Chapter 3
I Hate This Job
(6:30 am – 7:40 am)
“I hate this job,” Kyle pushed through the doors as his red shirt hung loosely over his black pants. The lights were still on their dull setting as the store seemed to be in a drowsy state. His pants swished noisily as he “zombie walked” towards the front. “It’s too early for this job!” His mind traveled over his book again. Strolling towards the front he tried to think of something. Something beneficial for it, he looked up to the ceiling almost pleading, “Let me at least get something for my book today!”
Katie was nowhere to be found. “That fat old…” “Kyle,” luckily he didn’t finish his sentence for Katie had been sitting at the table in Copy and Print. The large wooden table that was provided for customers, and she had spread a large mess all over it. He gave a silent groan as he made his way over to her. “What’s up Katie,” pushing her glasses back up to her face. “Thank god you're here, I’m just dying for a cigarette!” He tried to level his voice, “you know Katie the store is closed you don’t need relief. I got work back there, and I have two managers already up my…” She clattered the chair back under the table, “listen these tags right here are all Tech stuff. They go on the Tech side.” “I know that Katie I’ve worked here longer than you,” “these tags here Kyle, these are your side...Office Supplies. I just threw furniture in there as well, because we all know you’re the furniture guy around here. These are the tags that are left, so just tell me where you leave off. I’ll be back in a minute.” “Make that twenty,” Katie grabbed her purse as she raised her head, “did you say something Kyle?” Shaking his head with a dull, “No Katie just enjoy your cigarette.” Smiling she walked away from him making her way towards the front counter. Watching her depart Kyle ran his hand over his face again as he gazed down at the table scattered with price tags and sign holders.
He stared at the cluttered mess and didn't even know where to begin. The seconds dragged on gazing at pile after pile of price tags. “Fuck her, I got too much shit to do already. I’m going back to the warehouse.” Preparing to make his way back he was stopped by a familiar voice. “Hey Killa,” turning to see Ron walking out of the office pulling on his dirty brown coat. “What’s up Ron,” face still sagging as Katie began to put on her coat as well. “Kyle…can you do me a favor,” trying hard not to roll his eyes he gave a, “course Ron.” However his mind was saying, “how about you go fuck yourself.” Ron looked at him and seemed to think about his favor. “Yeah, um,” Ron gave a reassuring smirk knowing that he just loved eating up his time. Eating it up in great big gulps and then coming back later complaining about why the job wasn’t done in a reasonable time.
“Yes, I need you to go help Brandon with the pen aisle. It’s a complete mess over there, a mess I tell you! I need you to bring down everything and fill everything to the brim. I mean overload it until you can’t fit anymore. That’s going to be a very hot aisle today.” Kyle frowned watching Brandon on the ladder fishing through piles of overstocked pens in every size, shape, and color. “Ok Ron, but I still have to finish the toner, drop aisle two, fix the pallets, shoot a pull list…” Waving his hand, “all that stuff can wait. We need those pens dropped! It’s gonna be a rush for Back-to-School…a rush I tell you!” Nodding as he muttered, “yeah, yeah I get it! BELIEVE ME I get it!” “Kyle, Kyle,” he turned back to Ron trying to remain calm, “yeah?” Ron seemed to smile sinisterly, “I was also wondering if we could have a meeting later?” Kyle’s stomach seemed to drop. This was something that he had not been expecting. If Ron was calling a meeting with just him, it wasn’t going to be good. “Yeah sure Ron just let me know when.”
Making his way to aisle one he came up to the gray ladder as Brandon looked down at him. “What’s up Kyle?” Grabbing a hold of the ladder, “You heard Ron I'm here to help you.” “Help me,” he repeated as Kyle gave a “yeah help you!” Brandon glanced at the piles of pens and then back down at him. “Well you should probably get everything ready for the truck and…” “Believe me Brandon I know all that ok? Ron sent me over to help you so that’s what I’m doing!” Holding up both hands, “ok baby relax!” Shaking his head, “yeah well you don’t have to deal with his shit all day. Ron practically loves you.” Brandon returned to the pens, “He doesn’t love me.” “Whatever man just start handing me stuff, so that I can get this over with.” He handed Kyle pens and began to put them on their respective hooks. The minutes went by and the boredom seemed almost unbearable. “So have you figured out why all the managers are coming in today?” Brandon handed Kyle some highlighters, “naw and to tell you the truth I don’t really care. I did hear a rumor though.” “Yeah,” smiling Brandon continued, “I heard Cody might be coming back today.” “Cody, get the hell outta here dude!”
