Pictures on The Wall (Parts 1-10 The Full Story)
Jerry was also the star employee. his friend’s face graced every month of the employee-of-the-month wall. With December coming to and end, it seemed like Jerry would take the whole year.
Sherry tried to squeeze the last remnants from a bottle of ketchup. After adding a dash of water, she succeeded. She dipped her fries into the crimson puddle, one after one, until she finished with her lunch.
The cafeteria at the hospital was on the other side of the building from her office. As she walked down the hall, she glanced at the pictures of her colleagues hung up on the wall. Each one smiled back. Someday, her grin might even join them.
Her co-workers had been with the hospital for over ten years. Those dedicated to the team had their pictures placed on the wall. She admired each and every one of them. She enjoyed coming into work at talking with her co-workers and learning about their lives. Everyone had a story to tell.
As she grew closer to her office she stopped at a vending machine. It was Friday, which meant she'd treat herself with a candy snack to nibble on for the remainder of the day.
Mark rested his face on his fist as he tapped the keyboard with his other hand. He'd been working at the dealership for nearly a year. His best friend Jerry had gotten him the job.
Jerry was also the star employee. his friend’s face graced every month of the employee-of-the-month wall. With December coming to and end, it seemed like Jerry would take the whole year.
It was just as well. Mark had no desire of being on the wall. Why would he want his smile on display for everyone to see?
Sherry got into her car after work, the last piece of candy clinking against her teeth. Green apple flavored. She turned the key in the ignition. Nothing. She turned it again. She sighed.
The car had only been a year old when she bought it over the summer. How could it already be giving her trouble?
She remembered the salesman she'd bought her car from saying they offered free towing for the first year. After rummaging in her purse for her wallet, she found his business card.
"Let's hope you remember me, Jerry," she muttered.
Mark rolled his eyes. Jerry's phone rang throughout the day. Another sale, most likely.
"Hey, Mark the shark," shouted Jerry from the other end of the showroom. "You mind getting that?" He pointed to the couple he was talking to. Young, perhaps looking to start a family. Jerry would undoubtably try to upsell them on the latest and greatest SUV.
Mark smiled back and got up from his desk.
"Hello, Jerry's phone. This is Mark. How can I help you?"
"Is Jerry there?”
"He's busy. Can I take a message?"
"Can you help me? I bought my car over the summer and it just died. I need a tow truck."
"Our tow truck is in the shop unfortunately."
"This can't be happening to me."
"No worries," said Mark. "I have a truck. I should be able to help. Where are you?"
Sherry tapped the steering wheel of her car as she waited. The parking garage offered some reprieve to the cool winter air, but not much. She had dressed for the bitter morning, and felt rather comfortable.
She perked up when she noticed a truck approaching. Was it Mark? He said his truck was black. This one was dark blue. It drove past.
She rolled her eyes at her mistake. Mark wouldn't be able to access the parking garage without her ID card. She called the number he gave her as she walked toward the entrance.
"Mark here," he said.
"I'll meet you at the entrance," she replied. "You'll need my ID to get in."
"Sounds fancy. Okay, I'll see you soon. I'm about two minutes away."
Mark saw a young woman standing outside the parking garage as he grew closer. She looked bundled for the winter weather. He, on the other hand, had been running late in the morning and grabbed the wrong coat. Luckily, Jerry had an extra flannel in his truck for Mark to borrow.
The combination of the flannel and his spring jacket offered decent warmth.
He rolled his window down.
"Are you Sherry?" he asked.
She nodded.
"Get in."
Sherry glanced over at Mark as he drove through the parking garage. He had a clean shaven face and short dark hair. If she had to guess, she'd say he was in his early thirties, maybe a year or two older than her.
"Point it out when we get close," he said.
"Will do," she replied. "It's one more level up."
After arriving at her car, she leaned against the truck as Mark hooked everything up.
"Have you done this before?" she asked.
"For friends a few times, but never a customer. The tow truck started having issues just last week."
"That's a bummer."
“You’re the first to call for assistance since it happened. The parts are taking longer to get in than usual. Something to do with supply chain issues.”
“For your sake I hope I'm the last,” she replied. “Until your tow truck is fixed, at least.”
Mark pulled at his shirt collar as he drove. He felt nervous. Why? He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel while sitting at a stop light. Sherry moved and caught his attention. She removed the winter cap she'd been wearing, which revealed her curly blonde hair. She must've felt his stare, because she turned to him and they locked eyes.
