Grace however, set up an email name that even if they hacked into his computer, they wouldn’t think twice.
Her brother Linus.
Linus distanced himself from the family many years before. His communication with his father was minimum and usually through a monthly email.
A liberal person Linus stood against everything Gregory Benson stood for.
He denounced his mother’s inheritance. Which didn’t bother Grace much, it then went to her.
Linus, yes, it would be perfect.
Any information regarding Al would be conveyed through email conversations about movies.
When they spoke of movies, they were speaking about Alfonzo.
‘Can you believe I watched Gone with the Wind?’ her father wrote. ‘Not for long, though, I went searching for another movie. Damn Ashley and her search for Ret always drove me nuts. You knew she never was going to find him.’
That told Grace Al had stopped by and was looking for her. Her father was confident that he wasn’t going to be successful in his search.
It made Freddy nervous to know she was corresponding with him, so he begged her to only do it once a week. His stomach couldn’t handle it and when he got nervous, he got gassy.
“I started my novel last night,” Grace told Freddy in the car on the way to work.
“I heard you tapping away,” he said excitedly. “How far did you get?”
“Not far. I was outlining.”
“Wow, I am going to living with a literary genius. What’s the book about?”
“Ready?” Grace turned in the seat to face him. “I had a dream and I worked it from that.”
“Go on. I’m excited.”
“It’s on the lines of JFK.”
“A conspiracy novel?” Freddy asked.
“Yes, a conspiracy novel. Only the biggest one of all. The biggest lie ever to be covered up”
“I have chills. Tell, tell, do tell.”
“The book is about Gabriel.”
“I don’t know him,” Freddy said.
“The angel.”
“Oh, yes, him.”
Grace continued, “You know how the Blessed mother dreamt that Gabriel came to her and got her pregnant.”
“Was it a dream though?” Freddy asked. “I thought it was a visit.”
“It was a visit. But she thought it was a dream.”
“OK, go on. I probably would think it was a dream too if Gabriel came to visit me and have sex.”
“Who would believe you,” Grace said.
“Do you suppose he was hot?”
“Gabriel?” Grace said. “I don’t know. I don’t know if Angels could be considered hot.”
“I always envisioned Michael the Archangel as hot.”
“You know what? Me too.”
“Sorry, princess, tell me your book plot.”
Grace sat up. “So the book is about Gabriel the angel and … ready?” she waited for a nod. “How he was exiled from heaven. How he walks the earth forever, immortal, suffering, and he doesn’t work for God anymore.”
“Why would he? He was fired,” Freddy said.
“Exactly. He works for the dark side.”
“Oh, chills again.” Freddy shuddered. “Why was he fired from being an angel?”
“For starting the biggest controversy around.”
“Which was?”
“He went to Mary on his own. God never sent him.”
Freddy inhaled loudly.
Grace nodded. “Thought she was hot or something like that, and then lied to her to get her to have sex with him. But like, an angel rule is if they have sex with a mortal woman, they’ll impregnate her instantly, and Gabriel knew this. So he told her she would be with child and it would be God’s kid.”
“Oh, my God. No pun intended.”
Graced nodded. “Imagine the scene. He comes to Mary, tells her he is directed by God to bed her. And the readers, they don’t have a clue he’s giving her a line.”
“Gabriel, the original pick up guy.”
“Exactly,” Grace said. “And imagine how pissed off God is. Gabriel, one of his best, is supposed to be chaste, has sex with this virgin. Gets her pregnant. Now this little girl, whose done nothing wrong is pregnant and thinking she is super special, she’s carrying God’s child.”
“So now God has to cover.”
“God could let it go,” Grace said. “But he doesn’t. He feels bad. Especially when Jesus gets older. I mean, how fucked up is this kid’s mind? He’s running around saying, ‘I’m the son of God. I’m the son of God.’ His mom has been telling him he was the messiah, asking him to make water into wine. The pressures.”
