The line at Bank of Keels was ridiculously long. MicroSociety students had places to go, things to do, people to see. Waiting for an available teller was a real waste of time. Fifth grader, Elijah Sims, decided to take matters in his own hands. While he couldn’t change the lines, he could change the lives of those who waited in them.
“Excuse me,” he tapped the shoulder of a tall girl in the back of the line.
Elijah turned on the charm with his big brown eyes. His teachers called it flirting. It got him in trouble, along with his big mouth, more times than he cared to remember. Now it was a sales tactic.
Elijah handed the pretty girl a clipboard with “Honey Club” written across the top. Next, he gave her a checklist, along with a sharp pencil.
“Just put an “X” next to the errands we can help you with, while you wait in this line,” he directed. “Your wish is our command.” He stole the last line from the genie in Aladdin. Not that he watched cartoons anymore. His little brother did…
She looked up at him with an almost-grin. His palms were sweating. But he kept cool. “Oh yeah, and normally it will cost you 2 S.E.L. Dollars per chore. Today only, we’ll give you a first-time discount of 5 S.E.L’s for unlimited chores. Payment up front.”
“Sounds fair,” Raquel answered. He had learned her name by watching as she wrote it at the top of the form. She read down the list and penciled in her “X’s”, then gave Elijah the requested dollars, along with the filled out form.
“Kyle, head to the warehouse and pick up two stacks of colored paper and yarn for our customer. Carmen, can you pick up one cookbook from the Culinary Institute…and wrap it? And Scott, one apple from Fruit Friends,” Elijah ordered. “And quickly, please,” he added.
They took off with their wagons, while Elijah watched. “Thanks for your business. We’ll be here next week too.” He collected his clipboard and eyed up the line. Who knew work could be so much fun?