The Mouse That Roared 1

THE MOUSE THAT ROARED

A Greenville Story -

Success and happiness comes in many forms.

The Greenville mentioned in this and other stories is not the actual Greenville North Carolina but based on Gastonia NC where I had the pleasure of living for the best 9 months of my life. I have visited the real Greenville and its a nice place if you like Yellow and Purple, since its the home of Eastern Carolina U. Many places mentioned in this story are actual locations in Gastonia. Tommy's Drive Inn does have the best chili dogs. Don't believe me, we can fight about it. Just name the place and time.

I didn't know if this should be Romance or Non-Erotic so I flipped a coin. 8080 words is 11 pages on Word or 3 pages on Literotica. I hope you enjoy the story

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"God damn it Mouse, would you hurry the fuck up!" My boss is yelling at me again. Its his favorite thing to do all day. "Why are you so slow?" Another one of his favorite phrases. I'm pretty sure he has a very limited vocabulary.

I'm Reggie Baynard, Most people know me as Mouse which I hate. I'm 26 years old, 5 foot 4 inches tall and weigh 160 pounds. I'm not a loud guy which contributed to my nickname. Never played sports in school. It wasn't my thing. I got good grades but my mom didn't have money to send me to college and I wouldn't have went anyway. I wanted to be able to help her out, like she did me. We never went without, but its not to say we didn't have a lot. I was a reader growing up. I still remember getting my first library card. I would spend any free moments there.

I went to work at Allied Carolina Sanitation. Its a long name for a toilet company. Not the home kind of toilets, we rent Port-a-potties to construction companies and for large outdoor events. I load the trucks that deliver the potties and clean them when they come back. Its a not a glamorous job. It can be a shitty job. I mean real shit sometimes.

It's not all bad. I work outside and since the winters aren't that bad in Carolina I can deal with it. Plus business really slows down after September.

I worked for the old owner when it was called Spencer Sanitation, until he sold to the new owners. They are a lot better than the old guy. He was alright, as along as you worked he left you alone. He was tight with the raises though. These new guys, 2 brothers as a matter of fact, have changed things around. They are not sitting back waiting for business. They are very aggressive in getting new business. And they treat everyone good. Well they say everyone should be treated good, I don't think Dustin never got the memo or could read it.

The only bad part of my job besides the shit is my immediate supervisor, Dustin. Who names their kid Dustin? He's one of those people who doesn't respect anyone. Let's power go to his head. He's been the supervisor for 3 months. He acts like he never did rthe egular work and had always been a boss.

"I'm telling you for the last time, My name is Reggie, not fucking Mouse!" I say to him, stopping what I'm doing looking him in the eye.

"Doesn't matter what your fucking name is. I'll call you asshole if I want to, now finish the fuck up Mouse!" Dustin came back with a retort. "You don't like it take your black ass home. I don't give a fuck!"

I was done with his shit. I'm tired of being disrespected. I throw my gloves down and start walking towards him. He smiles at me, waiting to see what's going to happen. He has me by 5 inches and 50 pounds. 50 pounds of fat. I got him by anger and 20 years. The last fight he probably had was getting into his pants this morning.

I walked up and punched him the face. He went to cover up so I put two good punches into he gut. He let out a big ooof as air left his body. While he tried to catch his breath I slapped him twice back and forth across his face. Slapping a grown man is one of the worst things you can do. He stood there stunned not knowing what to do.

"What the hell is going on?" It's Mike, he's been the new big boss since the takeover. "Dustin, I asked a question, what the hell is going on?"

I was standing there staring at Dustin with my fist clenched realizing I hadn't actually done of what I really wanted to do.

"Nothing boss, Mouse was just leaving. I had to fire him just now."

"Mouse? You mean Reggie right? Why is he being fired?"

"Yeah, huh, Reggie was being unsubordinated so I had to let him go and he wanted to fight me." Proving his limited vocabulary.

"Boss I was not, he's been an asshole ever since he got promoted. He treats everyone like crap" I said with some heat but relaxing my hands. I still wanted to punch him in his face though.

