Free Charmed Life by Jacqueline Druga

brightest bulb.”
    “True.”
    “If they gave away degree’s in coffee flavors, she’d have her doctrine.” Al chuckled and stopped, springing forward when the phone rang. “Yeah.” He clenched his fist and smiled. “Excellent. Send our guy there thanks.” He hung up.
    “They traced the money?”
    Al nodded. “And it makes perfect sense.”
    “Where is she?”
    “Honolulu.”
    Lou made a comment that Grace was pretty far from home; he just didn’t know the half of it.

    +++

    Grace limped. Not a lot and certainly not as badly as when she wore jeans, and they rubbed against her shin.
    Freddy was lying on the couch, feet propped on a pillow, holding the remote control. “Did you ever watch game shows?”
    “Not really.”
    “We should go on one. Josh was telling me about this show, it’s quite good.”
    “Enjoying your day off?” Grace asked.
    Freddy exhaled. “Yes. Very much. You?”
    “Without a doubt.”
    “How weird it is to have two days off in the middle of the week. We just started.”
    “That’s because we have to work the weekends,” Grace said. “I hear it is a madhouse.”
    “Who told you that? I didn’t think anyone but Larson talked to you.”
    Grace folded her arms. “That’s not nice.”
    “Sorry. Teasing.”
    “But it’s true. I heard a customers say it.”
    “The more the merrier, I find the customers a challenge and enjoyable,” Freddy sat up. “How the leg.”
    Grace lifted her leg on the table. “Healing.”
    “Nasty bruise. Even though the short out fit really works for you, princess should you cover that up.”
    “The gash needs to air out.” Grace put her leg down.
    “You never did tell me how and why that happened.”
    “Because there is no reason why, Freddy. Gees.” Grace complained. “OK, Monday I knew when I was introduced to her, that I was in trouble. Tuesday, when we got together for training, Louise said, ‘shut up and follow’. Which worked for me. I just followed her around. I thought she was drunk.”
    “That would be against the employee rules to show up intoxicated.”
    “Yeah, but she smokes on the floor and gets away with it. So who’s paying attention? She scares everyone.”
    “She would scare Jesus Christ.”
    Grace nodded. “So yesterday, she tells me to follow Larson, which isn’t a good thing. He slobbered on me twice and ate an air freshener. Then at the end of the day, she decided to time me and test me on departments. She tells me where to go, tells me to get an item from that department and get back to her. See how fast.”
    “What a wonderful training technique.”
    “So I thought, too,” Grace said. “About the third run, she tells me to go to housewares. I went to home décor and brought back curtains. She kicked me for being stupid.”
    Freddy gasped. “You’re right, that wasn’t a good reason.”
    “I told on her. But that didn’t do any good. When I went to my locker, she had taken a Bargain-Mart flyer, cut out a woman in a Bargain-Mart uniform, and mangled her face with a pen. She wrote, ‘this is you’.”
    Freddy widened his eyes. “How do you know it was her?”
    “Because when I was taking it down from my locker she called me a tattletale and said, ‘don’t fucking tell on her again, douche bag’.”
    “This is so reminiscent of my days in grade school. You may get stomach problems if she keeps this up.”
    “I know. This is starting to affect my sel esteem,” said Grace.
    The doorbell rang.
    Grace walked to the door. “How many times a day can you be called an idiot and not start believe it. I am starting to think Larson was normal before Louise got a hold of him.” She opened the door.
    “Hi!” Marybeth stood there. “You all busy? I’m not bothering you, am I?”
    “No, not at all, come in.” Grace opened the door for her.
    Marybeth stepped in. “Hi, Freddy.”
    Freddy sat up from his laying position. “Don’t you look cute.”
    “Aren’t you sweet, thank you.” Marybeth smiled.