Fatal Festive Donuts

by Cindy Bell

  “Hi!” She called out and waved the ticket she’d pulled off the tree. “Gray?”

  He lumbered up from behind his truck.

  “How do you know my name?” He eyed her.

  “Oh, I must have heard it.” She shrugged.

  “Do you want a tree?”

  “I’d like to buy this tree, but I won’t be able to pick it up until later in the week. Is that all right?”

  “It’s your tree once you pay for it, maybe I should charge you storage?” He quirked a brow, then his lips spread wide enough to reveal his teeth. It took her a second to realize he was smiling.

  “I hope not.” She laughed.

  “Just write your name on the card, and I’ll make sure I set it aside for you. If you want, I can deliver it.”

  “Let me guess, that’s an extra charge?” She grinned.

  “Yeah, that’s right. Ten bucks.” He nodded.

  “Oh okay, yes, let’s add that on.” She wrote her name down on the card and handed it to him. “Thanks a lot.”

  “Thank you, Brenda.” He looked at the card for a moment.

  She smiled again, then handed over the money for the tree. Maybe he wasn’t going to win any customer service awards, but she saw potential.

  Chapter 2

  As Joyce walked closer to the truck, she noticed a small stall had been erected a few feet away from it. The wooden structure was tiny enough to be portable, but brightly painted, and featured images of all kinds of pastries. The sight startled her. There were various stalls throughout the market, but they were spaced apart according to regulation and the comfort of customers. The stall was positioned practically in the same space that the truck occupied. It only took her a moment longer to realize that the stall was hosted by the nearby bakery.

  “Jerry,” Joyce growled his name. She assumed this was his way of fighting back against the truck getting the spot at the market and being parked, in his opinion, too close to his bakery. Brenda had tried to reason with him, but Joyce had warned her that he was simply an unreasonable man. Now, she would handle it. As she marched towards the stall she already had quite a few things that she planned to say. However, as she approached the stall she was disappointed to discover two young men, instead of Jerry, who was at least in his fifties. She recognized them as employees from his bakery. As she walked towards them she tried to lip read some of their conversation. She grew up with three older brothers, who often plotted against her. In order to protect herself against their pranks, she had learnt to lip read and prank them first. She had honed the skill over the years. As she walked towards the stall she could lip read a few snippets, but at the angle they were standing away from her she couldn’t discern a lot. She could tell that they were angry and that they were talking about Orville. She walked closer to the stall so she could try to hear their conversation.

  “All I’m saying is that it’s wrong that he fired him. Orville has worked for the bakery the longest, he got me my job there, why would he just fire him like that?” The older of the two, she recalled his name was Mark, seemed quite upset.

  “I get it, Mark, but there’s nothing that you can do about it. Jerry does whatever he wants. Orville was arguing with him, he knows better than that.” He frowned. “It’s best to stay out of it, or you’re going to be the next one to go.”

  “For what? Having an opinion?” Mark rolled his eyes. “Clarence, if he can just up and fire Orville like that, nothing I can do is going to keep my job safe. But am I just supposed to keep my mouth shut when he does something like that? You and I both know that Orville is the one who runs the bakery, he does all of the hard work and the advertising. It just isn’t right.”

  “I know, I know it isn’t right.” Clarence held his hands out in surrender. “But there’s nothing that we can do. You just have to accept that. I want to keep my job. Don’t you want to keep yours?”

  “Yes, you know I do.” He sighed. “But still, I feel like there should be something we could do. What is wrong with Jerry, anyway? Did he just have a really bad life or something?”

  “If you’re looking for a psychological explanation, I have no clue. Man, some people are just not great people. I don’t know anything about him, other than he’s my boss. I’m not sure that I want to know anything more.”

  Joyce’s blood boiled as she heard their words. She hated to think of anyone being mistreated. She was tempted to join in on the conversation. She had plenty to say about Jerry’s awful customer service skills, and his impossible behavior. She could suggest that they document the hostility in their workplace, and perhaps report him to the authorities. But she knew it would be unprofessional to discuss such things with Jerry’s employees. In her experience, young men didn’t always want to hear her opinion on things anyway. She turned on her heel and walked back towards the truck.

  ‘Donuts on the Move’ had been a lifesaver for her. Just when she thought she would lose herself to the grief of her husband’s death, she came up with the idea to invest some of the money from his life insurance in a business. She’d always wanted to take a chance on something, and when she decided it would be a food truck, she knew exactly who she wanted as the baker. She’d tasted Brenda’s cakes and pastries quite a few times as she always made items for the bake sales, or to donate to charitable events, and sometimes just to cheer up someone who was having a hard time. She had a talent for baking, though she wasn’t fully aware of how good she was at it. She managed to create everything with love, and that love could be tasted in every fluffy, sweet bite of the goodies she created. Since agreeing to work together, they’d become close friends despite the fact that Brenda was much younger than her, and perhaps it was her friendship with Brenda, more than the donut truck itself, that brought back her enjoyment of life.

