Duty Calls
It's not about the job, it's about the satisfaction.
Consciousness came crawling back from the edge of oblivion as I slowly recognized where the annoying sound was emanating from. I pushed “accept” on my phone and listened to the electronic voice coldly say, “Get up now.” 3 a.m., right on time as usual; not much chance these electronic gadgets would give a guy an extra 15 minutes. No time to lie around complaining. People were counting on me.
I went through the usual morning routine (shave, shower, dress) and was out the door by 3:35. My destination was only 2 miles away, so by 3:45, I pulled into the empty parking lot that surrounded my store. The key phrase here is “My Store”, not some branch of a conglomerate. This place is all mine and the banks.
When I started working in this business, it was for one of the big chains. I hated it! The hours were the same as I work now, but the pay was low and I felt like a minor cog in a massive machine. Now, I have the satisfaction of knowing that my customers appreciate my hard work.
By 4 a.m. the kitchen lights were on, the ovens were warming up, and I retrieved the first batch of dough from the refrigerator. My little shop ran like a well-oiled machine because it had to. My regular customers would start arriving by 5 a.m. and if I wanted to keep them coming back, I couldn’t waste their time. At 4:15, it’s time to make the donuts!
About the Creator
Mark Gagnon
I have spent most of my life traveling the US and abroad. Now it's time to create what I hope are interesting fictional stories.
I have 2 books on Amazon, Mitigating Circumstances and Short Stories for Open Minds.
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More stories from Mark Gagnon and writers in Fiction and other communities.
The Secret
My name is Walter and today, January 1, 1980, is my 104th birthday. This makes me the oldest living resident of Rye, New Hampshire. Of course, Rye only has a population of 5,400, so in the grand scheme of things, it’s not a big deal. What makes this day a big deal is I am about to tell a secret that I have been safeguarding for 94 years. The person I’ve chosen to share this secret with is 10 years old, the same age I was when it was told to me.
By Mark Gagnon6 months ago in Fiction
Peaceful Purpose
I have noticed that in the professional sphere, as far as I have noticed, that many people choose to come to work, mainly with the intention of collecting a paycheck, which I completely understand, unfortunately, we all need money to survive in this world. I also feel very strongly about the fact that if you are going to work in a profession, you should certainly treat that profession, whatever it may be, with the dignity that its purpose entails, whether you are working in the medical field, or working at a fast food restaurant, you should do you best to do the best job you can, because when it comes right down to it, we are all humans, going through the trials, and challenges that this life can bring us, by working together.
By Kaylon Forsyth6 days ago in Humans
Comments (5)
Time to make the donuts, lol!
Hi Mark - Funny Coincidence: I once represented a Donut Chain that offered to pay me in 'Product' - Yum - btw; as Veterans it was Shave-Shower & 'S' j-bud
great story, Mark!
Are there really people go who get doughnuts at 5am? I mean, if they start work that early, then I guess it's not to shocking, lol!
It's time for bed and all I want is a donut now, lol! I just saw a clip recently that had the old 'time to make the donuts' commercial. This took me back :)