Part 3

Wow, way too much sugar. I should probably get over to the where house now. I can never understand how bras and or panties end up on the sidewalk. Some times people just can’t wait to get home I guess. Of course the abandoned bras across the street from the shut down school do complement each other nicely. Maybe that was one they should have kept open.

Two blocks and one busy street and there’s no sign of that quiet neighborhood Floyd’s is in. Now its just semi deserted streets inhabited mainly by the homeless who have set up camp. Discount office furniture, paint stores, and auto shops take up most of the buildings between here and the slightly nicer shops on MLK and Grand. West of MLK the buildings change into a collection of neglected brick and concrete where houses and storage buildings. Raised loading platforms along second for unloading trucks and the same along first for the trains make up the streetscape here.

Making it through the carnival between the two buildings that make up City Liquidators I can see the where house boss standing on the loading platform. He’s doing what he’s always doing when I come by, standing around smoking and drinking a cup of coffee.

“Hey, did you get those showers I ordered yet?”

“Where checking them in as we speak,” he flicked is cigarette into the street and added, “We do have a working phone here.”

“Yeah I know.”

“Want some coffee?”

Part 2

Shit its cold out here. I could use a cup of coffee. I think there’s a coffee shop over on eleventh or twelfth. I hope nobody sees me rounding the corner and head away from the where house. The Penn Building 1964. That must have been a simpler time, when you could be proud of building an oversized concrete box. An ironic place for Creative Woodworking to operate out of. At least it doesn’t have those ugly saw tooth sky lights like the building up ahead.
There’s twelfth and no little yellow coffee shop, but there is a house and someone’s garage that have been converted into bars. I made it this far out of my way. I might as well keep going. It can’t be too much farther.
Zell's café looks like it’s quite the popular spot for breakfast although I think Hall’s tavern is more like my kind of place. Hey, there it is Floyd’s Coffee Shop.

Story Part 1

Fifteen new voicemails. It’s amazing how fast they pile up when you skip out early and then come in late the next day, but I guess people do need their toilets. In just 4 years as an American Standard wholesaler and now I get to talk too many of the city’s leading kitchen and bathroom fixture retailers on a daily basis. I guess it’s better than having to be on the show room floor helping customers all day.

After an hour of returning phone calls that is just what I found myself doing. My third customer in a row and another identical conversation. I really hope she doesn’t want to talk about toilets and tubs for her new bathroom.

I have a feeling that her contractor sent her down here so that he could get some work done without her looking over his shoulder for a little while. Why can’t these people just look at our stuff online? They really don’t have to come in here to talk to a salesman only to take a catalogue and say that they will have think about what they want and then go home.

“Well thanks for your help. I think I need to go home and talk to my contractor before I make any decision.”

“Here’s my card. When you decide what you want to do give us a call.”

I hope that was one of the old cards that don’t have my direct line on it. It’s not even ten and I think I need a reason to step out of the office for a little while. I bet the where house guys screwed something up and need my help fixing it.