  However, Jerry was threatening that enjoyment. She tried to put thoughts of him out of her mind as she reached the truck. She knew that no matter what he did he couldn’t recreate the same delicious taste that Brenda did, so there was nothing to be concerned about.

  “Joyce!” She glanced over to see Brenda approaching from the tree stand. Her cheeks were flushed as her gaze fixated on the new stall not far from the truck.

  “I know!” Joyce rolled her eyes. “Jerry strikes again!”

  “I can’t believe he did this. He knows this isn’t allowed. He has to be approved to get the spot. This is totally against regulations.” Brenda crossed her arms.

  “I’m sure that he does know that. But maybe he is just trying his luck. Maybe he doesn’t care.” She sighed. “I am not one to go down quietly.”

  “Joyce, maybe we should just let things play out. The organizers will see the stall soon enough and I really don’t think that their stall being there is going to hurt our sales one bit. People have already tasted our food, and they like it, so why make a big fight out of it?” She winced. “I’m afraid if we make enemies we’re going to have a lot of trouble continuing on here. Jerry is a pain, if we make too much of a scene he might just come back at us harder.”

  “You make a good point.” Joyce nodded. “But he might not be willing to play it nice. He may just continue to harass us, and at some point, that will have to be stopped.”

  “Let’s just do our best to have a good day, and not think about him. If he tries to make any trouble, we’ll make sure that the police arrive to stop it. Deal?” Brenda thrust her hand out to her.

  “Deal.” She took it in a firm shake, then grimaced. “Ugh, what is that? You’re all sticky!”

  “Oops.” Brenda blushed. “I must have gotten some sap on me from the trees. I’m so sorry. Let’s go get cleaned up.” She started to climb up on the step that led to the door of the truck.

  “Wait!” Joyce grabbed her by the elbow. “Watch out!”

  “What?” She jumped back, eyes wide.

  “The eggs, they’ve already been delivered.” Joyce picked up a crate of eggs that was left on the step.

  “Wow, that’s a big change.” Brenda grin
ned. “Usually they don’t get here until closer to noon. Great job, Aaron!”

  “I know, I think I like this new delivery man. He manages to get everything here on time, or even early. Now we won’t have to worry about running out of eggs.”

  As Brenda unlocked the door, she laughed as she glanced back at her. “No, but we might have to worry about them freezing out here.” She swung the door open and stepped aside to allow Joyce inside. “See, our day is already improving. Well, aside from the sticky hands.” She glanced at her hands and shrugged.

  “All right, all right, I’m letting it go, I’m being positive.” Joyce winked at Brenda.

  “You always manage to be positive.”

  “Sometimes I think you’re a bad influence on me with your sunshiny personality.”

  “Hmm, I can’t help it, you bring it out in me.”

  They both laughed as they took turns scrubbing their hands in the sink. It wasn’t long before the first customers arrived, and as Brenda predicted, the stall beside their truck had no impact on their sales.

  As Joyce and Brenda were about to close up shop for the evening, two figures walked towards the truck. From a distance it was difficult to make out who they were, since the lights strung along the walkway hadn’t been turned on for the night, yet. However, when they got close to the window, Brenda recognized them right away.

  “Clarence, Mark, how are you doing, tonight?” She greeted them with a bright smile. She didn’t want them to think that there was any animosity between them even though they had been running the stall beside their truck.

  “Pretty good.” Mark smiled. “Can we buy some of those delicious gingerbread donuts, please? Six, if possible? Three with sprinkles, three with just glaze? Or are you all out?”

  “Please say you’re not.” Clarence groaned and rubbed his stomach. “I can’t live without at least a bite.”

  “Oh wow, I’m so glad you like them.” Brenda laughed.

  “Sorry boys, we’re already closing down the register.” Joyce thumbed through the cash before sliding it into a deposit envelope.

  “That’s all right, these will be on the house.” Brenda packed them six donuts in a small colorful box. “Enjoy them.”

  “Thanks, we will.” Mark grabbed the box and licked his lips. “I can’t wait!”

  “Thanks again,” Clarence said. “You’re the best.”

  “You’re welcome, have a good night. See you in the morning!” She waved to them as they walked away.

  “You’re so kind.” Joyce smiled at her. “I probably would have turned them away.”

  “Aw. I believe you attract more flies with honey, than with vinegar.” She shrugged.

  “We’re running a food truck, don’t say flies.” Joyce laughed, and Brenda joined in with her.

  “Good point.”

  “I think it’s a good thing you did. They seem like good young men. I just hope that they will rub off on Jerry. Who surprisingly, hasn’t been around much today, has he?” Joyce finished closing out the register.

  “No, he hasn’t. He must have hid out in the bakery, afraid we’d confront him or report him for the stall. See, now we have the upper hand.” Brenda finished wiping down the counters.

  “So you say, I hope that proves to be true.” She stepped down out of the truck.

  Brenda turned back to lock the door. She was always careful to do it, as leaving the truck parked overnight in an unfamiliar area made her a little nervous.

  “Let’s get out of this cold!” She rushed to the car, with Joyce right beside her.