She giggled.
He burned up.
"Thanks for doing this," said Sherry. "I'm sure you have better things to be doing today."
"No worries. I'm happy to help. This beats sitting around at the office while Jerry gets all the customers." He paused for a moment. "Never mind I said that."
"I won't tell a soul. Is Jerry a friend of yours?"
"My best friend," he replied. "He got me the job almost a year ago. Jerry is a good friend. He's an even better salesman. He's been employee of the month all year long. It looks like he'll be taking this month, too."
"He did sell me my car. Once we find out what's wrong with it, let's hope he didn't sell me a lemon. That surely wouldn't be employee-of-the-month material."
Mark laughed.
"No," he said. "No it would not."
Sherry texted her mother as they pulled into the parking lot of the dealership. She'd need a ride home if her car couldn’t be fixed sooner than later.
"Of course," said Sherry.
"Is everything okay?" asked Mark.
"My mom and dad are out with friends. I'll have to call for a taxi to get home."
"I can drive you." He shrugged. “Assuming you’re not out of here soon with your own car. Is there something you’re running late for?”
“Sort of,” she replied. “I have a date with someone I met on an app. If you wanted to take me home that’d be perfect. If I need a ride, that is.”
"I get off work in an hour, though."
She could hear a shift in his tone. Was he disappointed about her date?
"Are you sure? I don't want to impose."
"No worries. Let's get inside and get the process started for your inspection and potential repairs."
"Do you have coffee?"
"Coffee and something even better."
"What's better than coffee?"
"Hot chocolate."
Mark stood by the printer. As he waited for the documents for Sherry to sign, he couldn't help but glance over at her as she sipped her hot chocolate beside his desk.
The feeling of doing a good deed stirred within him. Could he end up on the wall alongside the sea of Jerry photos? He laughed at the notion.
After all the papers had printed he collected them and brought them over to his desk. He had a cup of hot chocolate growing cold, so the first order of business was to take a sip for himself.
"I'm going to initial a couple things," he said. "While you flip through this I'll go check on your car."
"Is there any fine print I should know about?" she asked.
"Nothing to worry about. There won't even be a charge for today. All this is just so we have record of the incident."
He slid the documents across his desk. After another sip from his drink, he got up and walked to the garage.
During his walk he noticed Jerry leaned up against the wall beside the coffeemaker.
"Hey, Jerry," he said.
"Hey, Mark the shark," replied the employee-of-the-month. "Are you making a sale?"
"She's here to get her car fixed. Apparently the battery died."
"That's the last thing anyone needs on a cold day like today. She looks a bit familiar."
"She's driving a car you sold her."
"And it died? I thought we had quality inspections done?"
"I don't think she blames you or even this place. She's the one who called earlier when I answered. I just wanted to let you know in case that was on your mind."
"Much appreciated. Do you want me to take over?" Jerry looked past him toward his desk. "She's my client after all. She’s cuter than I remember.”
"No worries," replied Mark. He nodded to his friend and took his leave.
Once inside the garage he noticed two of the mechanics leaning against Sherry's car. Kevin and Paul. They were arguing about the plot of a movie.
"Hey, guys," said Mark. "Is the battery swapped out?"
"Done and done," replied Paul.
"Using your own truck to pick up a customer. You may have gotten yourself in the running for employee-of-the-month," said Kevin.
"I don't think one good deed is enough to dethrone Jerry. He still makes way more sales than I do."
"Don't count yourself out," said Paul. "Unfortunately, the car isn’t ready to leave. The starter needs to be replaced, too. Don’t worry, we’ll have this ride fixed first thing in the morning.”
“Figured as much. I was hoping we’d get this car on the road today, but was hesitant to say anything to the customer. Thanks, guys.”
Mark returned to his desk to find Sherry on her phone. He glanced into her cup. Empty.
“Would you like more hot chocolate?” he asked.
“I’m all set,” she replied. “What’s the verdict on my car?”
“It won’t be ready until tomorrow morning. Sorry about that.”
“No need to apologize. I can figure out a ride to work in the morning. Are you still able to take me home?”
“Yeah, I can do that. We’ll leave in a half hour.”
Mark sat at his desk. He looked across at Sherry, typing away on her phone. Was she texting her date? He shook his head. It didn’t matter what she was doing.
“Hey, Mark.”
