A Year in the Life of Jess Mariano
Part 10:
October 12th: International Moment of Frustration Scream Day
Jess Marinao jumped just about four feet in the air when his secretary's shrill scream rang out through the office.
"Christ on a stick!" He snapped, leaving the store room to rush into the main shop. "Casey!"
She smiled sheepishly at him from her desk. "Hiya, Jess."
He glared at her. "Is the office on fire?"
"No."
"Did some maniac burst in here with a gun?"
"No."
"Explosives?"
"Nope."
"A great, big Cabbage Patch Kid?"
Casey shuddered. "Ugh! No. Ew, why'd you have to bring up the Cabbage Patches?"
"Casey."
"With their big, creepy heads."
"Casey."
"And those beedy eyes."
Jess sighed.
"And their...belly buttons...and disturbingly curly hair, and-"
"CASEY!"
"What?"
"Why in the name of all that is sane in this world did you scream at the top of your lungs!"
She blinked. "What?"
"You screamed."
"Oh!" She smiled. "This guy came in asking if we sold batteries."
Jess blinked. "Huh."
"And I said no. And he was like 'are you sure?' and I was like 'Dude, we're a book place. Duh.' And then he just kinda left."
"And..."
"He was a jerk!" she cried. "And...it's Moment of Frustration Scream day so I just... let 'er rip."
Jess stared for a long moment.
He stared.
And stared.
And then he screamed, loud and long, before stalking back into the storeroom.
Casey giggled. "That's the Spirit!"