"Calm down Reggie, You mean Insubordinate right, Dustin? Why was he insubordinate?" Mike asks him like he already knows the answer.

"Well boss, he doesn't listen and works to slow. I have to be on his ass, I mean watch him all the time."

"He's a lying ass, Boss, You know I do my job just as good as anyone else. I have to make sure things are loaded right. You remember what happened last month when we lost 3 units that weren't loaded correctly."

"I remember Reggie. So let me ask you this Dustin, Do you talk to all the employees like I heard earlier? Do you make it a habit of cursing at people? Is that how you motivate them?" Mike asked now with his arms folded over his chest waiting for a reply. Before Dustin could reply "I think you and I need to have a talk in the office. Reggie, Take the rest of the day off. Get Melvin to finish up for you before you leave. Come back tomorrow and stop in the office before you start work."

Dustin was sweating now. To be called into the office usually didn't mean anything good was going to happen. "Thanks Boss, I appreciate that. I'll be in bright and early tomorrow." I shook his hand and went to find Melvin. He wasn't going to be happy but that wasn't my concern.

I was still pissed at what happened and knew I needed to blow off some steam. So what did I do having the rest of the day off? For me I decided to treat myself. I went to Tommy's Drive Inn for a chili dog all the way. chili, onions, mustard and slaw. He has the best dogs. Not those red Bright Leaf hot dogs. Real regular all beef dogs with a snap. Hand cut fries and a Cheerwine. A meal fit for a king.

After I ate I went to my next favorite place outside of the library which is Borders books. I spent some time in the magazine section. I was looking through a Fortune magazine when a older guy asked me if I was into finance. I laughed and said no, I don't have the money for that stuff. He looked at me shaking his head.

"How old are you son?"

"24 sir," I answered wondering where this is going.

"Well son, now is the best time to start investing and at your age it doesn't take a lot. If you put away $100 per month in a money market fund you'll have a nice nest egg when you retire. If I could go back in time I would do that very thing. No one your age thinks about being 65." Patting me on the shoulder.

"Heck I'm not thinking about 30 let alone 65." I laughingly replied.

"Let me explain some things about investing." leading me to one of the empty tables. My new friend, Earl, gave me lessons on investing and the stock market for the next hour. I don't know if I would ever use it but it was fun to learn something new. I told him I appreciated everything he taught me and I was very serious. Maybe I would do the $100 savings a month. I could definitely afford it.

On the way home I stopped at the Circle K for a sandwich and soda for dinner. For some reason I bought a scratch off ticket. It might have been the 2

nd

one I've ever bought. I hardly ever get home early and it felt weird having no one home. I still lived with my mom, more to help her than not being able to afford my own place. It was only me and her so I wasn't pressed to move out.

After eating I was chilling watching Judge Mathis when I remembered my ticket. I got it out of my jacket pocket and scratched it. It was one of those all or nothing kind of prizes. Top prize was $25,000. As I scratched it I was seeing shamrocks. The more I scratched the more shamrocks. I didn't really understand the ticket. I'm looking at it. I read the back. It said if you have 5 shamrocks in a row you win. Well, shit, I had shamrocks all over the place. I just won $25,000! Shit like this doesn't happen in my neighborhood. I didn't know what I was going to do with the money but one thing I did know, I wasn't going to say shit about this to anyone. Talk about being excited. I was jumping for joy at my new found wealth. I was running around the apartment.

I finally calmed down enough to put the ticket in the bottom drawer of my dresser for safe keeping. I knew I had to do some research. I went to the library and got on one of the computers. I Googled 'what to do when you win the lottery'. I read different pages and sites and they all gave pretty much the same information. Most talked about winning a big multi-million dollar lottery. Shit, $25,000 was like a million to me. I printed out what I needed and headed back home.

I promised myself I wasn't going to blow this chance. I know people see this as either a windfall or a curse. I was going to make sure this was going to change my life. I thought about what Earl at told me earlier today. I had to look towards the future.

My mom was home when I got back from the library. I gave her a hug and kiss and went into my room telling her I already had dinner.

