Chapter Three
The days passed. The wreath kits, while not runaway hits, sold steadily enough to justify creating more. Heath proved himself to be a hard-working, trustworthy asset to Triple H Trees. The employees all thought highly of him, and Hunter decided that hiring the young man had been a smart move.
The one sore spot was Jay. Sure he still provided service with a smile and was still buddies with his co-workers at the tree lot, but something about Heath rubbed the senior tree salesman the wrong way. Jay rode Heath's back (figuratively, of course). He nagged. He criticized. He complained about Heath's hair (Too long! Cut it or tie it back!), his clothes—almost everything Heath said or did was subject to some kind of criticism. The newbie let the slings and arrows roll off him like he always did, but keeping the smile on his face was becoming more challenging with each passing day.
At least his email friend provided a sympathetic ear and was happy to be a sounding board for Heath's grievances. Was it coincidence, or was his friend facing the same things as well? No matter. As long as his anonymous friend was there, Heath could deal with his work troubles.
Jay was feeling the same heat as well. He didn't like the idea of some new kid invading his turf. He always tried to be diplomatic with the kid, but more often than not, he came off sounding like a complete jerk. To complicate things, his boss had become more standoffish and snippy with his senior salesman, and for no apparent reason. The tension between employer and employee could be felt by everyone, but they knew better than to ask what the trouble was. Their jobs were too important.
Each night Jay vented to his anonymous friend, happy that he had someone (albeit in cyberspace) who was willing to listen and lend his ears as well. And when Jay mentioned getting together to meet in person, his friend jumped at the chance. Finally, after months of conversing back and forth in cyberspace, it was time to place faces and names to the emails...
Jay smiled as he climbed out of his Suburban. Anna was near the locked entrance, waiting for Miz to appear and unlock the lot (he spent the night in the RV). "'Morning, Anna!"
Anna put away her iTouch and reached into her truck for the large bag of breakfast burritos from Rosa's. "Good morning, Jay," she smiled, handing him a burrito. "Boy, you are chipper this morning! The burritos have turkey sausage in them, by the way."
"Thanks." Jay unwrapped the burrito and took a decent sized bite. After chewing and swallowing, he said, "I've got a big date tonight."
"With the boss?"
"No, he never invites me anymore. How do you figure him out, anyway?"
"I gave up a while back. It's almost impossible to get along with him these days. I just stay out of his way."
"He hardly talks to me anymore. I hope he's a better mood today, because I'm going to ask him for a raise."
Anna nearly dropped the bag of burritos. "A raise?"
"Do you mind if I ask you a personal question?"
"No, go ahead."
"Suppose a guy like me wants to get married."
Anna's eyes lit up. "You're getting married!" she squeaked joyously. "Congratulations! That's the best thing that could ever happen to you. Who's the lucky victim?"
Jay put his hand up. "Okay, stop, backup, rewind. I didn't say I was getting married. I said, Suppose a guy like me wants to get married. How much does it cost you to live, you and Justin?"
"That's kind of a loaded question. Justin and his folks are very wealthy, but we try to live like we're not wealthy."
"Well, just for the sake of argument. How much does it cost?"
"It can be done."
"Yeah?"
"And very nicely, too. We aren't extravagant." And Anna was right about that. The only real luxuries she had were her truck and her iTouch. Anna bought her clothes at thrift stores and Walmart, and she and Justin didn't have satellite TV (they got their TV off the internet).
"Suppose a guy gets an apartment with four rooms. Dining room, bedroom, bathroom, living room."
"What do you need four rooms for? You don't need a dining room."
"Where do you eat?"
"In the kitchen. Justin and I have a nice, big kitchen. And we have a great room. For a small house, it's spacious enough that we can put a table and chairs in it if we have company."
"Where do you entertain?"
Anna snorted. "What are you, a diplomat? Who do you want to entertain? Justin and I don't throw parties. We try to be friendly and outgoing, so everyone will invite us. And my mom said that if someone is really your friend, they come after dinner."
The conversation was interrupted as a familiar car (Heath's) rolled into the parking lot. Jay sighed. "Here comes trouble."
"Good morning, all." Heath sauntered up to Anna's truck and rested against the side.
"Good morning, Heath." Anna smiled and handed Heath a breakfast burrito. Jay nodded and took another bite of his, so he wouldn't have to talk.
"How's your husband, Anna?"
