Earnest Frost entered the Computer Services Office. As usual, he spoke to no one. He did not have a bad personality, nor did he dislike any of his coworkers. He did not have any personality. He had nothing to say. He always dressed neatly. What else would you expect from an ex-Marine? The people at the front desk only had Secret Clearances, all except Billy Breck. Billy Breck had something in his past. The Air Force reluctantly continued to grant him access to the base.
Earnest hung up his coat in the lunchroom, walked across the hall to System 26, and knocked on the door.
Ricardo Perez opened the door and let Earnest in. “Easy night tonight! TA left a bunch of 5-minute jobs this morning. I’ve been really hopping. PCG left about five one-hour jobs. I got them done. All you have left are three three-hour jobs for FG, unless the evening courier brings you something. You should have an opportunity to catch a bunch of shuteye if the jobs don’t require too much interface. If you close your eyes, just make sure the printer output box is empty, a fresh box of paper is loaded, and the paper is feeding correctly on the tractors. There’s nothing worse than waking up to the sound of shredding paper in the printer two hours into a three hour job.”
Earnest nodded.
Ricardo left, tossing Earnest the key ring that would let him into all of the classified systems on the floor.
Earnest checked the printer. He rolled the operator chair over by the printer door and relaxed.
. . . Chunk a chunk . . . chat chap . . . chink . . . chink . . . chink . . . raw punk . . .
☼
Ricardo stopped by the job submittal counter for a smoke.
Billy, “That guy’s a fricking freak!”
Ricardo, “Were you ever in the service?”
Billy, “No! But he’s still a freak.”
Ricardo gestured for Billy to calm down. “The guy’s a Marine. You don’t come out of the corps the way you went in. He did two back-to-back tours in Nam
“What’e do over there?”
“Who knows? He never says anything. But, I heard he got a medal for something.”
Billy nodded. “I told you he was a freak!”
Ricardo frowned. “Listen, you go over there for two tours as a jarhead and we’ll see how you come back.” Ricardo snuffed out his cigarette. “By the way, when you gonna get your secret clearance?”
Billy went back to reading his Joseph Conrad book.
Ricardo put on his Little League jacket, walked out to the elevator, and went home to his wife and kids.
☼
Billy muttered to himself, “Fricking Freak won’t even come out and spend a cigarette break with me.”
DeeDee came in, swishing her hips inside her flimsy pastel sizzler. “Sorry I’m late Billy. But I was transported to another level of consciousness and didn’t hear my alarm.”
Billy slapped his Conrad closed on the job desk. “Jesus--it’s 4:15 in the afternoon. Wha’d’ya do, sleep all day?”
Tall and curvy, DeeDee leaned over the counter revealing her sumptuous breasts. “I wouldn’t call it sleeping, Billy--more like exploring. I explored places no woman has ever been before. Don’t you ever feel like exploring someplace new?” She bent over and picked up an imaginary piece of paper revealing her thong panties.
Billy could almost smell it, but he knew she got around. She really looked and sounded good, with her soft sultry voice and her soft curves; but so did cocaine until you tried it. God only knew what kind of parasites she had to make her shimmy like that.
☼
The bosses had flipped out, when corporate had ordered them to integrate the shop. They had hired a trio of girls off First Street who had tried out for their jobs by bending over in six-inch skirts that covered three-inch bikini shorts.
The girls--not exactly airheads--had not easily picked up those 50-pound boxes of paper in their high-heels.
Nevertheless, they had picked up the paper boxes and the bosses hired them for their eye candy value. Brains were not what guys remembered about them. Later, the bosses wised up and hired Melinda.
Melinda, the fourth girl, represented the new wave of hiring trends that management had adopted, after the customers complained about the poor job executions from the teasers. Melinda had come in early today, in a long-sleeved blouse and pants. Already hard at work on System 27, she supported a group of three airmen. Although attractive and intelligent, she looked more like Roy Rogers than like Marilyn Monroe--not to call her unattractive. She did more work in her ten hours than the other three girls together did in any day.
☼
DeeDee asked for a turnover as she leaned on the counter.
Billy, “Well it’s about time. I’d think you’d be accustomed to frequently being turned over, huh?”
DeeDee smiled condescendingly. “Hush Sweetie. You just wish you could stand up to me like a real man.”
Billy groaned. “Alright, these ten unclassified jobs just came in at 4:05. I left them for you to log in and set up since you were already late.”
“You’re supposed to log in, at least, anything that comes in between 4:00 and 4:15.”
“And you’re supposed to be here at 4:00. If you want, I could tell Diaz you just got in?”
“God! Where is Diaz?”
“He’s probably dropping off some dope at the guardhouse, so the guard will be ready for you when you drop on him.”
“If I had a witness, I’d have you charged with sexual harassment.”
Billy made an ugly face. “And if I had a witness I’d publish the picture in the Air Force Times.” He stuck Joseph Conrad in his knapsack and stood up.
“You really are a stand up guy.”
“Yeah, and you really are a lay down girl.”
Billy took the elevator down and went home to his lonely apartment. He knew what he was going to do first thing when he got home, after that teasing by DeeDee. He was going to wear it out.
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