Chapter Two
Ron always hated getting up in the morning, especially since those sleeping pills were very effective and they made him drowsy from the evening he took them to the next afternoon. So, Ron was still a bit out of it when the alarm woke him up at 7am the next morning. He groggily rolled over in his bed and turned the alarm off. 'God, that's an annoying noise'. he thought as he got out of bed.
He had to be at work in two hours and it took him nearly an hour just to walk there. He took a quick shower and then plopped down on the couch to watch 15 minutes of the news on the TV (another muggle invention he found wonderful) before heading off for work. He was scheduled to be in at 9am (the store opens at 10am) and work until 7pm, a 10 hour shift. That's actually two hours more than full time employees usually get to work.
He walked to work quickly, not looking at anyone or anything he passed on the way. He tried to avoid as many people as he can. He was no longer the people person he used to be and he'd prefer not talking to anyone. He knew the people in his neighborhood knew he wanted to be alone. He also knew that they were probably talking behind his back as well, but he didn't care.
Finally, 54 minutes later, he approached the front doors to the South Vale Video Centre. He saw Frank straightening up some videos on a shelf and knocked on the door to get his attention. Frank unlocked the dor and let Ron in. "Good morning, Ron"
"'Morning, Frank" Ron said.
"How are you feeling this morning?" Frank asked him as he continued straigtening videos. But before Ron could answer, he muttered "This should have been done last night. I'll have to speak with Sharon about this"
Ron started to help him straighten up the videos. "I'm feeling the same as I always feel"
"That good, huh?" Frank asked him. "You really got to do something about this, Ron. As you probably know, Simon is being transferred to another store in Liverpool, the one I just opened up, so once he leaves, an assistant manager spot will be open. Your my best employee, your hard-working and your dedicated. I would love to offer you the position. It would mean a nice raise and more responsibility. However, in order for you to receive the promotion, I'm going to need to see a change in your attitude. Your polite to the employees and, most importantly, your polite to the customers, but your also very moody. If I can see a change in you by the time Simon leaves, then the position is yours, if you want it. If not, I'll have to offer the position to Heather, who is also a very good and dedicated employee, she's just not as flexible with hours like you are and we need someone who can be here when we need him. Think about it, okay?"
Ron nodded. "Okay". A raise sounded good. He desperately needs the money. But how could he all of a sudden change into a happy man? He didn't think there was any way. He'll try, but Frank may as well give the position to Heather because Ron didn't think he could change that quick.
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Ron got off of work at 7 o'clock and reached his neighborhood by 7:45. Not too bad. As he walked by Alma's Coffee Shop he decided to stop in. It had been a busy day and coffee sounded good right about now. He bought his coffee and drank it quickly wanting to get home as soon as possible. He had just closed the door behind him when he heard a surprised voice say "Ron?"
Chapter Three up soon