“But why does God cover?” Freddy asked. “Your readers will want to know that. To feel bad, yes, but to carry it through …”
“It’s God, he would do something like that. Especially when he saw the popularity of Jesus. He was like, ‘hey, we’re on to something’.”
“But he still exiled Gabriel.”
“Um yeah, he broke the angel rules.”
“Wow.” Freddy gripped the wheel. “Wow. This is good. It is very blasphemous.”
“I know.” Grace nodded.
“Who do you see playing God? You have to have a visual. You are writing God into the book, right.”
‘Oh, without a doubt. Yes.”
“Who is it?”
“Charlton Heston. If he were still with us.” A pause and Grace lowered her head humbly. “Good rest his soul.”
“Go d rest his soul,” Freddy repeated then perked up. “But …I thought the same thing. When you were telling me, I thought to myself, what a perfect Charlton Heston part. God rest his soul. Too bad he’s in heaven Oh, princess, do you think he and God chat.”
“Turn left.”
“Huh?” Freddy asked.
“Right here, Pearl Road.”
“The flowing, exciting conversation just made the trip go so fast. Now I’m excited about the job and the book,” Freddy said.
“Will you read it?”
“Every step of the way. I can’t …” Freddy paused. “This can’t be right.”
“There’s no address.”
“But there’s only one other thing on this road. This can’t be right. How are we supposed to know this is 4141 Pearl Road?”
“It has to be.”
“It can’t be,” Freddy said. “It can’t.”
“One way to find out. Park the car.”
Freddy did, staring at the building the whole time.
They walked together to the doors, the whole way, Freddy saying. “This can’t be it. This can’t be.”
Once inside, an older gentlemen approached them with a smile. “Welcome to Bargain-Mart.”
++++
They were two of about ten. Ten brand new employees starting out at the Medina Bargain-Mart store.
After checking in with customer service, they were told where they had to go and wait.
“She was pleasant enough,” Freddy said.
“It’s her job.”
Freddy paused. “We’re working at Bargain-Mart.”
“I’ve never been in a Bargain-Mart, ever,” Grace said.
“I have. Once. On a dare.” Freddy shuddered. “I heard Bruce Willis shops at a Bargain-Mart frequently.”
“He is an earthy guy.”
“This is an earthy people store and …” Freddy stopped when they passed a rack of men’s shirt. “Good, Lord, I have to sell these to men.”
“You really should ask for men’s clothing. You can excel. Imagine.”
“True.”
“I mean ..” Grace continued. “Yes, at first glance the merchandise doesn’t look like much. But I bet, you can find an outfit in those racks that will work. You have a talent for that.”
“I do.”
Grace exhaled. “You realize, this is the first place I worked that I didn’t wonder if people thought I was fat? The pressure is gone. I don’t even need to wear lipstick if I don�
��t want to.”
“Bite your tongue. A lady always wears lipstick.”
“OK. OK, Slight slip.” Grace nodded. “But, I like this feel … so far. I feel ‘everyday’.”
“Well, you can’t get anymore everyday than this, toots,” Freddy said. “You’re working at Bargain-Mart.”
+++
Tall and thin, his hair was cropped short and combed to the side. His glasses were older, a sign of his thriftiness and not becoming of a man of his thirty years.
Charles Naymee held a clipboard and stood before the group of ten individual, seated at tables, all awaiting their orientation.
“Hi,” he said bright and upbeat. “My name is Charles Naymee. I am the manager here at the Medina County Bargain-Mart. People know me by, and you can call me, Chip.”
Freddy looked at Grace. “Chip,” he whispered. “All discount store managers are named Chip.”
“I’ll remember that for my book.”
“Oh, you can have Gabriel work in a Bargain-Mart. You’re living your perfect research material.”
Chip cleared his throat.
“Sorry,” Freddy said. “We’re just discussing the book she’s writing and you’d be a perfect addition character.”
“Really?” Chip asked. “Wow, an author. Might help in where we place you.”