  On the ride back to Joyce’s house they sang Christmas songs together. Brenda had never laughed so hard. As she pulled into the driveway, she smiled at the thin string of lights that Joyce hung up around her patio. No, it wasn’t extravagant, but it was just like Joyce, festive and to the point. Joyce unlocked the front door, and was immediately greeted by a floppy eared rabbit.

  “Molly! I missed you today, my little fur ball.” She scooped her up and carried her into the living room.

  “You have such a lovely home, every time I come here I notice a new and wonderful detail.” Brenda played a fingertip along the engraving of a wooden table. “What made you select this piece?”

  “Actually, I didn’t select it.” Joyce offered a fond smile as she ran her hand along the top of the side table. “This one my husband chose. He loved it, because he thought the etching looked like waves on the ocean. He was fond of the water, though not fond of boats.” She laughed as she shook her head. “Once, I thought I would surprise him with a trip on a ferry. I got him all the way to the harbor, and the moment he saw the boat, he turned green. Poor fellow didn’t have the heart to tell me that he got seasick so easily. He was actually going to get on the boat, but before he could set foot, he felt too sick and that ended that.” She closed her eyes for a moment as she savored the memory. As unpleasant for him as it had been, it was one of her favorite times with him, mainly because she learned something new about the man that she thought she knew everything about.

  “That’s such a sweet story.” Brenda gazed at the table a moment longer, then looked up at Joyce. “Charlie hasn’t picked out a single piece of furniture at our house. That was always my job, while I was home with Sophie. I didn’t mind it, but sometimes I wonder if he feels comfortable being surrounded by my choices.”

  “I’m sure he does. Sometimes men just aren’t interested in that type of thing. Knowing how considerate you are, I would assume you took his likes and dislikes into consideration. I bet he feels like he is surrounded by your love.” She winked. “It might sound a little cheesy, but it really is a beautiful thing. Special little moments, thoughtful gestures, those are the things that stay with you no matter how your life changes.”

  “Good advice to remember.” Brenda took a deep breath, then expelled it. “I’m still wrestling with the decision to be away from Sophie during the holidays.”

  “I know that must be hard on you. If I could run the truck myself I would. But you know I don’t bake.” She grinned as she recalled the disaster her attempts had led to.

  “No please, don’t even think about it. I love being here with you, and I love working on the truck. This has been such an amazing experience for me. I guess it’s just that with any change there will always be a little letting go of the way things once were. It doesn’t mean I’m not happy with the way things are. I couldn’t be more grateful.”

  “I feel the same way. I’m still amazed that things have worked out so well. Now, if we could just get rid of Jerry, we’d be doing even better.” She rolled her eyes. “He’s such a pain.”

  “Yes, he is one of the most difficult men I’ve ever run into, and I’ve dealt with a few over the years. I hate how he treats his employees. I don’t know what makes him think that he can get away with things like that.” Brenda frowned as she walked over to the couch and sat down.

  “I don’t know, but one of these days someone is going to teach him a lesson, and take him down a notch or two in the process.”

  “I just hope I’m around to see it.” Brenda smiled.

  “Normally, I have a rule about not wishing anything bad on anyone, but it’s hard to follow it in Jerry’s case. I keep trying to remind myself that he must have had some terrible things happen to him in his life to turn out so harsh, but that doesn’t always work to keep my temper in check.” Joyce frowned.

  The furry rabbit hopped right up onto the couch beside her. As she squirmed into Brenda’s lap, her ears flopped and wiggled, too.

  “Oh, she is so, so cute. Sophie is dying to have one of her own.” She stroked the rabbit’s soft white fur. “But I’m not sure now is the right time.”

  “They are a bit of work, and you have to watch their nails, they can be quite sharp.” Joyce reached out and pet the bunny as well. “But, she sure makes me happy every time I see her, and that’s worth it to me.”

  “I’m sure it is.” Brenda smiled as she looked up at her and caught the glo
w in her blue eyes. In that moment she could picture Joyce as young as her six-year-old daughter, just as gleeful, and fascinated by a beautiful creature.

  After Joyce and Brenda shared a light dinner, they both headed to bed early. In order to be at the truck on time the next morning they needed to be awake by four, and out the door by four-thirty. It was just a little earlier than they were used to, as normally they opened the truck at six. Since many people liked to arrive very early for the market, they decided to move the opening time up a bit to make sure they didn’t miss any customers. As Brenda headed to bed that night, she shared a whispered conversation with her husband, who was still hard at work at the newspaper office. He often worked from home, but during these very busy times of year and due to their minor renovations, he had decided it was easier to be at the office.

  Joyce snuggled Molly close to her, and whispered goodnight to the picture frame on the table beside her bed. It didn’t matter that the picture was unable to respond, in her heart, he always would.

  Chapter 3

  The next morning, Brenda woke with a sense of determination. She was going to make friends with Jerry, even if it killed her. Whatever it took to get him on their side, she would figure out a way to make it happen. When she walked into the kitchen, she found Joyce already there with coffee made, and leftover scones from the day before. They feasted on them, and savored their coffee.