He looked up from his desk, he’d been working on a “script” for how to talk to customers. It was a trick Jerry had told him about. The current script was in its tenth iteration.
“What’s up?” he asked.
“What do you like most about this job?”
“What do I like most? The people, I suppose. I enjoy talking to people and learning about their lives, what they enjoy. You’re treated to a lot of stories in this job.” He shrugged. “What do you like most about your job?”
Sherry waved goodbye to Mark as he drove away. She couldn’t help but grin as she walked toward her house. As she turned the key she realized she’d lost track of time. What time had they left the dealership? They’d got to talking and the time got away from them. She only remembered that Mark said he’d never stayed after work for so long.
After getting inside, she checked her phone. They’d stayed an extra half hour than intended. Her date was in thirty minutes.
Sherry arrived to the diner where she’d agreed to meet her date. She’d chosen a place only a few blocks from her house, which worked in her favor since she could walk. Hopefully, she’d get a ride from her date to get home, although she’d have to be firm that he wasn’t allowed inside. Not on the first date.
She’d long been over meeting up at bars and also wanted an excuse to visit the diner. She’d gone almost every weekend with her parents growing up. It held a special place in her heart.
She spotted her date sitting at the counter. He had thick-framed black glasses, dark curly hair, and a green corduroy jacket. A white mug of coffee was on the counter in front of him.
“Jason?” she said. She placed her purse down on the stool beside him.
“That’s me,” he replied. “You must be Sherry.”
She placed her bag onto the counter and sat down alongside her date.
“I haven’t been to this place in ages,” he said.
“Oh yeah? You used to come here, too?”
“A couple times back in the day. We used to dine and dash. Do you think anyone will recognize me?”
“I couldn’t tell you.” Her heart sank. “What’ll you think you’ll order?”
“I’m not hungry. The food here isn’t good anyways. You actually want to eat here? I figured we’d just enjoy some coffee. It’s nothing special, but it gets the job done.”
“Diner coffee is the best coffee in existence. Everyone knows this.”
“You’re kidding, right?” He laughed and shook his head. “You have some low standards when it comes to coffee.”
“Hold on. We got off to a rocky start. Let’s start over.”
“We can start over a dozen times. It’s not going to make the food or the coffee here any better.”
“It was a pleasure meeting you, Jason. But I think we’re done here.”
Mark sat at his desk, watching the clock. It was nearly noon and the part needed to fix Sherry’s car hadn’t arrived. He took a sip from the hot chocolate at his desk and brushed his hand through his hair.
“What’s on your mind, Mark the shark?”
Mark noticed Jerry walking toward him. His friend took a seat across from him.
“The part needed to fix Sherry’s car hasn’t arrived yet. I’m not scheduled to be here much longer. I don’t even have any sales to finalize today, but I won’t leave until I know her car is fixed.”
“Look at the dedication on this guy. If I didn’t know any better I’d say you’re looking to take employee-of-the-month away from your pal.”
Mark smiled and rolled his eyes.
“Trust me,” he said. “I don’t want my picture up on the wall.
“I mean, it wouldn’t hurt. My picture is up there so many times it’s starting to look like wallpaper. Do you think I should sell my face as wallpaper to the customers?”
“If anyone could sell such an idea, it’s certainly you.”
As the two were sharing a laugh, Mark caught out of the corner of his eye Sherry walking toward his desk.
“Looks like your customer is here,” said Jerry. “I’d better take my leave.”
Jerry nodded to Sherry as he passed her. She took the seat he’d been sitting in.
“Hi, Mark,” she said. She placed her purse on his desk.
“Hey, Sherry. Can I get you anything to drink?”
“No, that’s okay. I haven’t heard from you, so I’m assuming my car isn’t ready,” she said. “This place was on the way to the yoga studio my mother goes to, so I took the free ride when it was available. Have there been any updates?”
“Not yet. I checked the garage about twenty minutes ago and the part needed hadn’t arrived yet. I’m sorry. I’m still hopeful it’ll happen today. How did your date go last night?”
“I wouldn’t even call it a date. More like a disaster.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. What happened?”
“I asked to meet at a diner. It was the same one I’d go to with my parents growing up.”
“The one on East avenue?”
Her face lit up as if he’d just told her she’d won a million dollars.
“That’s the one. You’ve been?”
“I love it there,” he replied. He picked up his hot chocolate and took a sip. When he lowered the cup he noticed she diverted her gaze to the ceiling. Had she been staring at him? He smiled. “They have the best food there.”