“You two,” Kyle nearly dropped several packages of highlighters when he noticed a raggedy brown haired woman peaking around the corner. “Jesus Bethany, you scared the crap out of me!” Kyle regained himself and turned away muttering, “not that you don’t already do that.” “What was that Kyle,” turning back to her as she made her way around the corner. Her white jogging outfit still clung to her body like spandex. “Nothing I didn’t say anything,” “yes you did, you mumble a lot.” Kyle filled up the highlighters, “no Bethany I swear I didn’t say anything.” She gave another skeptical look, “well, when you guys are done you need to go back there and finish for the truck.”
Bethany began to fiddle with the binders on the very bottom shelf. “HELLO,” screamed Kyle’s brain as his eyes focused on her white thong “whale tailing” out from the top of her tight pants. Kyle stared at it feeling his stomach boil in nausea. He turned back to Brandon and gagged a little, “oh god!” He screamed as the bile had hit the back of his throat. Brandon had not seen anything and was clearly too distracted by his frantic search through the pens. “I think that’s it Beth!” Bethany bent back up and her thong retreated. Kyle took a moment to thank God when she turned back saying, “that can’t be it Brandon.” Nodding, “yea, that’s it,” he retreated down the ladder. “Alright well if I find out your missing any…” “There are no more ok,” scanning the aisle Bethany gave a firm, “fine…just go back and prepare for the truck alright? You might need to do a bail too…and take this U-Boat back!” “BETHANY,” Ron had returned to the front. “Hey BETHANY where are you?” Rolling her eyes she gave a quick, “Jesus,” and left. “Alright well are you ready to go move some pallets Kyle?” Brandon smoothed down his red Clips shirt, “yeah well I was already doing that with Carol earlier.” Pulling out his phone Brandon actually got onto the U-Boat and sat on top of one of the unused binder boxes. “Excuse me,” Brandon stared down at his phone, “come on dude just push me.” “Push you, you can’t walk?” “I’m tired,” waving his hand and with a mocking fake bow, “of course your majesty, right away your majesty! Let’s all make way for Brandon KING OF OFFICE SUPPLIES!”
Grabbing the handle Kyle began pushing Brandon back towards the back of the warehouse. “Jesus I’m tired Kyle.” “Yeah well there’s nothing you can really do about that…god damn your heavy.” “Come on Kyle work that back,” “shut...the...fuck...up Brandon you’re not helping!” Brandon smiled, “Yeah well I think I am going to have to take a nap.” Pushing the U-Boat through the double doors they both emerged into the warehouse, “Yeah well good luck with that!” Brandon hopped off the U-Boat, “well luck will have nothing to do with it. I’ve done it before.” “No you haven’t, it’s impossible!” Smiling Brandon gave a, “naw baby it’s really easy. I did it when Karen was manager before you arrived.” Nodding skeptically, “yeah I figured it would be something like that. Now can we please get this finished? I still have to shoot a pull list, finish the toner, do aisle two, make a bail...ugh!” Brandon put his phone back in his pocket, “ok but we have to finish lifting these chairs first. I’ll go up top again.” He gave a goofy smile and climbed the large ladder to the top rack. “Where the hell did these chairs come from Brandon?” “I took them off the floor to make room in the middle aisle for the Penny Shippers.”
Placing the box on his shoulder Kyle began to climb the ladder again, “So Brandon how did you sleep back here?” “I took a nap behind the desk boxes.” Handing the large box to him Kyle took a big breath of relief, “jeez that doesn’t sound very comfortable.” “Comfortable enough, well at least until Karen caught me. Woke up to her leaning over the boxes asking if I was comfortable.”
