when i found you by catherine ryan hyde

Author:catherine ryan hyde
Language: eng
Format: mobi
ISBN: 9781465771919
Publisher: Black Swan
Published: 2009-09-10T00:00:00+00:00

Nat stood on the loading dock, staring at stack after stack of wooden crates, each containing sixteen milk bottles. Awaiting further instructions.

The foreman, an old but muscular guy named Mr. Merino, came around and clapped him on the back. Then he set a printed form on top of the stack right in front of Nat’s belt.

“LaPlante wants you to fill this out.”

“What is it?”

“Instructions for withholding. You know, from your paycheck.”

“I can’t fill that out here.”

“Why the hell can’t you?”

“Because I promised Nathan McCann I’d bring it home and get his advice on it first.”

“I’ll have to see what LaPlante thinks about that.”

“He’ll think it’s fine. Because Nathan McCann said so.”

“OK. Well, I’ll just double-check that.”

“Yes, sir. That’s fine. Should I be doing something while I’m waiting?”

“Yeah. I’d say so. I’d say you should be picking up those crates that are right under your nose. And loading them into that truck. That’s also right under your nose.”

“OK. I just thought maybe there would be instructions.”

Merino stood with hands on hips, his chin raised high. As if to be taller while looking down on the new guy. The one with the huge black mark against him. “You’re unclear on how to pick things up and then put them down again?”

“No, sir. I’m not. Not at all. I can handle that. I’ll just get started.”

“Glad to hear it,” Merino said. And turned his back to walk away.

“Mr. Merino? What time is quitting?”

Merino whirled back. “Excuse me?”

“Did I say something wrong?”

“You haven’t so much as lifted your first crate, and you already want to know what time you can stop?”

“I didn’t mean it like that. Not at all. Just that it’s a weird workday, you know. Not a regular one. Because I started late. And I just have to take the bus home, is all. And I just wanted to be sure it wouldn’t be after the buses stopped running.”

Merino continued to eye him harshly. “Bus runs till ten at night.”

“No problem, then,” Nat said. With a little salute.

He lifted a crate. It was surprising how heavy sixteen quart bottles of milk in a wooden crate could be.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.