“I was so excited to go, but once we got to talking it seemed like I’d made the wrong choice. He wanted to be anywhere but there. Wait… You like the food there?”
“Like isn’t a strong enough word. I love getting a skillet with eggs and hash browns, sausage, and bacon. The whole deal. Add a cup of their delicious coffee.”
“Diner coffee is — ”
“The best coffee.”
“I couldn’t agree more!”
The phone ringing on his desk startled Mark. He’d been enjoying his conversation so much with Sherry he’d forgotten he was still at work.
He picked up the phone.
“Hello?”
As he listened to Kevin’s voice he tried to hide his disappointment from Sherry.
“I understand,” he said.
“I take it that wasn’t good news?”
“Good news and bad news. Your car will be repaired today, but not for at least a couple hours. The shipment is delayed.”
“That’s fine with me,” she replied. “What’s there to do for fun around here?”
Mark checked his watch.
“I haven’t gotten lunch yet. How about we get a bite to eat? I could go for some diner food…”
Mark opened the door for Sherry and followed her into the diner. The inside of the diner bustled with activity. Families and couples filled the tables.
Mark pointed to the bar, where the only open seats remained.
As they waited for their food, Mark wondered if her car would truly be done by the time they got back.
“I noticed that employee-of-the-month wall at the dealership,” said Sherry. “Well, technically I noticed when I first showed up to buy my car. It’s what pointed me toward working with Jerry in the first place.”
“It’s his crowning achievement.”
“I wouldn’t mind seeing your face up there. Have you thought about it before?”
“Jerry has it in the bag for this year. I’ll work toward making it happen in the new year.”
“You’ve got time,” she said.
She smiled and took a sip from her soda. Before they could continue their conversation any further, the food arrived. Mark sank his teeth into his cheeseburger. The best in town.
As he ate, he noticed Sherry composing an email between bites of her fries. Was she working? He didn’t want to pry, but caught glimpse of the context. “Goes above and beyond” read one of the lines. She must be writing a performance review for a colleague.
Mark dabbed his face with his napkin.
“I’ve had a great time,” said Sherry. She smiled as she spoke to him. “Do you do this with all of your customers?”
“Well…” He didn’t. He’d actually never taken a customer out for lunch before. “This is a first.”
“Maybe next time we’ll go somewhere a little fancier.”
“Next time? You mean…”
“A date. If that’s okay with you, of course.”
“Okay with… Yes, of course. I’d love that. I mean, like that. I’d be okay with that.”
“You’re funny.” She turned her attention back to her phone for a moment. Another email? “Should we head back to the dealership?”
“One more cup of coffee? You can’t beat diner coffee.”
She nodded.
“One more cup.”
When they arrived back to the dealership, Mark rubbed his eyes. There were gold balloons above his cubicle. What was going on? He followed Sherry to his desk.
“I’m not sure what’s happening,” he said.
“There seems to be some sort of celebration going on,” said Sherry.
As they grew closer he noticed a group of his co-workers walking toward them.
“What’s all this?” he asked.
His manager adjusted his tie. He wore a black button-down to match his leather shoes, freshly polished by the look of them.
“We’ve received some feedback regarding your recent accomplishments,” said his manager.
Jerry waved. Was he behind this?
Kevin and Paul both stood with their hands behind their backs. Kevin stared up at the ceiling and let out a quiet whistle.
“You came to the rescue when I was busy with a customer,” said Jerry.
“And you used your own vehicle to help a customer in need,” said Kevin.
“There wasn’t a moment where you seemed inconvenienced by any of it,” added Paul.
“You were there for me when I needed it most,” said Sherry. “You really went above and beyond. And so…”
Kevin revealed what he’d been hiding behind his back.
“Is that what I think it is?” asked Mark. “There’s no way. Jerry, you’ve nearly finished off the entire year being employee-of-the-month.”
“You deserve it, Mark the shark,” said Jerry.
Kevin handed Mark the picture they’d be hanging on the wall. It was the same photo he’d had taken for his ID badge. Did he really want his picture to be up there?
“At least it’ll only be until the end of January,” said Sherry. “Right?”
“I think he’ll make it up there a few more times,” said Jerry.
Mark could feel his face turn bright red.
Thank you for reading Pictures on The Wall. If you enjoyed this story, please consider sharing with a friend. I’m sure they’ll appreciate it!
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