Prompt: Silly exercise where my writing partner and I exchanged receipts we had in our wallets.
“Julia! There’s a package in the reception area. Can you fetch it?”
What was she, a dog? – Julia scowled under her breath. Eric, on the other hand, was playing it cool. This ought to impress her, he thought, tapping his foot on his swivel chair carpet protector. He watched the lithe redhead bumble out of the room and unconsciously admired the name plate on his desk.
ERIC KOLBAS – SENIOR MANAGER
He loved the authority of his name splashed across fake granite. “Ah yes,” he said out loud. “Senior manager, indeed.”
Julia walked crookedly into the reception area, eyeing the clock. “Half past three? Damn! When will this god-forsaken day end?”
Before she could curse further, she was shocked to see not only a handsome package delivery man with sleeves rolled nicely around his tight biceps, but four large bouquets of flowers: tulips, daffodils, yellow crocus and a pickwick crocus. A gasp involuntarily fled her mouth.
“Sorry honey. Unless your name is Eric, these aren’t for you.”
Aw shit, she thought. But she looked over him anyway.
“I’d rather have your phone number than these flowers anyway!” she said, surprised at the words coming out of her mouth. He grinned, jotted down his number and pressed it into her eager fingers. He winked and left. Julia beamed with glee.
She re-directed her attention to the flowers strewn across her desk. What, did someone die? – she thought.
Julia couldn’t resist checking out the tags. She pulled out her reading glasses. “Hmmm. Dear Eric, thank you for all of your support. Sincerely, Boys and Girls Club of New Bedford.”
No way! – Julia thought. She kept reading “Large Cupped Narcisi… Ah ha! Eric and narcissism – finally something makes sense around here!”
Her secretary phone buzzed. “Julia Nichols, State Farm Insurance Office.”
“Julia, where are you?
“Oh, Eric. Yeah, you got some packages,” she huffed. Eric thought he had her figured out, but this woman still seemed completely unimpressed!
“Did you see who they were from”” Eric asked desperately.
“Let’s see,” she said, sounding bored. “Boys & Girls Club, Habitat for Humanity, Catholic Charities and… Arthritis Foundation? What – not getting enough calcium?”
“Ummmm,” Eric cursed himself. He spent $79.98 on these flowers and all he gets is “not enough calcium?” Wasn’t she going to praise him for his philanthropic spirit? He slammed his name card face down, followed shortly by the phone.
Julia quickly and unceremoniously plopped the flowers on his desk. As she left, she smiled to herself as she fumbled with the phone number in her pocket. “Now THAT’s what I call guaranteed delivery!”
