The last day of the contest, Krista arrived with Daniel and Lorraine a few minutes after seven. It was just starting to drizzle. I didn’t have a raincoat, so I searched several closets in the house before finding an old trench model that belonged to my dad. It had enough buttons, buckles and decorative flaps for ten coats. Climbing into it, it smelled of mothballs and hung on my shoulders, airless and heavy, like an old canvas tent. How he ever wore this thing, I’ll never know. Now it was my turn to try. Gathering my briefcase, I headed for the front door.
But Krista and the kids beat me to it. They blocked my exit, demanding a ceremonial send-off, and my dad shuffled out of his bedroom to join in. Normally he didn’t get up this early, and …show more content…
It reminded me of being in grade school on the last day of the year when there were no real classes, yet there you were, going through the motions of being in class, so jittery with excitement that you could barely sit still. But there was nothing to do except wait and watch the clock so the teachers gave you busy work, if they gave you anything to do at all. Just something to take your mind off whatever thoughts were eating at you. The magic of summer vacation. Maybe having to attend summer school, or worse, if you happened to be the one kid in the class who was sweating being held back and having to repeat the grade over. There was always one kid like that. Thank God, that kid had never been …show more content…
Then twenty minutes. Everyone started getting antsy for things to get started. Finally, the door opened and all the reps applauded as the sales manager hurried to the front of the room.
“Sorry, I’m late,” he shouted. He grinned like a game show host, waving a sheet of paper above his head. “All right, I’ve got the figures. Who’s ready to hear them?”
A loud cheer went up.
I closed and opened my eyes, taking a deep breath.
“Then let’s get started!” the sales manager yelled.
The first name he called out from the list was that of a woman who was relatively new to the company. In quick succession, he reported her sales for the past week, followed by her sales total for the entire contest. He concluded by facing the board and moving her race car, a canary yellow Camaro, to its new position on the track. Everyone burst into applause. The rep had exceeded her quota, which meant she’d receive a bonus with her next commission check. From where I was sitting, I could see her becoming giddy with surprise, her smile flashing on high beam.
My sales manager made a show of ruffling the sheet of paper, preparing to call out the next name.
I felt my breath catch in my throat.
“Next, we have…”
He read someone else’s
But Krista and the kids beat me to it. They blocked my exit, demanding a ceremonial send-off, and my dad shuffled out of his bedroom to join in. Normally he didn’t get up this early, and …show more content…
It reminded me of being in grade school on the last day of the year when there were no real classes, yet there you were, going through the motions of being in class, so jittery with excitement that you could barely sit still. But there was nothing to do except wait and watch the clock so the teachers gave you busy work, if they gave you anything to do at all. Just something to take your mind off whatever thoughts were eating at you. The magic of summer vacation. Maybe having to attend summer school, or worse, if you happened to be the one kid in the class who was sweating being held back and having to repeat the grade over. There was always one kid like that. Thank God, that kid had never been …show more content…
Then twenty minutes. Everyone started getting antsy for things to get started. Finally, the door opened and all the reps applauded as the sales manager hurried to the front of the room.
“Sorry, I’m late,” he shouted. He grinned like a game show host, waving a sheet of paper above his head. “All right, I’ve got the figures. Who’s ready to hear them?”
A loud cheer went up.
I closed and opened my eyes, taking a deep breath.
“Then let’s get started!” the sales manager yelled.
The first name he called out from the list was that of a woman who was relatively new to the company. In quick succession, he reported her sales for the past week, followed by her sales total for the entire contest. He concluded by facing the board and moving her race car, a canary yellow Camaro, to its new position on the track. Everyone burst into applause. The rep had exceeded her quota, which meant she’d receive a bonus with her next commission check. From where I was sitting, I could see her becoming giddy with surprise, her smile flashing on high beam.
My sales manager made a show of ruffling the sheet of paper, preparing to call out the next name.
I felt my breath catch in my throat.
“Next, we have…”
He read someone else’s