Anna gasped and all but shoved the bag of breakfast burritos into Heath's arms. "Oh, crap! I forgot to call Justin to remind him about his appointment with Dr. Sullivan! Can you hold these and pass them out to everyone?"
"Sure. Something wrong with your husband?"
"No, he just got over a sinus infection, and he's supposed to go to the doctor's office for a follow up. I'm gonna step aside for a minute." With those words, Anna whipped out her cell phone and ducked around the corner to make her call.
Once Anna was out of earshot, Jay finished his bite and said, "Heath?"
"Yeah, Jay?"
"I noticed that you wore a black t-shirt with purple angel wings and a skull yesterday."
"No, Jay. As usual, you're wrong. It was purple, with black angel wings and a skull. Everybody else liked it. I don't remember remarking about your shirt. And if you think I couldn't say anything about your shirt, just ask Kurt. My shirt is none of your business."
"I'm sorry. Hunter seems to think it is my business."
Heath snorted. "Yes, that's right. I'm working under you. From here on out then, I'll call you every morning and describe what I'm going to wear. Before I go shopping for new clothes, I'll take a picture of what I want and email it to you. Imagine you dictating what I should wear."
"I don't care what you wear, Heath," Jay fired back. "For a circus pony, it's all right. I have my own troubles without your shirt between Hunter and me."
Still holding the bag, Heath folded his arms across his chest. "I sold as much yesterday as anybody else," he huffed, indignantly. "For an overcast Monday two weeks before Christmas, five wreath kits and three small Scotch Pines isn't bad. And that was between going to pick up K-Cups and hot chocolate at IGA for the breakroom, wreath kits from Pam's, and another pack of Tums for Hunter. Did you tell Hunter that?"
"Yes."
"And what did he say?"
"Not to come in wearing that shirt."
"Tell him I won't!"
"I will!" Snarling, Jay stomped away from the red-headed tree lot employee before he said something he knew he'd regret.
Thankfully, he found Anna, just as she was finishing her call. "I caught Justin, right as he was leaving the house," she said in relief. "He was on his way to the doctor's."
"Anna, level with me." Jay opened his coat slightly, still holding his burrito. He was wearing a flannel shirt in red, green and white plaid. "Does this shirt look alright for work?"
"It does. That plaid looks very festive." Anna paused. "Tell me, who is the lucky guy?"
"Well, you know that young man I was corresponding with?"
"Yes, about the cultural subjects," Anna said, putting cultural subjects in air quotes.
"Yeah. Well, after a while, we got on the subject of love—naturally on a very cultural level. What else can you do in an email? He's the most awesome guy in the world."
"Is he cute?"
"He has such ideals and such a viewpoint on things that he's so far above the other guys I've met. They just can't compete."
"So he's unattractive?"
"Don't say that!"
"I'm sorry. The main thing is that you like him."
"Yeah, I hope I will."
"What do you mean? You love a guy and you don't know if you like him?"
"Well, that's just the question. I haven't met him yet."
Anna cocked an eyebrow. "What? You haven't met him yet?"
"No. I keep putting it off."
"You're scared."
"This guy thinks I'm the most wonderful person in the world. And after all, there is an off-chance that I'm gonna let him down."
"Yes, there is an off-chance. On the other hand, you might be let down, too."
"And I don't dare think about it." Jay glanced over at Heath, who was handing out the breakfast burritos. Anna, did you ever get a bonus at work?"
"Yes, once."
"Yeah, the boss hands you the envelope. You wonder how much is in it, and you don't want to open it. As long as the envelope's closed, you're a millionaire."
Anna nodded in understanding. "But if it turns out to be a year-long membership to the Jelly Of The Month Club, then you're disappointed. So you keep putting it off and putting it off, and you never open the envelope."
"Well, I can't keep the envelope closed much longer. I'm opening it tonight. I'm gonna meet him tonight at 8:30 at Monty's Steak House."
Anna noticed what else Jay was wearing. "A red scarf? I don't think I've seen you wear that before."
"Yeah. He's gonna have his Kindle with him to read while he waits for me, and it'll have a red protective cover over it so I'll know who he is. I'm wearing a red scarf so he'll know who I am." Jay sighed, nervously. "I haven't slept well for days."
"I'm sure he'll be attractive."
"Not too attractive. That'll intimidate me. What chance would a guy like me-"
"What, do you want an ugly guy?"