I had the most peaceful sleep I've ever had. I woke refreshed and renewed. Did I think about quitting my job? Not for $25,000. I did feel more relaxed going in ready to met whatever would happen. If Dustin gave me a hard time today there would be a different outcome though.

I went into work going straight to Mike's office. I knocked and was told to come in. Mike was sitting behind his big metal desk. He greeted me with a handshake and told to have a seat.

"Honestly I was glad you came in today. I was a little worried you would quit." He said with a smile.

"Naw boss I was coming in, even though yesterday Dustin had plucked my last nerve I was ready kick his as...butt. You can only push a man so far."

"I understand completely. I wanted you to know I let him go yesterday. We already had 2 guys quit because of him and I didn't want to lose a good worker like you."

"I appreciate that sir, I really do." I said with genuine sincerity.

"We're trying to build something here. The Allied companies believe in promoting people from within. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't like Dustin. You been for what, 4 years right?"

"It will be 4 years this July."

"You been doing the same thing since I started, how long have you been loading and cleaning?"

"Yes, since I started."

"Have you thought about advancing? Is this what you want to do for the rest of your life?"

"I never gave it any thought to be truthful. I was just glad to have a job that paid well. What are you saying boss?"

"I'm saying that with Dustin gone I need a new supervisor. It's either you or Melvin. Would you like the job?'

"Hell yes, I'm sorry I mean yes sir I would. Do you really think I could do the job?"

"Yes I do or I wouldn't offer it to you. The best way to manage people is respect number 1, know the job and be able to prioritize. And if you don't know ask. No one knows everything about everything. There are times Nicole' His assistant' has answers to problems I don't. I'm not afraid to give her the credit for it. I'm still the boss and the job got done. People will respect you more because you're showing faith in them.

Lets go around together and let the other guys know you're now one of the supervisors. This is a big opportunity for you. The company is still growing and will always need good people." As he got up to show me around.

As we walked around I couldn't believe my luck. First the lottery ticket and now a promotion. I didn't even ask If I got a raise.

The rest of the day was good. I filled out my new paperwork. I did in fact get a raise, another $8,000 a year and better health benefits as well as profit sharing. How much better can my life get. The guys didn't seem put off by my promotion. A couple even congratulated me. We all worked together and even got done early.

On the way home I stopped back at Borders Books and bought copies of Forbes, Fortune and Money magazines, even Investing for Dummies. I wanted to study to make sure I was making the right moves with my new windfall. I knew I had 90 days to turn in the ticket. So I did as much research as I could.

I did tell my mom about my promotion and raise but not the lottery ticket. To celebrate I took her out to dinner. I let her take friend Rose with us. She wanted to go to Outback Steakhouse so that's where we went. Food taste better when you don't have to worry about the cost.

Over the next month the job got easier and better. We were working as a team. I didn't have to fire or even raise my voice at anyone. If someone was slacking the others took care if it themselves. All they wanted was to be respected. I even treated them to lunch one Friday. Got a bunch of Bojangles chicken and sides with several gallons of sweet tea.

I had bought a laptop and got internet at the apartment. I studied the stock market looking for trends I could exploit as Earl had taught me. I followed a few people to get the best information as I watched CNBC and Fox Business. Some were more fraud who acted like they knew what they were doing and others who actually did. You had to find out which was which. One thing I figured is that 90% of those on TV talked a good game and were days behind most trends. Finally after about a month and half since I got the ticket I knew what I was going to do.

I cashed in the ticket. Took the whole amount saying I would pay taxes later. Deposited it in my new account which is separate from my regular account where my check was deposited.

I had read where several small breweries where going public. It was the height of the brewery craze. I planned on buying in on the initial offering than selling a week later. I learned there are stocks you keep and live off the dividends and those will hopefully make you a lot of money in the short term.