Grace didn’t know how to respond. She knew she didn’t want to put him in her book, now she would have to. Incase he read it. Just as she had that thought, she had another. She sat up brightly. He could be the geek angel that rats out Gabriel to God.
“Why are you smiling?” Freddy whispered.
“Thought.”
“Write it down, so you don’t forget. Stephen King does that.”
Grace nodded.
Chip continued in his presentation. “You are Bargain-Mart employees. You now work for the biggest retail industry in the world. Give yourselves a round of applause for taking this step.”
The other eight clapped loudly.
Freddy and Grace looked at each other a golf clapped.
Chip spoke, “Here at Bargain-Mart you aren’t just an employee. You are a family. We are all family. Opportunities are galore here. You can chose to stay an associate or you can say, ‘wow, I’m gonna make something of myself’ and move into management. I have been a Bargain-Mart employee for many years. I have three children and wife who visits often. You’ll love her. Everyone does.” He exhaled. “Anyhow …. This week will be your training week. I’ll get to meet with you. Um ... Fredrick Lincoln and Grace … Berkowitz, is it?”
With a slight roll of her eyes, Grace nodded.
“You two were interviewed that Pittsburgh Store. Transferred here because you were moving here, I want to take some time to get to know you two as well. Both new to the area?”
Freddy answered, “Yes. Nasty divorce on her part.”
“Well, all of us from the area will make you feel right at home.” Chip said. “Grace. Your last name. Berkowitz, is that Jewish?”
“Yes,” she said with little enthusiasm.
“My wife is Jewish. I’ll make sure you get together.”
Freddy snorted a laugh. “Sorry,” he said. “Grace was just saying how she wants to meet other Jewish people in the area.”
“Great.” Chip drew out his word. “Continuing. Today we’re gonna get a grip on your skills. Math skills, familiarity with a register. Who here has worked on a cash register?”
Everyone raised their hands but Grace and Freddy.
“Ok.” Chip wrote something down. “It’s pretty easy. We have some training registers set up. I’ll want to get a grip on how well you work them. Also, knowledge of products can help us to place you. We don’t want to put you in automotive if you haven’t got a clue where the windshield washer fluid goes.”
Freddy gasped loudly. “Oh my God, I just had that problem. I had to call our neighbor to help.”
“I see.” Chip looked down to the clipboard and spoke slowly as he wrote. “Do ... not ... put ... in automotive.”
“Me either,” Grace said. “I just pumped gas for the first time.”
Chip began to write.
Freddy spoke up. “And she stood at the pump saying it was broke. The pump is broke.” Freddy giggle. ‘It was prepay. She didn’t prepay.”
Everyone in the room laughed.
Grace shot a glare at Freddy.
“Sorry,” Freddy sunk.
Chip smiled. “My wife did the same thing. Onward shall we? We’re gonna be making name tags for you, so it’s important to think about what name you want on your tag. If everyone calls you ‘Bill’, you don’t want William on your tag. Important decision.” He flipped a page. “You’ll also be issue your smock. Part time employees get one, full time get two. You must keep it clean. Dress code is workman’s nice. You want to look presentable …” he saw Grace’s hand raised high. “Yes, Grace?”
Grace lowered her hand. “Do they come in any other colors?”
“Excuse me?”
“Can I get a different color smock? I’m not real fond of the color blue on me.”
Freddy turned to her “You are so right, blue works worse than orange on you. Maybe a pale blue…”
“Or powder blue,” Grace said. “Is OK. Not that deep blue you have. What about a grey or peach.”
“Oh!” Freddy said brightly. “Peach would be lovely, I’ll take one, too.”
“Unfortunately …” Chip said. “Blue is the only color choice for our smocks.”
With disappointing sighs, Freddy and Grace slid into their chairs.
“But!” Chip held up his pen. “We love employee suggestions, so make sure you put that in. You never know. Before we move into the cash register and math room, let’s take a look at the info provided. All of you have your folders. Let’s open them.”
Simultaneous paper flapping rang out in the room as everyone opened their folders.
