[Consequences are the results of actions taken or not taken. They can be intended or unintended. This story is about both kinds. I hope you enjoy this story. If the response is such that a follow-up is wanted, it will be submitted. Your votes and comments will determine if there is a follow-up. The original story got 210 votes in the first month and 15 comments.]
"Sandy, Could you come here for a minute? Please?" I released the button on the intercom and waited. A few seconds passed and her voice came from the box.
"Do I need to bring anything with me?"
"No. Arrive naked if you want to."
I heard whoops from people in the store and both smiled and blushed a little. I had again forgotten that everyone could hear the intercom.
"Nick! You've got to be more businesslike at work!" Sandy said as she closed the door to my office.
"I think the people in the store like it when I act like a love struck man."
"Act like?"
"Ok. They like it when I behave like I feel, a love-struck, crazy happy man."
"I think you're right. Mr. Wilkins was in yesterday and his wife was with him. They held hands the whole time they were in the BC. He introduced her to every one of us."
"That's what I'm after. I meant what I said to him the day I met him. I don't want customers, just friends I do business with."
"The intercom was on that day. People out in the yard heard you. We heard you in the office and the people in the store heard you directly. Since then word has spread."
"Good! Now, back to work." I explained what I needed and she helped me figure out how to have it happen. When she stood up to go back to her office she unbuttoned her shirt and rebuttoned it one-button off plumb.
"What's that about?" I asked.
"Anyone who sees me will think you called me in here to have your way with me. Makes the BC a very friendly place!" She laughed, opened the door and danced back to her office.
I had unleashed a beautiful monster.
The next day Janice brought me some papers to deal with. When I had finished she took them and headed for the door. Just before she opened it she stopped and unbuttoned her shirt, then rebuttoned it one-button off plumb. Before I could say anything she started laughing and left my office.
When she got back to her office she hit the intercom and said, "Thanks, Nick."
This could get out of hand.
Karen did it a few days later. She had come to me with an idea about improving the cashier's area. I told her it was her area. If she wanted to change it just have John build whatever she needed. "I trust you completely. You'll do the right thing."
The signs both women had put up advertising for the man they wanted got them quite a few dinners at the diner, two evenings in Bridgeport and one weekend trip to somewhere else. No long term man for either of them.
Just before Thanksgiving while we were decorating the store for fall and approaching winter the two signs disappeared.
On the way home that evening I asked Sandy if she thought we should invite everyone for Thanksgiving dinner.
"Everyone? You mean the whole town?"
"No. Bill, John, Janice, Karen and us."
"Bill lives next door to his parents. He always has Thanksgiving with them. John was dating a woman over in Bridgeport and I'm pretty sure they will be together, but I'll check. Janice and Karen would be happy to come over and a little sad too."
"I want to invite all of them. Could Bill's parents come too? Can we invite John's girl-friend? Wait. Why would Janice and Karen be sad? Because they don't have somewhere else to go?"
"You honestly don't know, do you?"
I must have had a look on my face that spoke volumes about how little I knew.
"Pull over, Nick." She waited until I put the truck in Park.
"They will be happy to come for Thanksgiving with us, because they are in love with you. They were both in love with your Dad too."
"But, they dated all those guys who answered their ads. They put up the ads!"
"God! You are just like your Dad. He didn't get it for a long time either. You just go through life giving every woman just what she has always said she wanted and not realizing that they love you for it. They also measure every other man against you and your Dad."
"You lost me. Dad gave them their jobs. I let them do their jobs and I let them know I like what they do."
"When you told Karen to have John build whatever she wanted at the cashier station she cried for two hours. All her life men have looked at her chest, used phrases like "little lady", and didn't listen to her. You show up and she says you don't even know she has tits! Then you trust her! You think she can think! You told her to have John build her whatever she wants! You tossed her completely for a loop!"
"I shouldn't trust her?"
"You did everything right! You are the man she has always wanted! And, the same goes for Janice. She worked for the propane company before your Dad hired her here. Everything she did her supervisor second guessed her over. He micro-managed her. You don't. If she and I say it's this way, then it's that way. You never look at the paychecks. You sign them. I've heard her say she knows if she made a check out for five thousand dollars payable to her and she knows you'd sign it."
"I trust all of you to do the right thing. Am I wrong?"
