Love for the Holidays Box Set

And Good Will To All-3

The December wind was brisk as I gave Mack—Lonnie—a tour around the facility so he could get to know the layout. It was already in the forties, and the sun hadn’t even gone down. The gravel shifted a bit under our feet with each step we took. We stopped to help two customers struggling to load a couch into the back of a truck. They thanked us before we moved on.

“This is an old school setup,” I explained. “More modern facilities are climate controlled, and what-have-you. But we’re a small town, as you know, so we work with what we have. I bought this place and made a few upgrades. As you saw, the renters use a keypad to get in at the gate, and there’s a security camera recording it at all times. Everyone has twenty-four hour access. Our biggest units are ten by twenty, and these also have their own keypad. All the other units, the smallest of which is a five by five, need a personal lock. All the units have rollup doors. Rent is month to month, six months, or annually, by the way.”

I pointed out the security cameras, all ten of which were strategically placed on each row and around the fence, before we headed back to the office. I showed him the little storage supplies shop we had, with boxes, tape, and so on available for renters who needed it.

I setup a password on the computer behind the front desk so he could have employee access. I had already placed a file folder on the desktop with the necessary manuals, tutorials, and anything else to help him become more familiar with the way things worked. Then I pointed his attention to the camera setup and explained how it all functioned.

“For now,” I concluded, “just worry about keeping an eye on the cameras. That’s the main thing I need at the moment. I’ll stay with you for an hour or so when you come back tonight, then you’re on your own. You’ll do a walk-around a few times during the night to physically check that units are still secured, and I usually leave a note explaining anything extra that needs to be done. Clear?”

He nodded.

Before Lonnie left, I gave him keys to the office, along with the access codes he would need. Finally, I handed him a business card with my cell phone number.

“If there’s an emergency, call me, no matter the time. We’ve had fires and floods over the years, but, somehow, we keep going.”

Truth was, this place was my pride and joy, a testimony to longevity when so many things in my life had failed me since I was young. I would do anything, make any sacrifice, to keep it going. I had nothing else, after all.

Lonnie took the card and stuck it in his jacket pocket. “Okay, will do. Oh…” He hesitated before adding, “I know it’s after official business hours, but I need to rent a unit right away if I could.”

“Not a problem.” I set him up quickly with a ten by ten for a month, to start with, deciding that I would fill in the details later.

He dug into an old leather wallet that was falling apart, barely held together by a rubber band, and paid in cash. He also purchased a lock and key. “Thanks, boss.” He gave me a small smile, slightly strained at the edges, but there all the same.

My heart lurched, but I pretended nescience. “Sure.”

I walked out of the building with Lonnie and headed around to the back lot where he’d parked an old Honda Civic, silver in color. The paint was chipped in places, and duct tape held the side mirrors onto the car’s frame. Definitely not what I would have expected from a guy who rode a motorcycle in high school, once he got his license. In fact, nothing about Lonnie was the same. I made no comment as we shook hands briefly.

“This means a lot, Charlie—Charles.” He noted the flinch I couldn’t suppress when he used my old nickname. “Sorry.”

He unlocked the car and sat down. The steering wheel had strips of cloth and tape wrapped around it, and I had a brief glance of fast food wrappers from a couple places in town.

Before he started the car, Lonnie said, “I have a lot of things to make up…”

I didn’t want to go down that road. It looked like he had enough trouble taking care of his own problems.

“Forget it, Lonnie. It’s okay, really.” And I meant that. “I’ll see you tonight.”

I rapped on the roof of the car and stepped back as he turned on the engine and backed up. I watched him drive away, trying to shrug off the thought that my new manager might be in dire straits, or worse, some kind of trouble.