Thank You, Mr. Jackson!(Valerie Allen) Thank You, Mr. Jackson!
by
Valerie Allen

“Hey, hey, hey! Guess what I found in the parking lot?” Queeny rushed into the employee workroom, her hand high above her head, clutching a small clear zip-lock bag.

All conversation stopped and the other four members of the late-night crew at 'Billy's Best Burgers' turned to look at her. Trever, Billy, Laural, and Ella were wide-eyed as they stared at Queeny.

“What's all this shouting goin' on?” Billy asked and made his way toward the group.

A grin spread across Queeny's face. She waved the plastic sandwich bag in front of her and then dropped it on the counter. She pulled the top edges apart and four small white pebbles fell out along with a crisp $20.00 bill. “I found me some money!”

“No! You didn't!” hollered Laural, eyes wide. She ran to Queeny's side. The other three co-workers stared in disbelief.

“Oh, yes I did!” Queeny assured them. She pulled a small white note from inside the bag and unfolded it. Take care of yourself and be kind to others.

“Man, when's my turn ever gonna come?” Trevor whined.

Billy clapped him playfully on the shoulder. “When you finish high school. When you finish college. When you get your act together.”

Trevor shook his head. “Sounds like a long road to me.”

“Life is a long road for all of us,” Billy said. “Be happy for Queeny. Your day will come.”

“Right, if I live long enough,” Trevor said and tugged his cap snugly on his forehead.

Laural rolled her eyes. “You know Trevor, for a young kid you're very pessimistic.”

Ella smiled, reached Queeny and gave her a hug, and then wagged her finger in the air. “Remember what your mom taught you about sharing,” she said to her friend.

Queeny laughed. “You can forget about that idea! This $20.00 is goin' right to the bus line in the morning. I'm gonna buy me an annual pass—no more diggin' around for change. No more trying to beg money from my sister.”

Billy nodded. “I think you get a 20% discount if you pay for the whole year in advance,” he said.

“Even better. I am lovin' this money, honey.” Queeny lifted the bill to her lips and gave it a kiss.

Billy grinned. “I've heard about people finding money here and there in the neighborhood with those encouraging notes.”

Trevor lifted his chin. “I wonder how rich you have to be to throw away twenty-dollar bills?”

Laural tucked a few strands of gray hair under her cap. “I don't think the money is being thrown away. It's being given away. Someone is trying to make a difference for someone else.”

“It sure made a difference to me,” Queeny said. Her eyes filled with tears. “I never thought it would happen to me.”

“It's probably from some ol' money bags, born with a silver spoon in his mouth who never worked a day in his life,” Trevor said.

“Oh, please stop!” Laural said and placed her hand gently on Trevor's back. “You are such a grump.”

“I'm not a grump. It's probably not even his money. He's probably giving away his ol' man's money.”

Ella tugged her Tee-shirt over her ample midsection. “Last week my aunt found $20.00 inside a purse she bought at the thrift store. Now that was a really good bargain! She went back the next day and bought a whole outfit to match the purse.”

Laural leaned back against the counter. “If I got lucky, I'd take my grandkids to the dollar store and let them have at it. They'd go all out with $20.00 to spend.”

Ella folded her hands as if to pray and touched her fingertips to her lips. She spoke softly. “I'd buy a box of Biscotti and take it to my grandma at the nursing home. She loves it and they don't serve anything special like that for those old folks.”

Laural brought her arm up to Ella's shoulder and gave her a squeeze. “Wow, how thoughtful you are! I bet she'd really enjoy that, especially from her granddaughter.”

Ella blinked back tears. “She'd love it but she wouldn't even know it was me. Most days she doesn't know who we are anymore. It's hard to go to visit, but we still love her.”

Laural looked at Trevor. “Okay, Trevor, let's have it. What would you do with an extra twenty bucks?”

“No sense in making plans for money I'll never have,” he said.

“You are such a Debbie Downer,” Ella said.

“It's the truth! I've never won anything in my life and I don't think I ever will,” Trevor grumbled.

Queeny waved her twenty-dollar bill in his face. “See Trevor, that's your problem. You expect nothing good to happen and sure enough, it doesn't!”

Trevor shooed her back with his hand. “You think wishing will make it happen? You're crazy. You're all nuts!”

Laural eyed him. “You know, for a young guy you sure have a negative attitude.”

His face hardened. “No offense, but if life was so good, why are we all working at a burger joint?”

Billy frowned and crossed his arms high on his chest. “Hey, I try to make it a good place to work. What's the problem?” He surveyed the group. They looked from one to the other.

Laural spoke up. “Well, I for one, am happy to work here. I'm old. I should be retired but I need a little extra money and I'm glad I found this job.” She smiled at Billy. “Thanks for hiring me.”

Billy nodded at her.

“I'm happy to be here,” Ella said.

“Me too,” Queeny said. “Especially tonight. If I hadn't come to work, I wouldn't have found my lucky $20.00 in the parking lot!”

