The Gardens of Digby Green: Notice
Bags of sand on pallets ranged along the far stretch of chain link fencing. Digby turned on the forklift and lowered the tines. He knew how much the job should take, but he’d load extra. The customer might have sloping ground to level.
Digby chose the pallet with nine bags of sand and raised it into the truck box, along the left wall. It could’ve been closer, but he wanted to watch Tim struggle with the dolly of pavers.
Should he invest part of his next check in a hammer and chisel? A hammer would probably be sufficient. After he’d parked the forklift in its usual spot, Digby moved the truck closer to the building where Tim was adding a fifth layer of patio pavers to the already unstable dolly.
As Digby dropped out of the truck cab, the store manager stepped through the back door, scowling.
“Green,” he said, “I want an explanation, and it better be provable, of why an order of miniature roses was not delivered to Rose’s Roses. The owner’s husband came in complaining about the amount of his wife’s bill because there were no miniature roses at her shop. What happened?”
Digby shifted his weight and focused on a spot over the manager’s right shoulder. “The lady refused them, claimed they were infected and infested.”
“What did you do with the stock?”
“I got rid of them.”
“You didn’t have authority to do that. The plants should have been brought back here and sprayed for pests and fungus. I’ll dock your check this week accordingly.”
“Consider this my two weeks’ notice.”
“You’re still on the job, so get to work.” The manager walked off.
Grumbling, Tim finished the fifth layer of pavers and continued with the sixth.
Digby stepped behind the truck, and let down the loading ramps. “Aren’t you finished yet, Tim?”
The Gardens of Digby Green is a serialized story that posts on Fridays.
Next week, part forty-one, Connection?
Find a link to purchase Heartland Treasures anthology here.
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