+++
Grace preached. She did. Prior to finding out what they were going to do, she was the pep rally princess for Freddy, cheering him up; making him believe all would be fine.
She had high hopes that whatever was thrown her way, she could do, and would love. She worried about Freddy.
She saw that the worry was in vain, especially after the first day of training.
Freddy missed his calling in life.
He was born to be a Moses of every day people.
The training day was like a Bargain-Mart boot camp. Instead of doing push ups they did math. Instead of running, they ran the register. A marathon of sorts.
A simple math test given to determine the associate’s level of quick money solving skills.
“Your results are in,” Chip said, holding, sheets up paper. “Everyone did well, except one person. But that’s OK, not all of us do well on tests.” He looked at Grace, passing out the results. “This isn’t an employment determination it helps us get an idea. One person did exceptionally well. In fact, no one has ever taken the test so fast and got every answer right.” He smiled and laid the test down to Freddy.
When Chip turned his back, Freddy leaned to Grace. “Did you see the way he flirted?”
“Oh, he did not. What did you get?”
“A hundred. You?”
Grace folded her paper.
“What? Come one, Princess it’s not that bad.”
Grace showed him.
“Oh.” He tapped her hand. “That’s OK., Math has never been your forte.”
“You’re right. Remember when my accountant gave me a petty cash checking account to teach me how to run a basic budget.”
“Disaster.” Freddy sang out.
“Exactly.”
Onward.
“A good portion of a Bargain-Mart store, visually, is clothing. The customer is greeted with it as soon as they walk in.”
Chip told of how Bargain-Mart clothing is affordable and not ‘cheap’ like the discount store clothing of yesterday. “Yet,” he said. “Despite our best efforts, clot
hing sales are down.”
Freddy raised his hands.
“Yes, Frederick?”
“Who are your fashion buyers?”
“The main corporation has that.”
“I think they’re practical jokers at time or else very far removed from what the middle America wants to wear,” Freddy said. “Some of the clothing is fine. But most... it is not what the everyday person likes. That’s why. They pick clothing to distinguish the Bargain-Mart shopper from the Macy’s shopper. They should see what the Macy’s buyers are getting and comparable, visually looking clothes.”
Chip nodded. “Unfortunately, fashion isn’t what we’re going to discuss. You may have a point. But there’s not much we can do about it.”
“He could,” Grace said. “I bet Freddy could walk that floor and turn any everyday Bargain-Mart outfit into a fashion gasp.”
“Really?” Chip asked.
Grace nodded. “He has that knack.”
Freddy tilted his head with a blush. “Thank you”
Chip pointed his pencil at Freddy. “Maybe that will come in handy if you’re on the floor and you see a struggling shopper. But, for now, this test is just about knowing sizes and clothing types. The customer is going to ask you what a size is. Do you think it might fit? You’ll be surprised.”
Freddy flung out his hand. “Oh, what will fit and what will not. Easy. Sizes easy.”
Grace added. “He can walk up to anyone and tell them hat size they wear.”
Chip spoke with a hint of disbelief. “Really?”
Freddy nodded. “Yes, it’s a gift.”
Chip motioned his hand. “What size do I wear?”
Freddy stood up, crossed one arm across his waist, walked to Chip and around him, and then stepped back, rambling fast. “You’re six foot one; wear a thirty-six waist, tightie whitie underwear, when you should be wearing boxer briefs. You’re wife will love them. You wear a sixteen and a quarter shirt, but a large in Bargain-Mart sizes, a perfect length for you pants is thirty-four, and you have a very impressive shoe size of twelve.” Freddy raised his eyebrows.
“Amazing,” Chip said. “What about … her.” He pointed to an older woman.
“Stand up sweetie,” Freddy instructed the woman about sixty. “You’re easy. Not in a slut way.” He giggled. “Five foot six. Size fourteen pants, but I can tell by your bone structure, you are a born size eight. You wear a ten shirt, medium in Bargain-Mart size. 36 Double C bra, and a size seven shoe.”
Charmed Life Page 5