"You aren't like anyone any of us has known, except your Dad. Pete did the same things you do. He signed the checks without looking. He liked it when we had fun at work. He would have let us put signs up advertising for a man. We all loved him. Now we all love you."
"So they will be happy to come but sad because I'm there?"
"No. Sad because they will see how much you love me and they want you to love them."
"Oh." I know my face looked stunned. It had to. I was stunned. I trusted Sandy. She had no reason to lie to me and even if she had a reason, she wouldn't. My head just wasn't able to take in that Janice and Karen loved me. We sat in the truck while I attempted to get my head to hold what she said.
"I'm getting hungry. Please take us home. You don't need to understand it. Just get that it's true."
The truck went into Drive and we did get home. Sandy made dinner and I ate it. If someone had asked me what we ate I couldn't have told them.
Sitting at my desk the next day I was surprised by a visit from the mayor. I motioned him to a chair after we shook hands and I asked, "What can I do for you?"
"Yesterday Mike Tousand got hurt over at the park. He's eight and fell off the jungle gym. The parks people tell me we need to fix up the park equipment. Can you help us?"
"What do you need?"
He handed me a list of supplies he said his park guy had given him. I looked it over, then I looked at him. "I can help. Save me some time, would you? What deal did Dad have with the city?"
"Your cost plus ten percent."
"If that's what it was then that's what it still is. I'll have my staff price it out for you and we'll order it when we have your check."
"Can't we get the things and take sixty-days to pay?"
"I'll look at the way Dad did it and I'll give you a call, OK? I'm willing to be good to the city, but I'm not willing to lose money in the process."
He left and I went into the office where Janice and Sandy were working.
"Ladies, I just had a visit from the mayor."
"He wanted to see if he could get you to sweeten the deal on the supplies he wanted to get?" Janice asked.
"That's the feeling I got. How did Dad deal with the city?"
"He didn't deal with the mayor. If the plant manager from the high school needed something we got it for him at wholesale price plus ten percent. The city manager authorized it and we got paid within ten days of delivery."
"Why not deal with the mayor?"
"I'll show you. Please give me the list he gave you." I gave it to Janice. She looked it over and picked up her phone. A minute later she said, into the phone, "Jack, this is Janice over at the Builder's Center. I spilled some coffee on the parts list the mayor brought us. Could you fax me a copy of your list? Thanks. I'll get back to you if we have any questions. Thanks, Jack. Bye."
The fax machine buzzed twice and began to spit out the list. The list the mayor had given me was nineteen items long. The list from Jack was twelve.
"The mayor believes he should get the same deal as the city and have longer to pay for his things."
"Order the nineteen items. Protect both lists carefully. Laminate them if you need to. Let me know when the items will be here. Ok?"
"You're going to let the mayor do this?"
"He's going to believe he's put one over on me. On us. Is he friends with the newspaper here in town?"
"No. They are not friends."
"This stays quiet. I trust you both completely. When the order arrives let me know. Thanks." I went back to work.
Half an hour later Sandy was in my office. "You did it again."
"Did what again?"
"You treated us like totally trustworthy, competent adults. As soon as the door closed Janice started crying. She said, "Did you see that? He trusts us to sit on this for ten days! No threats. He just said, this stays quiet." She has wanted to be treated like an adult her whole life. Two men have done it. Pete and you."
"I got it! Go back to work. I got it!"
She went back to work and I made a phone call. At nine-twenty the next morning Barbara from the florist shop came into the BC and delivered three bouquets of flowers each with a vase and a card. Each was addressed to each woman individually and said, "Sandy, Thank you for being so wonderful, capable and a great employee." Signed Nick. At eleven a delivery truck delivered two medium pizzas to John and Bill in the yard. The card on the boxes said the same thing as the card to the women.
When I came in at noon I was prepared to be thanked by everyone. I was wrong. Bill and John thanked me, smiling and patting their bellies. Inside I was met with silence.
I went to my office and waited.
It was after two when Sandy opened the door.
"Pete, we need to talk."
"Pete was my Dad."
Pete, Nick, it doesn't matter. You are the same guy." She sat down. "I am the most blessed woman on the Earth. I know that. However, you are in danger of losing every woman for fifty miles if I don't do something."
