This has been a tough week for me, went through a harrowing experience and it has thrown me for a loop, I missed posting once this week. Will post about my traumatic event and publish my account of it tomorrow, but for now on with the story.
Like always, click here for Chapter One.
Chapter 6:
The key hung on a rubber band, on a nail in the broom closet for the next two weeks. Sharon did not bring it up, she knew when Gary was ready she would be also. Without Gary noticing she moved a bag into an unused shelf in the broom closet, it contained a few ‘just in case’ items. Sharon noticed Gary’s attitude changing a bit, he got friendlier with the customers, and he was not so gruff and short. In fact with little kids who came in with their parents he was downright friendly and he took her suggestion on changing the number of copies to order.
“It’s Tuesday.” Gary announced as he finished counting the cash register drawer and filling out a deposit slip.
“Yes, I know.” Sharon said as she wrapped to cord up on the vacuum cleaner.
“So tomorrow is Wednesday.”
“Boy boss no one can pull anything over on you.”
“That means new comic day.”
Sharon stopped what she was doing turned around put her one hand on her hip and then a hand up to her chin. “I think I heard that somewhere.”
Gary grabbed a foam squishy shark that sat on the counter and threw it at her with a quick overhand throw. Sharon deftly caught it by the tail at seemingly the last second before it hit her nose and threw it back at him in the blink of an eye. Gary was so amazed by her reflexes that the shark bounced off his shoulder, she had moved so quickly it was almost unbelievable. She laughed at the stunned look on his face. “Did you have a point to your declaration of fact or where you reminding me to be here early?”
Gary bent down and picked up the shark and placed it back on its place next to the cash register. “Well since your finals are almost all done, and we open early tomorrow, I was thinking about closing early tomorrow and maybe you and I going out to dinner somewhere?” He said as he studiously re-counted the money going with the deposit slip.
Sharon was a bit surprised after the finding of the key he had not asked her out again. She was glad he had not given up. “Ah I am sorry Gary, I would love to go out with you, but I was given the option of taking my physics final on Thursday morning instead of Friday, and my study group was going to go over formula’s tomorrow night.” She really was sorry and tried to think of a way to make it up to him.
Gary zipped up the bag for the deposits. “Oh no problem, I understand, in fact I will be in the same boat next semester, what with my classes starting and all.”
Sharon seized on an idea. “Would you please walk me home tonight?”
Gary looked up; she had never asked him to do that before. “Sure, sure thing. Let me run upstairs and get my coat.”
Sharon finished shutting down the store, turning off the lights, and placing the chairs back under the table from where she had moved them when vacuuming. Gary came back down wearing his brown leather jacket, he even helped her on with her coat, she reminded him to grab the deposit bag and they walked out together locking the door behind them.
“Okay, now then, all the pull lists are done except,” and Gary checked his list. “ A. Clark.” Gary looked over at the box listed with the name. “That thing is full. Where has this guy been, he is tying up my inventory.”
Sharon continued going thru the new books. “Jimmy and Clark told me he is in the National Guard or the Marines and he got deployed.”
“Did they know when he was coming back, because he has about a hundred bucks worth of my inventory in his box.” Gary said leafing thru the books.
“It’s worse than what you think boss.”
He turned to look at her. “Why is it worse?”
“Well it was half full when I got here, and so I have been putting his pull list in an overflow box downstairs.”
“Why?” Gary asked dragging out the word while looking at the newest Captain America he was about to put into A. Clark’s box.
“Well,” She said sounding a little embarrassed. “When he got back from Afghanistan or wherever he is I wanted his comics books waiting for him.”
Gary leafed thru the books in the box again and then sighed. “Okay, but talk to the regulars and see if anyone knows when he will be back. Far be it for me to take away what a guy is fighting for.” He looked at his watch, ten minutes till they opened the door. He looked outside and saw that one of the regulars was already waiting outside waiting for the door to open.
Categories: Outrageous Lies and Tales, The Disinclined Purveyor of Sequential Art
Stories and Quotes from the Mind* and Keyboard of A.A.Forringer 
I’m having problems find Part 4. Is there a link to the entire story to-date. I want to know what happens.
Sorry Malcolm, chapters come out every Saturday, you will just have to wait, but I am adding links to all the stories to navigate it better, they are all found under the Outrageous Lies and Tales Section of the site.