Trevor rubbed his hand down his face. “Yeah, well, it's a stopover for me. I need some kind of job to work around my classes, so I guess it's good in that way.”

“See, that's the spirit,” Laural said. “Now you're talking. Get those positive juices flowing and watch good things start to happen.”

Trevor smiled sheepishly. “Sure. Let me think about where that next $20.00 is going to show up. Maybe under my pillow.”

Billy cleared his throat. “I think that territory belongs exclusively to the Tooth Fairy. I haven't read about anyone making house calls to give away $20.00 bills. Folks have been finding their good luck in different parts of town.”

“Okay, okay,” Trevor said. He lifted his right foot and leaned it against his left knee. He pointed to the hole in his shoe where his black sock was poking out. “Guess I'd buy a new pair of shoes.”

Laural and Billy exchanged glances.

“Sounds like you better use that next paycheck for the shoes,” Billy said. “I wouldn't hold out for a $20.00 give-away.”

“What would you do with $20.00 Billy?” Queeny asked.

Billy looked from one to the other and a smile spread across his face. “Why, I'd put it in the tip jar for all of you to share, of course.”

Trevor slapped his hands together. “Great idea! Why don't you start now, just for practice?” They all laughed.

“I think someone started to drop $20.00 bills with good intentions, and now other people are joining in,” Ella said. “Maybe it's one of those pay-it-forward things.”

Laural raised her eyebrows. “It all seems random to me,” she said.

“Sure glad it was random tonight,” Queeny said.

* * * *

“Everything locked up back there?” Billy called over his shoulder. “Is the freezer door shut?”

“Yes, Boss,” Trevor replied and flipped off the main light switch.

“Okay, Trevor. Come on ladies, let's call it a night. Good job, everyone,” Billy said.

The small group walked outside and into the parking lot. They watched as Queeny made her way to the bus stop. Ella waved as her boyfriend pulled up to drive her home. Trevor hopped on his bike and headed off into the darkness.

Ever vigilant, Billy looked around the storefront, pulled on the door handle, and glanced across the parking area. He walked Laural to her car. “I think we have a nice crew. Do you think they're unhappy working here?”

Laural smiled at Billy. “No. Don't listen to Trevor. He's just a hard-headed teenager with a lot to learn.”

“Thanks, Laural.” He looked directly at her. “I really appreciate all you do, not just the work, but all the mother-hen things you do for everyone. You see what people need and you find a way to make it happen.”

She smiled and opened her car door. “Thanks for the thanks.” She slid into the driver's seat. “I just do my job the best I can and hope these young folks learn from it.”

Billy smiled. “You know, I had cameras installed on the roof last month.”

“I didn't know that,” Laural said. “Expecting trouble?”

“No, but the cops said it was a good safety measure. Those cameras catch everything that goes on around here, day and night.”

She looked at him, puzzled.

He smiled broadly. “I can check things out, even when I'm not here.”

Laural smiled. “Spying on us, are you?”

“No, just keeping an eye on things.” He slapped his hand on the side of her car. “It's amazing.”

“What's amazing?”

He smiled at her. “I see people do the darnedest things when they think no one is looking.”

Laural's eyes widened. She shifted in her seat. “Like what kind of things?”

“Like tonight. I saw an older lady drop off a zip-lock bag right next to Queeny's parking space.” He stared into her eyes and gave his head a slight nod. “You know, that woman looked mighty familiar.”


* * *


Thank you for taking the time to read
Thank You, Mr. Jackson!
If you enjoyed it,
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Thank You, Mr. Jackson
by
Valerie Allen

Copyright by Valerie Allen 2018
Amazon.com/dp/B07D6WP7N6

All rights reserved
For more information, please contact:
Valerie Allen
VAllenWriter@gmail.com
ValerieAllenWriter.com
Amazon.com/author/valerieallen

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or events, is entirely coincidental.

Printed in the United States of America. All rights reserved. No part of this story may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the author.

Short Stories by Valerie Allen

A Good Thing on a Bad Day
A License to Practice
A Marriage of Convenience
A Mother's Love
A Tooth for a Tooth
Ad Hoc Committee
Best Wishes
Brotherly Love
Career Guidance
Conditional Love
Doggie Tales
Father-Son Bonding
Father's Day
Fire Engine Red
Fireworks on the 4th
First Love
Fit for Life
Future Plans
Holiday House Rules
Holiday Traditions
Home for the Holidays
I Remember Momma
Just Be Cos
Ladies in Waiting
Leisureville
Love is in the Air
Match-maker
Mother Knows Best
No Goin' Home
Potty Talk
Puppy Love
Queen for a Day
Second Chance
Small Steps
Split Second Timing
Thank You, Mr. Jackson!
The Big Winner!
The Garden of Love
The Lonely Life of Amanda Miller
The Penalty Box
Valentine's Day
Visiting Day
Words of Wisdom
~ ~ ~

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