I never told my mother about the money. She would just worry about what I was doing with it. I went to Bear Stearns and opened up an account. I told my broker what I wanted. I put $10,000 into the account. $5,000 went into a long term money market account with an emphasis on long term growth and dividends. The Coca-Cola's, General Motors, businesses like that. The rest went to an offering by a brewery Washington State called Red Hook. They opened at $15 per share. Now what people don't realize is that $15 is reserved for large investors or those in the know. I was able to buy in at $18. That $3 difference may not sound like a lot, but when you're buying tens of thousands of shares it adds up quickly. My 275 shares wasn't much compared to some. Within hours it hit $26. That was plus $2,200 in a few hours. By the end of the day it closed at $37 and I more than doubled my money. I instructed my broker to sell by noon the next day no matter what. I ended up with a $5400 profit. Could I have made more, sure but I also could have lost more. I moved that into several individual stocks, Pepsi, Coke, Apple and a new company called Tesla. I knew every deal wouldn't be this successful. But I would never bet what I couldn't afford to lose and never chase the big payout. People hold out hoping it continues to go up. Sometimes it does but most it falls to a more realistic level. 3 months later Red Hook was trading at $7 a share.

Some of the guys gave me a hard time for reading those business magazines and the Wall Street Journal during lunch or on down times. I talked to them about the same thing Earl from the book store talked to me about. Some were interested and others weren't. I had my broker come in and talk to everyone. Afterwards some got together to start an investment group. It was small, maybe 4 or 5 guys and they only put in $100 each but it was a start. Others took to starting a $100 a month savings fund for the future.

I also learned the magazine where always 3 months behind what was happening in the market. So I signed up for several Newsletters about stocks, The Motley Fool, Ticker Nerd and Morningstar. These helped my investing tremendously. I was very active with my picks. I was on the phone with my broker 5 to 6 times a month. Within 6 months I was making half my pay in dividends alone. I had a couple nice hits with IPO's and one really bad one. I stayed ahead through it all. I had never used $15.000 of the original $25,000 from the lottery ticket. I reinvested any earnings from investments. My dividends went into a third account or I bought more stock in a company depending on its current performance.

I wanted to do something for my mom so I told her I had won a all expense paid 6 day Caribbean cruise for 2 in a month. Of course there was no contest. My mom had given up so much for me it was the least I could do. It didn't matter that I was now paying all the bills. She was able to get the time off. She asked me if her "Friend" Rose could go with her. I don't know who she was fooling anymore. Everyone knew she and Rose were more than friends. I didn't care, if it made her happy it made me happy.

I guess my investing got around the company outside of our yard. Mike invited into the his office one day. He asked "Reggie, I see you got some of the guys here investing and even saving for retirement. That's a good thing, especially in our community. Would you be interested to talking to people at the head office. I know we offer 401K but more is always better. I bought it up at the last managers meeting and they were very interested in it.

"I'm not much of a talker and I'm sure there are people who know more about it than I do. Maybe they would be better."

"Darren thought about that, Having Jason or one of his coworkers come in and give a talk would work, but we want someone who people could relate too. Your one of us. You understand how much a difference $100 makes in a paycheck. We see the investment club you started with the guys. Hell, you got them reading the Wall Street Journal everyday. They talk stocks as much as they talk sports. That's what we need."

"Well boss you never lead me wrong and always shown confidence in me which I appreciate more than I can ever say. If you think I can do it I'll do it. Just give me a week or so to get something together. I don't want to look like a knucklehead in front of the bigwigs."

"You'll be good if you just be yourself. Talk to them like you want someone to talk to you."

"Sounds good boss, I appreciate the confidence." We spoke some more about things that were happening in the yard, we shook hands and I left with more pep in my step.

I got lucky with another IPO with a company called Dropbox, It opened at $21 a share and I bought 1000. The next day it was $36 or $15,000 in my pocket. I did something different this time. I sold half taking out $18,000. I didn't do many new companies but this one offered something different. I didn't see it as a flash in the pan. So far all these years later it has never lost me money. Its been up and down but overall I'm way ahead.

A couple of weeks later I went to have the talk about investing and retirement at the head office. I went in and met Joann who was Barry's PA. She showed me to a conference room that would only hold 15 people at most. I found out I would be there all day as there's more than 100 people in the office. I had timed it for 5 sessions if needed. I didn't know how many people signed up because it was voluntary.