"No. Wish me luck. Get me some good luck charms, and maybe some good luck charms for those good luck charms. Just a decent looking, average guy. That's all I want."
~~~TLATS~~~
"Good morning, Hunter."
The owner of Triple H Trees was decidedly not in a good mood. He took a burrito without offering a thank you and glanced around the now unlocked lot. "This place looks terrible, all scraggly," was his greeting. "I'm surprised we still have customers! We'll stay tonight after closing hours and rearrange it. Clean it up a little. Beside, we have a new tree shipment tomorrow and we need to make some room."
"I'll have to get out of it some way," Heath wavered after Hunter was out of earshot. He, Anna and Trish were at the cashier's booth.
"Heath, you're the low man on the totem pole," Anna shrugged. "You haven't got a chance."
Heath shook his head. "I have an engagement tonight at 8:30. I have to go home first to change my clothes." He paused and turned to Anna's BFF. "Trish, did you notice the t-shirt I wore yesterday, the purple one with the wings?"
"I thought it was cool. I wanted one like it so I went to Walmart."
"I'm so glad. I'm planning to wear it tonight."
~~~TLATS~~~
"Hello?" Hunter said into his cellphone at his tiny temporary office. "Yeah, hello, Babe. Well, you were sleeping, and I didn't want to disturb you. You came home late last night. I thought perhaps you'd like to sleep a little longer. No, I'm not angry. How was the movie last night? Did you have a good time? That's all that matters, isn't it? What? But, Steph, I don't understand it. Only last Monday I gave you...No, I'm not complaining. It's quite a bit of money. Yeah, all right. I'll send it over as soon as possible. Yeah, good-bye."
A knock on the door interrupted Hunter's thoughts. "Come in. What is it?"
"It's Jay. Can I talk to you for a moment?"
"Is it important?"
"It is to me," Jay answered back as he opened the door and stepped into the office space.
Hunter gazed up at his senior salesman, a put-off expression on his face. "Is it important to the tree lot?"
"Not exactly."
"Well, then, I'm sorry. I'm busy. You'll have to see me later," Hunter dismissed, turning his back to Jay.
"Pardon me, sir."
Hunter looked irritated as he spun his chair around to face Jay. "What now?"
"Sir, for several days your attitude toward me seems to have changed."
"It has?"
"Yeah, Hunter, it has. Really, I'm completely at a loss as to why. After all, I do my work."
"And you get paid for it, do you not?"
"Yes, sir. "
"Every week?"
"Yes, sir."
"Then everything seems to be all right then, isn't it?" Hunter turned his chair around, almost as if to tell Jay, You're dismissed.
Jay sighed. It felt like he had just spoke to a brick wall. "Yes, Hunter."
~~~TLATS~~~
"Did you see him?" Matt asked as Jay stomped into the breakroom later. The Hardy brothers were warming up before heading back out to deliver more trees.
"I'm not going to stand for this much longer," snapped Jay. He fixed himself a cup of coffee (eggnog flavor—Anna and Trish were the ones who picked out the flavors, why did they have to pick the frou-frou coffees?) and plunked himself down across from the older Hardy. "What does that man want of me, Matty? Why is he picking on me?"
"You've been around the longest," Jeff shrugged. "That's as good a reason as any."
"He picks on me and Jeff, too," Matt chimed in. "The other day he called me a klutz after I dropped a box of tree stands. What could I do? I said, Yes, Hunter, I'm a klutz. I'm not foolish enough to talk back. If it means keeping my job, I'll keep my mouth shut."
"Listen, maybe he has business worries," Jeff suggested, swigging out of his bottle of Mountain Dew. "Or maybe he has some trouble at home. Trouble with his wife."
At the mention of Trouble with his wife, Kurt, who had stepped in for a breather, leaned over the table. "Is that true, Jeff?" he asked, a little too anxiously. "Is he having trouble with his wife?"
"I don't know, it's none of my business. If I know what's good for me, I stay out of it," Jeff answered him. "And anyway, we're talking to Jay. What do you want?"
"We don't know anything," Matt chimed in. "So leave us be, okay?" Kurt shrugged as if to say, Whatever, and walked out.
Once the pesky salesman was gone, Matt sighed. "Jay, don't be impulsive, not at a time like this. Not when so many people are out of work."
"I can get a job anywhere."
