Over the Edge 1 by Erika Rhys

Author:Erika Rhys
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Erika Rhys

An hour later, I’d been introduced to at least twenty people, and had even managed to have a conversation with a few of them. One of them, a short, stocky guy named Dave, seemed particularly friendly. Dave’s thick blond hair was closely cropped, and his broad, open face was dotted with several days worth of reddish stubble. He obviously liked to talk, which was fine with me. I felt more than a little shy around my new co-workers, most of whom were a few years older than me.

After a few minutes of initial conversation, Dave and I sat down side-by-side on one of the big leather couches and continued to talk about the Nomad Hostel and the people who worked there. I was eager to learn everything I could about my new workplace.

When I learned that Dave also worked the morning shift, I asked him about the manager, Carol.

“When I interviewed, Carol seemed really unpleasant,” I said. “I couldn’t tell if she was having a bad day, or if she just hated me on sight.”

“You mean Caroldactyl,” Dave said. “That’s what everyone on the morning shift calls her—at least when she’s out of earshot. You shouldn’t stress about it, because it totally wasn’t you. In her own way, Caroldactyl is ruthlessly fair. She hates everyone equally.”

“Why do you call her Caroldactyl?” I asked, puzzled.

“I have no idea who the genius was to come up with that name for her, but it stands for Carol plus pterodactyl—you know, dinosaur bird.”

I laughed out loud. “Dinosaur bird. That’s exactly what she looks like. Scaly and beaky.”

He nodded. “Yep. A dinosaur bird in an orange Bozo wig. Fortunately, aside from torturing us now and then, she mostly stays perched in her office, which is generally referred to as the Mayo Clinic.”

“The Mayo Clinic? I don’t understand.”

Dave looked at me. “You don’t know anything about this place, do you? Just stick with me. I’ll tell you everything you need to know.”

“Right now, I’m dying of curiosity about this Mayo Clinic thing.”

Dave grinned broadly. “Caroldactyl has a secret mayonnaise habit. Keeps a big jar of no-brand mayo stashed in her office. In moments of stress, she shuts herself inside and does a few hits.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Are you saying that she eats mayo by itself, like with a spoon?”

“On a good day, she eats her mayo with a spoon. But on several occasions, she’s been caught licking her scaly fingers.”

“Oh my God! When I first met her, I thought I saw mayo on her lower lip. But it was breakfast, so I chalked it up to yogurt.”

“Sorry. Totally no-brand mayo. She eats it by the bucket.”

I scrunched up my face. “Eww. That’s so gross.”

“I guess anything can be an addiction. Even mayo.”

“I wonder if there’s a twelve-step program for mayo addiction.”

Dave laughed. “Step one. Admit that you’re powerless over mayo.”

I giggled. “And only divine intervention can hold your itching fingers back from the jar.” My mother wouldn’t have approved of joking about God, but it was harmless fun.

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