Assemble

“Well, that was dramatic,” he thought. Here he was, in the middle of a winter wonderland with very little understanding of the language of this country in a car that just failed him as the day turned to night. Michael had been in the country for just under a week and had met all of his contacts except one, and he had been on his way to speak to the last one that very afternoon. He had noted how quickly the darkness settled after 4 pm, but he thought that he would have made it. Michael also thought that the car borrowed from the rental agency would also last. There had been no sign of damage or loss of power. To put it simply, he had run out of gas and was now wondering what to do next.

At least he knew what the weather would be like. Michael had all of the latest equipment that anyone could want if they were hiking or mountain-climbing. As a representative of the Moonstomp Adventure Company (Patent Pending), he had risen to overseas sales and found that this country was a booming market. For some odd reason that no one in marketing could figure out, people in that region of the planet actually preferred the clothes and gear from this one little company overseas than anything they could buy locally. Michael, not one to complain about it, said that they should give them what they want, and he did. The last few days had proven that this group of entrepreneurs was doing something right, even if they did not know what it was that they were doing right. It had been a very successful week and orders were going to take off when he got the forms back home. But first, he had to consider his options.

Walk or stay? He checked a map feature on his phone and noted that there was one building at least a mile up the road (all in kilometres on his device, but he recalculated for his own comfort). If he could get someone to help him now, he would not have to wait in his compact vehicle having the most uncomfortable night’s sleep imaginable. If he wore some the gear he was selling, he could perhaps find himself off to a hotel or local inn (he would pay for this one on his own credit card this time). So, a quick decision had to be made.

*

At least he was in good shape. The walk was a real country mile. No other cars or vehicles passed him by. There were also no homes, inns or hotels on that highway as he passed through some hills and emptied out into a flat plain covered with ice and snow. The moon was almost full and glared very powerfully on the area as Michael wondered if he had made a mistake. It even looked a little bit like the surface of the moon here, he thought. And a part of him considered heading back to the car. A long trip back, but maybe…

And then he turned a corner on that black asphalt.

A building!

It was a warehouse that took up over at least 2000 square feet. A parking indicated no cars, but Michael was not noticing that. There were several windows covering one wall and stairs indicating a set of double doors that led inside. This is what Michael noticed second. There was something more important happening here.

There was a light on.

Right next to the front door, he saw that the curtains were closed, but light was heavy on them, with a shadow that seemed to pass over the Venetian blinds at certain intervals.

Somebody was home.

Michael decided not to run, but he did step faster, no longer feeling the cold at his back or the wind that began to pick up. The area around the steps was clear and the snow and ice was not a problem as he walked up the steps and rang a doorbell he could hear echoing inside the building.

It did not take long for a series of locks to begin clicking and opening on the double doors. They opened outward, and Michael had to step back as he saw someone walk closer to a security light that came on at that moment.

It was an old woman.

Maybe that was not fair, he thought. She looked older than he was, but maybe it was the combination of the cold, the darkness and the mood of the place that aged her. She was wearing a bright blue uniform and carrying a flashlight that was as long as her arms in both hands. He could see, once she put the light down, that she had her name stitched over her left breast pocket: Melinda.

“Good evening, sir. May I help you?”

At least she spoke English.

“Good evening. I am really sorry to bother you, but my car broke down and I am…”

She pointed the light at him again (really pointless with the security light, he thought).

“Are you a visitor?”

“Visitor?”

“Did you come to see the building?”

“Oh, no. I am a salesman. I sell sports…well really, adventure goods.” He pointed to a logo on his jacket.

“Moonstomp.” She seemed to be considering something that he could only guess at.

“Yes, Moonstomp Adventure Company! We have found a lot of interest here and are about to close some big sales. I was on my way to my hotel when my car just stopped in the cold and yours was the only building around.”

She stared at him again.

“I am just…”

“Okay, come in.”

She did not wait for him as the lights outside winked off.

*

It really was huge inside. The space was devoted to several tiers of wood and metal fixtures for furniture. Melinda was in one room near the entrance and had the whole building to herself at this time of year. There was not much security needed here, he thought, but it was nice that she was available. And it was warm with plenty of food and coffee.

“Strange to have someone else here.” She sat at her desk after offering him a strong espresso. “Most nights, I just read or surf the web on this thing.” Her desktop computer was open and he noted that she was looking at a web site devoted to literature.

“It must be pretty lonely out here.”

“Yeah, well, it is work. At least it keeps my mind occupied while I get older. Most of the other staff is just young kids who want to find their first job and then head off to something better. Hard to make friends with so many people coming and going.”

She really did have a nice set up here. Michael could see across the hall a room with a bed, dresser, some photographs on the wall, and other items from the lady’s personal collection. He would note this when he left and spoke to his colleagues. They could use some retirees in their offices somehow.

“I understand. I travel all the time and I wonder if I am really in anyone’s orbit.”

She smiled and looked out the window. “Orbit. I like that word. Like bodies circling each other.”

“Perhaps.”

“Well, I am not sure how you ended up here, but you seem all right. Couldn’t let you free to death out there, anyway.”

“Right.” Was she joking?