"Can you?" Matt snorted. "In this economy? Get real."
"I'll take a chance, Matty. I'm no coward, you know. I'm not afraid."
"I am. I have a family," Matt explained, as Jeff nodded in agreement. Matt and Chris were in the process of adopting a baby, and the last thing they needed was to be unemployed.
"Well, I don't."
"Think it over," Jeff said. "Those were nice emails, weren't they?"
~~~TLATS~~~
"I moved all the short trees to the north corner of the lot. Is that how you wanted it? I'd appreciate it if you'd tell me if there's anything wrong."
Jay glanced over at the over-eager newbie. It was now early afternoon, and Heath had been working his butt off. Normally, Heath tried to keep his distance, speaking to Jay only when necessary, so this was slightly out of character. "Since when have you become interested in my opinions?"
"I want to make sure I'm doing a good job, Jay," Heath shrugged. "I'm working under you."
"You don't have to keep harping on that," Jay fired back.
"No, I didn't mean it that way at all. Regardless of what I think of you...I believe that anybody who works with you and doesn't get a great deal out of it, is just plain dumb"
Jay looked at Heath like he'd just sprouted horns. "What are you talking about?"
"What do you think of me personally? I mean, since you ask..no matter what anybody else says, I think you're a gentleman."
Jay couldn't help but appreciate the backhanded compliment. "I try to be."
"You have no idea what that means to a working stiff like me. What a guy like me goes through in some places. Take for instance when I worked at FCW right after graduation. The boss was okay, but Jay, the co-workers...That's why I like it here so much. When you say, let's go move the short trees to the north corner of the lot, you really want to move the short trees to the north corner of the lot. And that's my idea of gentleman."
"I just don't believe in mixing trees with pleasure." Jay chuckled.
"Jay?"
"Yeah?"
"About that purple shirt..."
"I'm sorry, I should have been more discreet."
"I want to thank you. I'm glad you did it. After thinking it all over, you're right. That shirt was hideous."
"Oh, no, it wasn't ugly-"
"It was. I wouldn't admit it at the time, but I'm the type who hates to admit I'm wrong. That's something I'm really trying to change."
Jay folded his arms across his chest. "This is the first time you've shown a little sense. I'm impressed, Heath."
"Thanks, Jay."
"If you keep this up, maybe we'll actually start getting along."
"Thanks, Jay."
"Sure."
"I was planning to wear that awful shirt tonight. I have a date with..."
"Tonight?" exclaimed Jay. "Didn't you hear what Hunter said? We have to stay and re-arrange the trees, make room for a new shipment."
"I almost forgot."
"Yes. Apparently you did. Is your attention span that short?"
"Would it be possible, do you think you could spell me tonight? And then maybe Mr. Helmsley would let me off."
A tense silence passed as Jay folded his arms angrily across his chest and Heath stared sheepishly at his boots. "So that's why I'm a gentleman. That's why you've learned from me now?"
"What?"
"You want the night off?"
"I have to have the night off, Jay."
"I'm afraid you're out of luck. That trick was sooo good, I almost fell for it."
"I've gotta have the night off. It's very important."
"And you thought kissing my ass like that would work? Nice try, Heath. For the last two weeks, you've done nothing but antagonize me and..."
"Antagonize you?" Heath fired back. "You're one to talk, Jay! You haven't been very nice to me either. Whatever I do, it's wrong. If I wrap a tree with netting and slide it into the truck for delivery, it's not right. If I make a suggestion, and some of them are very good..."
"Here. You don't listen."
"Everything has to be done exactly your way, and then even when I do it right, you still don't like it. When I first got the job at this tree lot, I was a big ball of energy...and now I dread coming in to work each day. You've sucked all the personality out of me! You're a dictator, Jay! That's what I think you are. Jay, someday I may be in a position where I won't have to work anymore. Then I'll really tell you what I think."
Before Jay could fire off a snappy comeback, Heath stalked over to the front of the lot, but not without a parting shot. He turned and glared at the senior salesman. "And as for that shirt...I'm going to wear it tonight. Jay, I like my shirt. It's you I don't like."
NOTE FROM THE AUTHOR: Fireworks much? I wonder what crawled up Hunter's backside and died. He's all irritable, and his employees are feeling it. Doesn't make for a very pleasant work environment, does it? BTW, the Jelly Of The Month Club reference is from National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation.
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