TeleMarketeers 4 ~Carson's Reprieve

A Story by JD Major

"You goin' Holy Roller on me, kid?" Louise asked, removing her headphones.

Short Story ~640 words ...

Carson's Reprieve

"Hi, it's Carson at Dandy Products, do you have MagicLight in your home, Reverend?"

"No, thank God! But we tried out twelve of them in the church. Matter of fact I was just about to call Dandy."

"Oh?"

""The Dandy agent who took my order failed to mention the Clap on, Clap off feature."

"Uh-oh."

"Two weeks ago, at our Late-Night Praise the Lord! service you'd of thought it was raining hellfire."

"Lots of clapping, huh?"

"Yes, I'll say! Congregants were diving under pews, and running out screaming!"

"I'll advise Shipping you'll be returning the units, Reverend, for a full refund."

"Hell no! I want two dozen more."

"You do?"

"Word got out in the community. It was standing room only last week!"

"I'll ask Shipping to put a Rush on them, Reverend. Praise the Lord!" I rang off.

"You goin' Holy Roller on me, kid?" Louise asked, removing her headphones. Louise occupies the call-center station next to mine. She mothers me.

"Not hardly, but I sure owe the agent who sold Rev. Whitney a dozen units, a coffee. I got his reorder for two dozen more."

"It was me!" hot Holly said. "I should've had Rev. Whitney's reorder!"

Holly sits on Louise's other side. She threw down her headphones and got up in a huff.

"I was right about you, Carson!" she said. "You really are a jerk!" She stormed off.

"Look's like you stepped in it again, kid," Louise said, "and just when Holly was gettin' ready to forgive you for last time." (I had insulted Holly, the week before, in the misguided belief I was praising her.*)

"Damn! ... Holly was going to forgive me?"

Louise gapped a thumb and forefinger a quarter inch. "I came this close to smoothin' things over for you, Carson. If you hadn't bogarted this reorder, you'da likely scored yourself a second date."

"It wasn't my fault, Louise! Holly evidently neglected to transfer Rev. Whitney from the Cold-Call List to the Customer List after she took his order."

"I wouldn't lead with that if I were you."

" ... You hinting' there might be a chance she'd be willing to give me a second chance?"

"Is that a double-chocolate Krispy Kreme lookin' at me outa your SnapLock box?" she asked.

" ... Yeah ... cream filled."

"Yummy."

I gazed longingly at my dub-chocolate. "Bye, bye sweet donut, I hardly knew ye." I snapped my SnapLock and offered it to her.

She set it on a napkin already in place. "Holly likes Chutzpah, of which you've plenty of."

I rubbed my hands together. "Yes, Chutzpah's practically my middle name."

It was, now it's Mud. There's chutzpah, Carson, and there's borgarting reorders."

"Bogarting is kinda crossin' the line, huh?"

"Bigtime."

"Whatta ya think I oughta do, Louise?"

"Maybe, if you were to, say, print Holly on Rev. Whitney's sales slip, instead o' Carson, you might just be--"

"In like Flynn?"

" ... Yeah, and where'd a youngster like you ever hear an old expression like that?"

"From you," I said, busy filling out the sales slip.

"In his day, Errol Flynn had Hollywood starlets comin' and goin' like a--"

"Transit turnstile, yeah I know, Louise." I gave her the slip. "Mind puttin' this on Holly's desk before she comes back?"

"Don't mind at all." She put it on Holly's desk, just in the nick, before Holly returned.

I waited, prayerfully asking the telemarketing gods for mercy.

"Thanks Carson!" Holly said, waving the slip, looking past Louise at me. I've had you all wrong!"

"You're welcome, Holly.""

"I'm going across the street to Burger Heaven on lunch-break. Wanna come?"

"Love to."

Louise slid me a wink.

"Thanks, pal, "I whispered.

"Praise the Lord!" she said, raising the double-chocolate Krispy to her lips.

...............................................................................................................

*TeleMarketeers 3 ~ Please Louise

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Author's Note

Anything you'd care to share, I'd be grateful to hear.

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Reviews

Beccy

A really great addition to the series. Loved the natural flow of repartee betwixt the characters. Feel just a tad sorry for Carson though, between Louise and Holly, poor guy doesn't know whether he's coming or going. Mind you, that's pretty much the way it is in real life; (twisted round our little finger and all that.) :))

Beccy.