Grabbing the next chair, “you’re a liar Brandon!” Brandon smiled, “no, I swear Kyle! It happened just like that. Wait hold up, I gotta make room up here!” Brandon began shifting the boxes over creating spaces for the new chair. “No Brandon it’s too bunched up your gonna have to make room all the way down at the end.” He pushed the chairs and continued to make room, “whoa, whoa slow down there baby!” “Brandon you REALLY need to stop calling me that! It’s creepy, especially since I'm a guy!” “Kyle you gotta check this out!” Sighing Kyle gave an uninterested, “What Brandon, what is it now?” He disappeared behind some boxes all the way at the end. “I guess nobody has been back here in awhile...check it out!” Kyle moved back a little to get a better view of the junk that Brandon was bringing up from behind the boxes. “What are those,” Kyle moved up the ladder to the top and gave a shocked, “are those DVDs?” Brandon laughed, “Yeah, I think we found Cody’s stash!” “Cody’s stash? We don’t even sell DVDs,” “no we did during the Christmas season, two years ago I think?” Brandon handed him a stack of DVDs, “we didn’t this year…” “Hence me saying two years ago Kyle…oh my god, no way!” “What now,” Brandon continued to gaze down behind the boxes and picked up a CD, “that little sneak! No wonder he was hiding this!”
“What, what is it?” Kyle motioned with his hand and finally Brandon gave it up. Expecting to see something mind blowing, Kyle laid his eyes upon a CD that he least expected, Meat Loaf: Bat Out OF Hell. “Meat Loaf...really Meat Loaf, you've got to be kidding me? This, this is what you were all excited about!” “Hell yeah dude Bat Out Of Hell, this is a bad ass CD!” “Did you just say to me…to me, that Meatloaf is bad ass?” Laughing, “no but that CD man!” Kyle gazed down at the motorcycle on the cover and then back up at his friend. Eyes closed from the smile that seemed to spread across his face, “REALLY Brandon?” He nodded, “yeah give it to me! I’m gunna buy it later!”
Brandon pushed past Kyle and down the ladder making his way to the floor. He began searching through the racks. Kyle watched in such shocked curiosity, “what the hell are you doing now?” “I gotta hide it make sure nobody is able to find it and buy it…not even you.” “Brandon I can promise you that I don’t want to buy it. I wouldn’t even want it if it was free!” Brandon laughed as he began shoving the CD towards the back underneath several broken down shipping boxes. “Yeah you’re just saying that! You’re hoping that I’ll forget about it and then you can buy it.” Kyle began to laugh, actually laugh. His words garbled in it, and it took awhile for them to form into a sentence. “You…you, can’t…you, can’t be…serious?” “Whatever Kyle you’re not getting it!” Leaning over the railing of the ladder, “you do realize you’re doing the same thing that Cody necessarily did.” “Yeah Kyle but I won’t forget about it like he did.” Shaking his head, “Jesus Brandon, really I mean this is too much even for you dude.” “You're just jealous Kyle! Now just forget it you’re not getting it and that’s that!”
“I DON'T WANT IT Brandon!” The door opened from the break room, “hey, hey, hey, what’s going on here Brandon, Kyle?” Brandon turned to Carol and then back up at Kyle, “nothing Carol, nothing.” “Alright then, Brandon what’re you doing back here anyways shouldn’t you be getting all those planograms done.” Silence filled the warehouse as they both looked at each other, “we were putting up the chairs to make room for the truck and Back-to-School supplies.” “STILL,” they both looked at each other again. Kyle spoke this time, “well we’ve been doing a lot of stuff and haven’t had…” “Well that ends now, Brandon get out there and do what needs to be done. Kyle I need you to stay back here with me. I need to have a word with you.” Rolling his eyes Kyle began to make his way down the stairs, “why am I always the one that has to be alone with her?” Kyle’s words were lost to the squeaking of the ladder. Brandon smiled at him, “guess I’ll see ya later.”
“Kyle,” gave a deep breath of exasperation before returning to Carol. “So, Carol what’s up?” She was frowning, her thin lips had grown even thinner as she pushed up her glasses. “How many times do I have to tell you to finish one job before you do another?” “I know, why are you asking?” Carol pointed her skeletal finger to the half stacked pile of wooden and plastic pallets. “I though I told you to stack those pallets, so that we could get it ready for the truck? And why is that cart of toner out?” Containing a frustrated groan as he replied, “yeah Carol but you know I had to go up front and relieve Katie. I still have to…” “Kyle, how many times? How many times? I’m getting REALLY tired of telling you to finish one job before you start another!” Running his hands through his hair, “I know that Carol, but I get asked to do everything around here and…” “I don’t care Kyle, if I tell you to do something you do it unless Ron tells you otherwise you got it?” “Yes Carol believe me I get it!” “Alright then finish these pallets and then get a bail done ok? There are some totes left in the lock up. I’ll go get them and bring them back here for you. We can stack them on top of the bail and wrap it all up.” Nodding, “I understand Carol. You can just tell me that you have some extra totes. I know what to do after all.” “I understand Kyle I just…” Carol had gotten cut off by a voice over the loudspeaker, “Alright everybody I need you all up front for a quick meeting, thank you.” Carol groaned and smiled when Kyle did the same.
