Read Online Benny: A Tale of a Christmas Toy by K. C. Scott - Free Book Online

at the front of the
store like some sort of intramural football team, stared at
him.  They were all so different, men, women, old, young, yet
somehow the green aprons made them the same, morphing them into
giant green blob.  The aisles behind the employees were empty
of people, the store not yet open.  Some Celine Deion tune,
the vocals stripped, played quietly from the ceiling. 
Standing close to the sliding doors, as he was, he felt a draft of
cool morning air.  Too damn early.  Usually he was never
out of bed until noon.  If not for the cup of cappuccino
warming his hand, he never would have been able to survive.
    Finally he remembered that Garby was his new
last name.  How could he forget?  He had been rehearsing
for weeks.  Jeff Garby, a new graduate of Yale, originally
from Wisconsin, worked briefly for Target, pleased to meet
you.  He was fibbing a little, of course, but not so much
there wasn't a grain of truth in there.  He had shopped at
Target once.  That was close to working there.  And most
people, including himself, thought there was little difference
between Minnesota and Wisconsin.
    "That's right," Jeff said, wondering just
how you could possibly pronounce the name any other way.
    Olsen nodded, obviously pleased with
himself.  He had the kind of pinched face and slicked back
hair that made Jeff think of an otter—one which had just emerged
from a pond, fur still glistening.  He also had a hunch why
Horace Dugin had chosen this particular store:  Olsen was a
lot like Jeff's father.  Ex-military.  Always marching
around barking orders.  Even if what the guy said was
reasonable, Jeff still felt the urge to argue. 
    Dad's challenge had seemed so easy, but now
Jeff wondered if the old man knew what he was doing.  He had
to last one year as an assistant manager, and at the end of that
year, Dad would ask the employees if they thought he should be
brought back.  If the majority said yes, Jeff would get a shot
at the top job.  To make it fair, he had to use a different
name, and he couldn't tell anybody who he was, or try to bribe them
in any way.  Jeff thought it'd be a piece of cake, but looking
at the employees now, with their hard, scrutinizing stares, he
began to realize what he was up against.
    "Say hello to Jeff Garby, everybody," Olsen
said.  "He's our newest Team Member, and your new Assistant
Manager."
     
    (...continued...)
     
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