For Marcy, it was another typical night at work. All the offices on the mezzanine were dark except for her cubicle. From her vantage point, Marcy could scan over the production floor and see most her co-workers busy at their workstations. The girls working on the assembly line ranged in age from their early twenties to late forties. There were only five men working the night shift, all of them somewhere in their twenties. They were the supply and process control guys. Although a couple of them referred to themselves as "harem masters". It was their term for overseeing the girls and operations on their product lines.
Marcy's job was perfect for her. She was a night person, usually sleeping during the day and running around of an evening before work. Marcy didn't have to answer to anyone except the day shift production manger. She spent most of the night in front of her computer going over inventories and finished goods data. Marcy performed a physical inventory of raw materials at the beginning of the night shift and another finished goods inventory at the end of the shift, just before 7:00am.
The operation ran peacefully and smoothly on nights, no managers around making erratic decisions. Being down on the production floor gave her a brief chance to visit with a few of the girls. For the most part, the guys ignored Marcy, not liking the fact that she wasn't under their control. She rarely even looked at the guys, let alone spoke with them. Marcy was sure they made disparaging remarks, probably sexual, about her when she wasn't around. Marcy's intense shyness was the biggest problem she had to deal with on a daily basis. She'd always been on the shy side but during her teen years it had grown immensely. Marcy had great difficulty talking with any guys she came in contact with. She never dated in high school, never participated in any of the social activities. In a few weeks, she would turn 20, still extremely shy, still a virgin!
Marcy was 5'7" with an average to slender build. She kept her dark brown hair cut short so it was easy to manage. She always wore make-up and dressed neatly just so guys would notice her. A soft smile was her trademark facial expression. Guys had a hard time noticing her smile since she usually walked with her head down.
Although Marcy talked with most of the girls on the assembly line, Pamela was her closest friend. Pam was 25, divorced and quite well liked by the opposite sex. She was the same height as Marcy with shoulder length blonde hair. Pamela loved to tease the guys especially with her wise remarks and taunting gestures. Marcy wished she could acquire Pam's traits but knew it would never happen. The one thing the two girls shared was Marcy's secret of still being a virgin. Pamela frequently offered to set her up with someone but Marcy always refused. Being a friend, Pam didn't push the idea, waiting to let nature take its course.
It was midnight, time for the first break of the night. Most everyone headed for the outside break area, which had several picnic tables and was well lit. The warm night air filled with cigarette smoke and idle chatter. Marcy and Pamela stood off to one side leaning up against Pamela's car.
"We still going out for breakfast after work?" Marcy asked.
"Yeah." Pamela replied. "I need to drop my car off at the garage first. The whole damn exhaust system's about to fall off. Can you follow me over?"
Marcy and Pamela went out for breakfast every Friday morning after work. It was the end of their normal workweek, time to relax and think about the weekend. The two girls sometimes went shopping after breakfast or hung out at Pam's house watching movies. They seldom saw each other during the rest of the weekend since Pamela always had a date or two.
Across the drive from their facility was another industrial operation, a small machine shop. There were seven or eight guys that worked the night shift there. They always took their breaks at the same time so they could come over and talk. There was the usual amount of flirting mingled with gossip and sports talk. Marcy always stood off to herself whenever they came over. They probably thought she was stuck-up, not wanting to socialize with them.
Quitting time finally arrived. Marcy stopped by the production manager's office and dropped off her reports and printouts from the night. She was anxious to get away from work and start enjoying her time off. Pamela was waiting for her outside the entrance.
"Ready?" Pamela asked.
"Ready." Marcy replied. "I'll follow you over to the repair shop."
Marcy followed Pamela north on Shadeland Avenue to the repair shop. She could see the mufflers on Pam's car barely clearing the pavement almost hanging up on an elevated manhole cover. Pam pulled into the crowded parking lot of the garage and motioned she'd be right back out. A few minutes later, the two girls were on their way to Perkins Restaurant, their favorite place for breakfast.
The girls sat at a table along the windows. Their waitress brought them fresh coffee and menus. Marcy and Pam scanned over the menus briefly before placing their order. Both girls lit up cigarettes and sipped the coffee while they waited for their food.
"Hey ladies!" A voice greeted.
Marcy and Pamela both looked around the crowded restaurant, recognizing three of the guys from the machine shop. The guys waved at them. Pamela gestured back at them, Marcy nodded her head, forcing herself to smile. The waitress brought their food and more fresh coffee. The girls ate, casually making conversation about work and the weekend.
When the guys finished eating, they got up from their table across the room and walked towards Marcy and Pam. Pamela noticed them approaching and smiled. The three guys sat down with the girls.
"Fancy running into you two here!" One of the guys exclaimed. His name was Brett, a short guy, approximately Marcy's height with short brown hair. He had an athletic build and a nice smile. He appeared to be in his mid-twenties.
"We eat here whenever we get the chance." Pam responded. "It's close to the malls if we decide to go shopping."
"I hate shopping!" Ron exclaimed. "My ex was a shopaholic! One reason we got a divorce." Ron was tall and slender, well over 6' tall. His shoulder length dark hair was curled almost like a woman's.
"We're going over to Ron's and watch some new dvd's." Brett stated. "Maybe drink a few beers before the day's over. You girls care to join us?"
Marcy glanced at Pam to get her reaction to the invitation. Pamela smiled like she was interested, shrugging her shoulders. She was waiting for Marcy to say something.
"What do you think Marcy?" Pam quipped. "Think we can trust these guys?"
"Oh,...I need to get home and do some laundry and housecleaning." Marcy responded, coming up with a quick excuse.
"Well, I won't go if you won't!" Pam said. "Why don't we just go and watch one movie?"
Marcy hesitated momentarily before agreeing. She actually wanted to go, not wanting to spend the rest of the weekend alone. Besides, Chris, the third guy of the trio was a great-looking guy. He was a few inches taller than Marcy, maybe 5'10" or so. He had a muscular build, evidenced by his short sleeve shirt and tight jeans. He had sandy hair and a friendly smile. Marcy used to watch him during break times when he'd come over to join the girls. He was very quiet, hardly saying much during breaks.
The guys paid their check and generously picked up the girl's tab. They left the restaurant, walking towards their vehicles.
"Hey, one of us needs to ride with the girls so they won't get lost." Brett exclaimed.
"I'll ride with Marcy and Pam!" Chris volunteered.