“Well let’s go and get this over with Kyle.” They both headed out the double doors and walked up to the front. Carol marched like a chicken searching for corn pellets. Everyone seemed to arrive up front at their own accord. “Hey Greg,” said Kyle as he stepped next to him. “Hey Kyle,” “so how’s everything going in Copy and Print?” Greg stared at him with his blue eyes and gave a sleepy or bored, “it’s going.” Smiling Kyle patted him on the shoulder, “what’s going on?” Shaking his head at him, “nothing man just the new girl that we got…” “Wait, wait new girl, you don’t mean Nicole? She isn’t new she’s been here…” “I know that, but she doesn’t do anything man! She takes orders and leaves them for us in the morning.” Ron emerged from the Manager’s Office with Gene and approached Customer Service. It sat between the entrance and exit of the store. It was in the perfect location to overlook the entire store, although not very well.
“Listen Kyle, Akeya is leaving later and we're swamped do you think you can give me a hand later?” “Of course just let me know,” Greg gave an appreciative nod as Ron gave a handshake to Gene. A corporate nerd that had probably never seen a naked woman in several lifetimes, “yes Gene, I’ll make sure to tell them. I’ll see you again later.” Ron made his way over towards everybody gazing at every member of his “team”. He gazed at Carol, who was busy sorting through some planograms with Bethany. Whose tank top was sagging further and further down. He turned from her with a disgusted, “oh come on!” As he stared out of the corner of his eye he saw Ron smile at Akeya. Her smile like Rebecca’s could melt away anybody’s frustration. Rebecca continued the charm with a quick batting of her eyes as Ron’s eyes moved to Joel. Rebecca giggled as Joel was whispering in her ear.. Ron’s face immediately made a frown when his eyes landed on Kyle. “Hello everybody thank you for coming so quickly.”
“Like we really had a choice,” Kyle whispered to Greg who smirked slightly. “I have brought you up here, because we have little less then 30 minutes left until the store opens. There are a few notes that I should go over. First Joel, I believe you have a message for the team right?” Joel stepped forward and turned to the group, “yeah, well guys I have the numbers for last week. I am afraid that they’re not the best. That meeting that we all attended last Sunday must’ve not sunk into some of you. Can anybody tell me what percentage we need for our ESP plans again?” Kyle could have heard the groans from everybody, but Akeya gave a sweet, “I think its 7?” Joel nodded, “correct and this week we’re only at 4.8. Does everyone remember what Will said at the meeting? If we don’t start bringing up our numbers we’re going to have to start coming in every Sunday. Kyle wanted to laugh, what did he care if he had to come in one hour early on Sunday. “I’m already coming in anyway,” his mouth wanted to shout.
“I know that all of management believes we can get our sales up to that number. We have also talked about coming in early with Gene. He supports the idea a hundred percent!” Kyle smirked, “somehow I knew he would.” He must have spoken to loud, because Ron raised his hand to Joel. “I’m sorry to cut you off Joel, but it looks like Kyle would like to add something.” “SHIT,” yelled his mind as every pair of eyes turned to him. His mind began to work fast, “well, I just well…I think that we can turn those numbers around today! And today would be a great day to do it you know? We got Robert Wulfe coming in. What better way to show him how good our team is then by selling those plans today? We got a great team and…” “Yes Kyle great words to work by.” Ron had cut him off and Joel returned to the rest of the group. Smiling at the slight look of disappointment on Ron's face for denying him an opportunity for embarrassment..
Puffing out his chest slightly he began, “Remember guys we need to sell those Back-to-School Passes. It is ten percent off all office supplies merchandise except electronics, like laptops or graphing calculators. And I’ll make a deal with you, if we can sell the most passes on opening day. I’ll personally buy everyone food.” Kyle’s mind was at it again, “OOOHHHHH, big man are we Ron? Nothing better then a little bribery to make yourself look good!” “I think that is everything, does anybody have any questions?” Everyone seemed to look at each other before Ron gave a, “alright then thank you everybody, and we’ll be opening in five minutes.” Everyone dispersed even Kyle turned before Ron’s voice stopped him, “Kyle I was wondering if you and I could have that meeting right now?”