Free Friends in the Mannequin Closet by Tom Raimbault Page A

Rich. He had no choice but to bring her back to the mannequin closet on Sunday morning.
    Early Sunday morning, hours before the store opened, Rich brought Julie back to the mannequin closet and browsed the collection for a third date. That's when he found Kim: a sophisticated-looking brunette all dressed up for what appeared to be a special dinner. He decided that Kim would be perfect to join him for a Sunday dinner at home.
    Kim sat in the living room all Sunday afternoon while Rich slaved in the kitchen to make the perfect meal. She was very much like the other two -- quiet and carefully mannered. But she seemed so sophisticated and high class. Perhaps Kim was the one that Rich had been waiting for.
    But when they sat down to eat; Kim wouldn't even touch her plate! Rich felt insulted, packed her up in the trunk and brought her back to the mannequin closet on Monday morning. He was beginning to realize that he was going to have to take it slower when dating these mannequins.
    On Monday afternoon, Rich was stunned to find the most beautiful lady he had ever seen posing in the women's department. He certainly couldn't yank her off the floor and take her home for the night because people would wonder what happened to the mannequin that was posing the fall fashion in the women's department. Rich decided this was the perfect opportunity to take it slow and get to know this mannequin before taking her out on a date.
    Night after night Rich wrote her poetry and love letters to show off his sensitive side and then would sit by her in the early morning before the store opened to read them to her. He realized she couldn't react because she was out on the floor, but he knew his writings were melting her heart.
    And then one day Rich found out that the mannequin scenery was going to change. Finally, he would have the opportunity to take the mannequin home as her job was done for the season. But then he heard the most horrible news from his boss of the destiny of this new found lover. “Rich, this mannequin is becoming outdated. Let's wheel it out to the trash compactor along with these other mannequins."
    There was no way for Rich to save his lover! His boss was with him the whole time going over the list of work for the day while helping him unload the mannequins into the trash compactor. Rich placed his lover in last and followed his boss's instructions to press the button to start the crushing machine.
    But before he pressed, he made sure no one was looking and turned to lip the words, "I love you". He pressed the button and sadly crushed his mannequin lover who seemed to silently beg for help. It was so cruel: his boss motioned Rich to hurry up, leaving him no chance to be with his lover in her final moments alive
    He sits alone on a Monday night in devastated sadness. But he learned a valuable lesson: be sure not to have too many friends in the mannequin closet!
    The End!