The Customer Is Always Right by hedda_1 [Oneshot #61]
Samantha Jones had always loved her job. Until that one faithful day came…
It had been a very successful morning for her. Her children had managed to be in time for once, so that she hadn’t had to drive them to school. Her husband had called from work to tell her that he had booked a table for two at her favorite restaurant in town for today.
When she had arrived at work, her colleagues greeted her enthusiastically and wished her a happy birthday. They had even baked a chocolate cake. It was delicious and she shared it with her second family.
Samantha worked at a department store that specialized on toddlers. Her task was to assist customers in their choices. Therefore she often wandered between the shelves in order to find any lost sheep that needed her guidance.
Just as she was inspecting the newest model of a highchair, she witnessed from afar a small dispute of a young couple…. At least the woman was young, for the man had shining white and long hair. Maybe they weren’t a couple at all? Maybe he was her grandfather?
While the woman gestured frantically, often pointing at her flat belly, the man simply stood there tall as a tower and equally unaffected. At some point, the woman obviously had enough and stomped away. The man’s gaze, however, was not focused on the retreating woman, but on her!
Samantha understood at once and made a beeline for him. As she was approaching him, she noticed that his hair was not his only peculiar feature. He was a young man after all, judging by the smoothness of his pale skin. The poor lad was probably an albino. When she stopped in front of him, she had a hard time not to stare at his weird facial markings that had a shocking magenta tint. And, was there a purple crescent moon on his face?
People nowadays, she mused. Her sixteen year old daughter would have loved it, though.
“Can I be of any assistance, sir?” Samantha asked politely.
“Indeed.”
Instead of elaborating any further, he inclined his head towards the baby cribs. Samantha swallowed. That guy was giving her the creeps. And the cold stares of his golden eyes did not help, either.
“Congratulations on your newborn, then!”
“It is not born, yet,” he replied smoothly.
“Oh! But the woman that left…. H-Her belly was so flat, I just thought…” her voice trailed off.
His eyes narrowed instantly and a sound emitted from him. It oddly reminded her of Brutus, when someone tried to snatch away his bone. But Brutus was a bulldog and before her stood a man in a finely tailored suit. Yet, the resemblance could not be denied. She cleared her throat and mumbled an apology.
“Well, then. Let me show you our newest model. This way, please!”
Samantha led him to the newest baby cribs and herself to perdition. That of course, was unbeknownst to her at that time. She stopped at the Sweet dreams crib, which was not only one of the finest but also one of the most expensive ones. She was a saleswoman, after all. However, she recommended expensive stuff solely to those who could afford it. She was no demon, after all.
“This is the latest model manufactured by-“
“Too mundane,” he cut her off.
Samantha blinked. He had barely taken a look at the crib! A bit fazed she moved on to the next crib. No one in their right mind could call that beautiful masterpiece of craftsmanship mundane. Little sheep were carved into teakwood, playing on a meadow. Above them, angels were playing instruments, watching the little sheep play. She was about to explain that the crib was handmade, when…
“Atrocious. I have never seen something this hideous,” her customer stated dryly.
Samantha’s eyes began to twitch uncontrollably. The nerve of him! But she would not surrender yet. She showed him crib after crib, but he detected every flaw no matter how tiny, and if not, he invented one. It was when he labeled the last crib she had shown him as “too round”, she exploded.
“With all due respect, sir, but I’ve been doing this job for 23 years and I never, ever had a customer this ill-tempered! The cribs I’ve presented to you were all fine. In fact, I used this very model for my youngest child, myself. I was very happy with it and so was my son. If you want to take a gloomy view of everything, then fine, go ahead! But do it elsewhere!”
She expected him to draw a sword out of nowhere and chop her head off, but he did not. In fact, he smirked. She was befuddled.
“Do you deliver?” he asked.
Samantha’s eyes widened.
“Sesshomaru, are you done now? I am hungry.”
The young black-haired woman had returned. She placed a small kiss on his cheek and winked at her. It was when he raised an eyebrow that she remembered him asking her question. However, her voice had abandoned her, thus she simply nodded.
“Good.”
He turned on his heels and walked out of the store, arm in arm with the young woman. After a short while, Samantha still hadn’t moved, a colleague approached her.
“What a cute couple,” he said smiling.
Samantha slumped down on her knees, exhaling deeply.
Have fun!