Chasing the Order

‘No progress has been made on your order. I’m sorry,’ Hetty said to the voice on the phone. She braced for impact.

‘Can I ask why not?’

‘I’m not sure. I’ll have to follow up.’

Hetty heard the client sigh; she spoke quickly to appease any vitriol. ‘Let me take your name and number, and I’ll call you back once I sort this out.’

‘Meredith Andrews,’ said the client, who then called out the numbers of her mobile by rote. ‘When can I expect you to call back?’

Not an unreasonable question, Hetty thought. But she still found it annoying. ‘Hard to say at this stage,’ Hetty answered, trying to keep the haughty tone from her voice. ‘I’ll try to call you back within half an hour. How does that sound?’

‘Perfect, thank you,’ said Meredith. She ended the call.

Hetty put the phone back in its cradle. ‘Bob!’ she yelled to warehouse manager.

No answer.

She groaned and limped towards the back of the showroom to the warehouse.

Bob appeared at the door. ‘Help ya, Hetty?’

‘Looking for Meredith Andrews’ order. Can you give me an update?’

‘Out of stock.’

‘Have we placed an order ourselves?’

‘Don’t know,’ Bob responded. Unhelpfully, noted Hetty.

‘Aren’t you the warehouse manager?’ Hetty asked, with an icy tone.

Bob looked sharply in Hetty’s direction.

‘Alright, alright,’ he said, backing down. ‘I’ll get on it.’

‘Good. Thank you,’ Hetty murmured. She turned on her heel, walked back into the showroom to phone through the bad news to Meredith.

Photo by Dane Deaner on Unsplash