Hi there, guys and dolls! Workday Wednesday is here and I made sure my boss had a doozy of one. Let me tell you all about it.

I was sitting at my desk, minding my own business (well, actually, I was listening to Patty Sue tell me what she heard from Linda Lee that Debbie May had gotten up to on the weekend, that’ll be for another time…) when the big old goat (boss) came up to my desk, asking for a favor.

Now, I don’t like when he does that. It usually involves something I don’t want to do and really shouldn’t, but I can’t refuse, well, cuz he’s the boss. Anyhoo, when he hauled me into his office, he told me he was in a real pickle because he still didn’t get his wife a Christmas present and had no idea what to get her. He figured me being a girl and all that I would know exactly what she’d want (really, she’s an ancient old prune and picked this old goat to stay married to, so how the heck would I know what she wanted, other than a bag of money…).

Now usually I’m all for getting out of the office, but today was spiked coffee day thanks to Chuckie, the coffee wagon kid and he was one swell little bartender. The annual event always turned out to be quite the happening. When I started to object, the boss said it was an order, so I dejectedly slunk out his office, grabbed my purse and hat and steeled myself with a slug from the coffee cart to face the shopping hordes.

The department store was packed and vicious. People getting into fisty cuffs over ties and scarves, kids wailing as they were dragged up the escalators. I think someone lost a shoe somewhere. It was mayhem and pandemonium everywhere. That man owed me one. Or two. Or three. Or, at least my new holiday party dress on his charge account. That’ll work.

I made a beeline for the formal dresses department (forget good or better dresses, I’m going for the goods). Oh, the fun I had. The sales ladies pampered me, showing me such gorgeous numbers, plying me with champagne. And did I pick out the sexiest, most darling strapless blue number! Then as I signed the chit for the account (boy, there were a lot of zeros and a comma in that dollar sign combo, I think), the voice over the store’s PA system announced that it was now closing time.

Sheer panic! What the heck what I going to get Mrs. Old Goat? I stopped at a table with a picture of a woman on the sales sign and picked up this rather heavy, rectangular object. Felt valuable, like something of substance, and like it was a women’s type of gift. Perfect. I signed for it and arranged for wrapping and delivery to the boss’s house. Done!

I was so happy when I got home, such a successful day! As I put my feet up and played with my new dress, I had a good look at the receipts. Looks like the dress won’t be the only thing I’ll have to smooth over with the boss when the bill comes in the new year. Turns out the wife’s substantial present was a bathroom scale. Wonder if they’ll still be married in January….

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for more posts. And don’t forget to give my Poppy Cove Mysteries a try if you haven’t already. 

Toodles, Barbara Jean