Wake-Up Calls

Wake-Up-Call First Job Chapter 1 

The buzzing alarm irritates me. Reluctantly, I struggle out of my warm bed. Today I start my new job. My stomach is in knots. 
This afternoon, my friends are going to Bayside Beach on Lake Huron to swim and party without me. What a bummer. Jeff will be there. I think he likes me. But Marcie will be there, too, and I think she has her eyes on Jeff. Not good. 
An hour later, I push open the heavy glass door of the local flower shop as the new 

employee at Watson’s Flowers, Inc. Behind me, the door closes with a jingle of bells 
announcing my arrival. A decal on a wall states: “Say It With Flowers.” I pretend the 
flowers are saying to me: “Calm down and good luck. Forget about the party.” 
A lady bustles down a half flight of stairs. “May I Help You?” is written in bold, 
white letters on her dark green apron. 
“I’ll be right with you,” she says as she puts a shiny yellow corsage box on a shelf in the 
cooler. I force myself to concentrate on my surroundings. I refuse to think about Jeff 
and the party. 
“You must be Krista,” she continues. Her voice reminds me of my third grade 
teacher. 
“Yes, ma’am,” I reply. I can feel my heart beating faster. 
“I’m Mrs. Watson. You may call me Sophia. We’re really swamped. Follow me, 
and I’ll find an apron for you. 
It feels awkward to address the owner by her first name; however, I follow “Sophia” 
into a back design room. It appears chaotic, filled with cluttered counters and shelves 
holding bolts of ribbons, order pads, racks of cards, and even an open box of 
chocolates. 
The walls are bright yellow and covered with signs, price lists, and posters of flower 
arrangements. I see one with daisies that would look great on a wall in my bedroom. I 
continue to look around. Bunches of dried flowers and wicker baskets hang from the 
ceiling. Petals, leaves, and stems litter the floor. 
“Here’s a broom and an apron. No time to chat right now. There’s the dust pan and 
trash barrel,” Sophia says as she sorts through a pile of orders. 
When Dad dropped me off, he had patted my hand and said, “Go in there, be 
friendly, and do what they tell you to do.” 
Okay, Dad, I say to myself. I still feel nervous, but I grab the broom and dust pan. 
While I sweep the floor, two different phones ring, and the bells on the front door 
jingle. Background music adds to the commotion. 
I hear door in the back of the shop open and slam shut. A huge cardboard shipping 
box comes around a corner toward me. Somebody wearing a blue and gold University 
of Michigan cap is hidden behind it. 
“Are the buckets ready? Let’s get this shipment into water,” a male voice says. He plunks the heavy box down. Without giving me a chance to reply he says, “You must be new. Never mind. I’ll show you what to do.” 
Once he emerges from behind the box, I notice his thick eyelashes and his penetrating dark eyes. 
We lug, sort, cut, fill and shift. I had no idea flowers needed so much care. My 
name is called from the front of the store. I apologize for the interruption. I’m not one to walk out on a half-finished job. 
As I leave the flower processing area, Mr. Penetrating Dark-eyes says, “You’re a good worker. This place can be a madhouse, but you’ll get used to it. By the way, my name’s Mario Watson. Sophia’s my mom.” 
I smile at him. “Hi, Mario, my name’s Krista.” Our eyes lock for a split second. Suddenly, the party at Bayside Beach is no longer important. I love this job! 
Next time I’ll feel differently when my alarm clock goes off. 

KRISTA VISITS MARCIE Chapter 2 


I had to miss last Saturday’s beach party, where I would have seen Jeff. I find it difficult not to think of him. At work I find it difficult not to think of Mario. 
Today, I’m at Marcie’s house. Her brother, Brad, and Jeff are friends. As I’m getting a soda from her fridge, Brad and Jeff barge in from outdoors. 
I can feel my cheeks flush when I look at Jeff. He smiles at me with one of those silly guy-grins. For some reason, he nods. I don’t know what it means; however, he appears to be acknowledging a connection between us. 
“I missed you at the party last week-end, Krista. We had a blast,” Jeff says. 
“I really wanted to be there, but I started my new job at Watson’s Flower Shop.” 
“There’s another party this Saturday. Are you going to show up, or is your little job 
going to keep you away?” Jeff says sarcastically. 
“Hey, don’t be hard on her,” says Brad. “At least she’s earning money. Not that you’d ever have to.” 
The boys laugh as they leave the kitchen. “Show up on Saturday, Krista,” Jeff says as the screen door slams behind them. 
I walk into the family room, where Marcie is sorting pictures. 
“Jeff’s easy to look at,” I comment. 
I can feel Marcie studying me. “You really like him, don’t you, Krista?” 
“How can a girl not like him? I imagine every girl at our school dreams about him.” 
“Not me.” 
“You’re kidding.” A feeling of relief sweeps over me. I thought Marcie was interested in Jeff. 
She hesitates, “Jeff has a reckless streak in him, and he’s not the type of person I want 
to date. Some day, someone is going to be hurt.” She keeps sorting through pictures. “You’re so conservative, Krista. I didn’t think a guy as wild as Jeff would appeal to you.” 
“Oh, Marcie, you’re exaggerating.” 
Later, I leave Marcie’s. I hadn’t told her about meeting Mario at the flower shop. He appears to be the opposite of Jeff. 
I’m attracted to two totally different guys. I don’t want anyone to know about Mario. He’s older and is probably in control of his life. Jeff seems full of fire and action. I think Jeff will be more fun. 
CHEYENNE Chapter 3 

I push hard on the heavy glass door going into the flower shop. Sophia is behind the counter. “Good morning, Krista. Are you ready for a busy day?” 
“I certainly am. Thanks again for hiring me.” 
She smiles and