The Switch Read Online Free Page B

that every day for
six years?”
     
    John asked, “Who is Mr. Dean,
the Store Manager?”
     
    Linda replied “Yes, he is new
and he is really arrogant, he thinks he is GOD.  When the power failed, he gave
Kale and I instructions to stay until the power came back on and he left. He
was the first person to leave the building. He lives about four or five miles
from here, so he was able to walk home. Kale is afraid he will come back
tonight to check up on us.”
     
    John asked, “How long do you
two plan to stay here?”
     
    Before she could respond he
said, “While Steve and I were still at the airport, we were told by someone who
seemed to know what they were talking about, that power is going to be off a
long time, maybe forever.”
     
    “Oh no, I hope you are wrong,
I can’t miss work, I have bills to pay.”
     
    Steve spoke up, “If there is
no electricity there won’t be any bills to pay. There won’t be any way to pay
them. No one will care. People need to think about survival, not paying bills.”
     
    John interrupted, “Linda, do
you sell candles here?”
     
    “Yes, we have a ton of them.”
     
    “Good, why don’t you go get a
few? We will need the light to dress Steve’s leg.”
     
    She left to get the candles. 
                          
     
    John walked a few feet to the
Optical Department and pulled a chair from a desk. He pushed it beside Steve,
who was now sitting on the hard floor. The blood was still flowing from his
leg.
     
    Kale returned with the first
aid kit at the same time Linda returned. She was pushing a cart with eight
large burning candles.
     
    The candles provided plenty
of light for inspection of Steve’s leg. The cut was about ten inches long and
deep. The blood was flowing but not spurting. John took the first aid kit from
Kale and said, “Thanks, now go get us some ice.”
     
    Kale did not say a word, he
just turned and left.
     
    Linda opened the first aid
kit and found some antiseptic. She cleaned the cut and placed a gauze pad
against the cut and pressed hard with the palm of her hand. She told John to
get the scissors from the kit and cut Steve’s pant leg off so she could wrap
some tape around his leg. 
     
    He used the kit’s scissors
and cut up the outside of Steve’s pant leg. Then he started to cut the pants
around Steve’s thigh.
     
    He told Steve, “Hold still, I
don’t want to accidently cut Little Ed.”
     
    Steve said, “I don’t know who
Little Ed is, but if you cut the Titanic, you are dead meat”.
     
    Linda laughed and told Steve to
shut up so she could hold pressure on his leg. She laughed so hard she got the
hiccups which started both Steve and John laughing. When Kale returned with the
ice all three were laughing as if at a comedy show.
     
    Kale did not ask what was so
funny, he just handed the bag of ice to John, turned and walked back into the
dark store.
     
    After several minutes, the
laughter faded away. Linda was now holding the ice on Steve’s leg and the blood
flow was slowing. The pressure and the ice were apparently clotting the blood.
     
    John turned to Linda, “Let me
tell you what I want to do. I am going to spend the night here in the store. I
am going to give you my Sears Charge Card number, and my associate number. I am
going to gather up some things from the sales floor and write the stock numbers
on a sales ticket for you.  When, or if the power comes back on, you can ring
the stuff that I take, onto my account. If Mr. Dean gives you any trouble, I
promise I will not let him take any kind of action against you or Kale for
letting us in or for taking the merchandise. I am planning on getting home to
Alabama in any way I can. I am going to start the trip on a bicycle from this
store. Do you have any objections so far?”
     
    She answered immediately. “No,
I don’t really care what you take, as long as we record it all and I have your
Sears Card number, we will be fine. I think I will