Tag Archives: Cigar Shop

I Know But I Don’t Know

In June, after Raymond’s debacle after hours, I was told by Calvin to never let anyone in the store once it is closed. It’s a rule I follow, even when a woman says she’s from next door and needs help.

So last night, at around 8:45, Sean and I are winding down, wanting to leave after working all day. The phone rings. It;s some guy, saying he’s in a cab and wants to know when the store closes. I tell them 9:00.

He says he is trying to get here in time and I tell him he had better get here by 9:00. 9:00 surely comes and the guy doesn’t show. The door is locked and I start the final closing of the store, running credit card receipts, and printing out data and counting money.

There is a knock on the door. It’s the guy who phoned. I tell him sorry, but he’s too late. The computer says 9:03, his iPhone shows 9:01. I still tell him I’m sorry, the computers are now in closing mode. If it was a customer I knew or recognized I would have given him the cigar and written a note saying So & So owes blah blah blah.

But I never saw this guy before, this wasp vaginal slang. He moaned and walked away dejected. I finished up the closing of the store, Sean was gone by now and I headed out. I thought that would be the last of it.

Came home, saw Julio & Stine for a few minutes, watched some TV and went to bed. Woke up, needed milk and it was off to the supermarket for me. Came home, had breakfast and soon was wiaiting in the rain for the bus. Off the bus onto the subway and soon I was back at work.

Things were weird. Don was there, as was Marcus and Calvin. Apparently the wasp vaginal slang wrote an email saying that I was rude, and that I led him on promising cigars and then not letting him in the store.

He also wrote, (or so I was told) that he will never shop at this store again. Never mind the fact that I sold over $5000.00 worth of products yesterday, earning that big 1/3 of 1% commission. The fact that I followed the rules and did not let someone in the store after hours (or after minutes) was enough of a red flag to call me out.

Marcus was upset that we did not get this wasp vaginal slang’s $20.00. He asked if it were my store would I have done the same and I said yes. He was worried that this wasp vaginal slang (who no one has never said no to before probably) was going to have his ‘end of the month’ celebratory cigar somewhere else and bad mouth the shop.

As if the shop isn’t bad mouthed by some regular customers sometimes while sitting in the backroom smoking cigars. Marcus tried to smooth things over and I merely told him the whole situation was weird.

He thought a better word could be used but I insisted weird was the proper word. I have got to get out of this place and the sooner the better. They want me to work these god damned Monday Night Football events, and extra hours will be needed for the holiday season.

I have an interview scheduled for Monday afternoon with Macy’s in Jersey City. I may be unloading trucks for the holiday season and that seems alright for me. At least I can walk to and from there.

May 31, 2010. Happier and heavier.

I Want to Stand Forever

Life above the trees. On the fifth floor where Bill and I live, we are above the tree line on our block. No worries about branches coming through. It’s quite windy out so there’s always the threat of dead or weakened branches falling down and clobbering someone.

I had lunch today outdoors at my usual spot on Central Park West, eying the trees above me. It wasn’t raining and it wasn’t too windy but still a few people have been killed in the park by falling branches.

It was a weird day. Didn’t start out that way of course. I was anxious. Calvin was out yesterday and it wasn’t so bad. Today he would be back. I made it to work on time, determined to be ‘cheerful’. I walked into the store, surprised to hear Roots Reggae being played.

I walked by Calvin and said ‘good morning’, walked by Marcus and said ‘hello’. I asked about the music and apparently Martino Basher is a reggae fan and used some of his dough and recorded a reggae CD. It was horribly produced. I would have rated it a ‘D’.

The day was weird in the sense that the other day I was accused of being too silent while working, today it was Calvin playing the role of the mute guy. He wasn’t talking to me. That was fine.

Marcus asked me to fill an order that came in. I filled out the order, the total coming to over $1000.00. As I completed the order I asked Marcus if I should put his name on the sale. He said no. I did the work, I should get the commission. Plus being the general manager, Marcus doesn’t get a commission.

I did my best today, not caring about the commission and wound up selling over $5000.00 worth of goods. Left Calvin in the dust, though it wasn’t my intention and I didn’t care. A couple of rich, drunken Russians came in and dropped a bundle, as did a snooty couple from Barcelona.

Calvin sulked. Sean eventually came in, bringing the energy that a 20 year old young man has. I’m enjoying our relationship since we’ve agreed upon our common enemy. Calvin spent some time later in the afternoon rearranging the schedule since now there is a replacement for Raymond.

Some bloke named Bradley. When Calvin came back out he was quite chatty. Sean hipped me to the fact that Calvin likes to drink and after a few under his belt his whole mood changed and asked me what I thought about Marton Basher’s reggae debacle.

I explained that it was so badly produced and played him If DJ Was Your Trade, a Blood and Fire Records compilation. Deep, heavy dub from the 1970’s. Calvin said he loved it and was really getting into it. I also mentioned that Mick Hucknall from Simply Red loved Dub so much that he co-created a label to release these platters again.

And soon after that Calvin went home, leaving Sean & I to mind the store. It was a fast 2.5 hours. And a walk from the cigar shop to the bus terminal, from Sunshine Superman to Cherchez La Femme to I Feel Love, taking me 18 minutes, 32 seconds.

Not my best time, but somewhat leisurely, if 2 minutes can be counted as leisure.

I also stopped by and saw Julio & Stine. Stine made some meat sauce and had extra. She feels I am getting too thin and Julio commented that my suit looked big on me. I am happy and will reheat the meat sauce tomorrow since now it’s too late.