled. “Now go take a shower and change. Dinner will be ready in ten minutes. I told Tony to pick you up at 6:15.”
“It would be fun,” Mike added.
“I know you will have fun,” Linda replied, “Go get ready.”
“OK, you talked me into it,” Mike grinned.
“Daddy?” Jamie said as she tugged on Mike’s pant leg.
Mike reached down and picked her up, “What’s on your mind shorty?”
“If you put a picnic basket by a tree, you won’t have to go hunting for Yogi,” Jamie grinned. “He likes picnic baskets. Just tie it down or he will steal it.”
“That’s a good idea,” Mike laughed.
Chapter 3
Thursday May 6th, Fallon Naval Base, Nevada
“Hey Davis, the Chief wants us to help the crew of the Airforce C-130 Transport that just landed out on runway seven,” Rogers said.
“Why do they need our help?” Davis asked, “I certainly don’t know anything about working on a C-130. Don’t they have their own maintenance personnel? What’s their problem anyhow?”
“They are picking up a crate that was dropped off for them at Hangar Three,” Rogers replied. “We just have to show them where the crate is and make sure they don’t take anything else.”
Davis laughed, “Those damn Airforce guys will rob you blind if you don’t keep an eye on them. They are always trying to take our stuff. I know with all the budget cutbacks things are tight, but you would think you could trust your own air force. What’s in the crate?”
“Like I would know,” Rogers scoffed. “No one tells me shit around here, I just do what I’m told. The Chief said to show them where crate #M419 is located and then escort them back to their plane.”
“Are they sending someone to relieve us first?” Davis asked. “Who is going to watch the monitor while we’re out. Better yet, why the hell don’t they send someone else? After all, we just spotted a North Korean satellite doing something suspicious, who knows what is going to happen next. Surely the Chief isn’t going to leave our station unmanned after what just happened.”
“I’ll watch the monitor until you get back,” Petty Officer Chervanak said as he came out of the restroom, “The Chief said it would only take a few minutes and he asked me to hang around until you were done.”
“Do you know what’s in that crate?” Davis asked.
Chervanak just smiled.
“Come on Chervy, at least give us a hint,” Davis grinned. “It would be nice to know what the hell is going on around here once in a while. Besides, who are we going to tell, no one talks to us and those that do think we’re crazy.”
Chervy laughed, “As long as you two keep your mouths shut, I guess it wouldn’t hurt.”
Davis smiled and looked at Chervy.
“Have you ever heard of Granit Mountain in Utah?” Chervy asked.
“Is this a test to see if we are smart enough to hear what you are going to tell us?” Davis laughed. “What the hell is Granite Mountain? It sounds like some National Park or roller coaster ride at Disneyland.”
“I think I heard of that,” Rogers added, “but I thought that Granite Mountain was just some science fiction story made up by doomsday fanatics.”
“No, it’s real,” Chervy replied.
“What the hell is real?” Davis asked looking confused.
“It’s some kind of secret bunker in the Utah mountains where they are stashing food for when the end of the world comes,” Rogers replied. “I heard they plan on selecting a few of the brightest people in the country to restart the human race and they are stocking up everything that they will need to survive in a granite vault deep inside the mountain.”
“Who are they?” Davis asked.
“Who do you think!” Rogers replied.
“You’re close,” Chervy said, “The U.S. Government has prepared a huge bunker deep inside Granite Mountain and have been storing supplies and all the records of human knowledge in case of a nuclear war or some major catastrophe.
It was supposed to have been built to survive a nuclear blast.
Its purpose is in case something drastic happens that maybe humanity can manage to survive and have access to all the knowledge man has accumulated throughout history.”
“I never heard of that,” Davis said.
“Not many people have,” Chervy replied. “It was supposed to be a secret, but a few years back word of its existence was somehow leaked to the press.”
“So how do they decide who gets to go to Granite Mountain and survive?” Davis asked.
“That I don’t know,” Chervy answered, “but I would guess they have a list of people with certain skills and knowledge that they would try to take to Granite Mountain if it looked like something catastrophic was about to happen.”
“I wonder what some of the qualifications are?” Davis asked, “and where do I apply?”
“The biggest qualification is probably that you have to be a member of congress and have a blond intern under the age of twenty-five,” Rogers laughed.
“That I can believe, Davis chuckled. “So, what’s in the crate, Chervy?”
“All I know is that it’s something for Granite Mountain,” Chervy replied. “Just like you, most things are above my pay grade too.”
“Maybe we can ask the Airforce guys,” Davis suggested. “Maybe they know what’s in the crate.”
“I doubt they would know much,” Chervy replied.
“Surely they would have been told something,” Davis
added, “so those assholes wouldn’t break whatever was in the crate by tossing it around.”
“Well, good luck finding out anything from the Airforce,” Chervy laughed. “You know the Airforce, even if they knew, they wouldn’t tell the Navy.”
“Speaking of the Airforce,” Rogers said. “If it’s not too far above our paygrade, what did the Airforce say when you notified them about the North Korean satellite?”
“Did you find out what they plan on doing?” Davis asked.
“Of course, they didn’t say much to me,” Chervy replied, “But between me and you, I heard from a few of my counterparts over at Andrews Airforce base that they are going to destroy it as it approaches the east coast.
They advised the President and he agrees that they aren’t going to take any chances of having the damn thing crash land in Pittsburgh.”
Rogers nodded, “How are they going to destroy it?”.”
“I can only guess, but however they plan on doing it, it should all take place within the hour,” Chervy replied as he glanced at his watch.
“That sounds like something I’d like to see,” Davis said.
“No thanks, not me,” Rogers laughed “Something tells me the paperwork would be massive. I think I will just go help the Airforce get their crate and try to keep out of trouble.”
“I hear you,” Davis grinned.
“Thanks for the information, Chervy,” Rogers said. “If the Chief asks, we left for Hanger Three ten minutes ago.”
“Yeah,” Davis added. “We didn’t ask about anything, we don’t know anything and we just went to do what we were told.”
Petty Officer Chervanak smiled as the men left the office.
Chapter 4
Thursday May 6th, Andrews Airforce Base, Maryland
Colonel Tom Bennett stood behind Senior Technician Art Baker and studied the screen.