“I will send out a message to a local towing group and get your car fixed.”

“Great! Um, are you going to do that by phone?”

She smiled again, and this time her laugh came out with a hard rasp.

“You are not going to believe this, but this place does not have a single phone in the place. Not secure enough, they said. Got to use the computer with the passcode or password or whatever they called it. So, I have to email them.”

Another idea he would consider when heading home.

“Say, are you tired? We do have an extra set of cots we can put in here.”

“Oh, well, thank you. But won’t that be a problem? A stranger spending the night in a warehouse?”

Again, she laughed. “You make me smile, sir. I am too old for an affair, and you have already been monitored by the cameras (all connected to this computer as well). I will show you where the cots are. But keep your hands off me, mister!”

He smiled too as she stood up and walked out the door.

“There is one thing I better tell you about those cots.”

“Oh, yes?”

“You are going to have to assemble it yourself.”

He stopped under a powerful halogen lamp when she said that.

“I beg your pardon?”

“All the furniture in this place has to be put together. They did it for me with my bed, chairs and desk, but not for anyone else. I just thought that the cot would be easier for you to put together than a full bed.”

It took him a moment to take this in. Michael had been in situations where he had to build tents in bad weather as a teenager. He had once shown a client how effective his gear was by scaling a cliff wall during a rather windy day one long ago summer. A cot was nothing compared to those moments. But there was something bothering him.

“You have beds?”

“Yes, but those take time and…”

“I’ll do it. I’ll take the bed.”

Another smile, and this time, as they both walked down another hallway, he heard her laugh once again. It was telling him something.

*

It did not take him long to fix up the bed. From the main warehouse, he found that the slats, mattresses and other items needed were all labeled and easy to assemble. Michael took all of the pieces into the extra room one at a time and set up his bed while Melinda watched him. He felt as though this was some kind of test.

“You did that very quickly.”

“Not too hard.”

“You did not really do that for the first time just now.”

“Oh, well, in my family, my dad taught us how to build our own furniture. It was a really tricky thing sometimes, but I saw how he put things together from raw pieces of wood and learned about measuring and stuff.” He put in place the last piece that formed the headboard. “This kind of thing is very straightforward. No worries.”

“Right. Well, good job. I think that they will be here in the morning for your car.”

“Great.” Melinda had left out some extra sheets for him as he was building his bed. “I will turn in for the night.”

“Good night.”

“Good night.”

Her room was across the hallway, a few steps down from his space, and he could hear her walk to her office first and then make her way to the bedroom. And all in all, it was a comfortable night’s rest.

*

The problems began in the morning.

Michael awoke to the delicious odors of coffee and eggs. He followed the smell to a small kitchenette he had noticed before and noticed that Melinda was seated at a small table by another window. She had her coffee out and was staring at a tablet. Her frown was not inviting, but the plate of eggs and bacon were there for his taking.

“Please, have some. Plenty of coffee, too. You sleep well?”

“Yes, it was fantastic, actually. Best I have had in this country.” He poured out some coffee from a French Press set up on the table and took a croissant (where did all of this come from, he wondered).

“Good to hear.” She kept staring at the screen in front of her.

“Is there a problem?”

“Yeah, with the mechanics.”

“Oh, you mean…”

“Yeah, your car. I cannot get them to commit to anything. Like they want to obstructive. Worst of it is they have a point.”

“A point?” He was digging into omelet when this made him stare at her with confusion.

“Yes. You see, you are really here at a bad time. The weather we are about to get is going to get very nasty. That was one of the reason I let you in here. The snowstorm season is almost on us… And we have already had plenty of snow. Check it.” She pointed out the window.

He picked up his mug of coffee and almost dropped it. The day was bright on top of the snow and it almost blinded him to see that much snow gathered on the landscape he once thought of as moon-like. Now, it just looked like a completely unknown world. He could not even tell where he had walked to make it to the doors.

“Unbelievable.”

“Yes, sorry about that. You might be stuck here for a while.”

“Right.” He sat back down. “Sorry about that.”

“Sorry?” She seemed truly surprised by this. “No reason for you to be sorry.”

“No, I mean, here I am a stranger and I am disturbing your routine or work or whatever it is…”

Melinda put her tablet down and waved off his words.

“For a salesman, you really don’t know how to observe people and learn what they’re all about. Look around this place. There isn’t much to do except make sure no one breaks in and that everything is in place. They just leave me here because I got no one and I can tolerate being on my own. Now I have someone who can actually…talk to me.”

Was she tearing up? He did not know what to say to her. Michael had to fire someone who once did not deliver on their sales figures and the man’s weeping left him feeling awkward and uncomfortable.

“Please…don’t…”

“I’m all right.” She put the tablet down and wiped her eyes. “But it is strange having you here.”

“I know.”

“And I guess you will need more furniture.”

He stared at her.

“You can’t just have a bed in that room. We have chairs, dressers, shelves, cabinets… All you need…”

Michael was beginning to wonder what he had done in his life to be in such a situation. Had he missed some sort of meeting that could explain some error in life that he had to atone for? Was this just the way the country worked? Was she really serious about that?

“Listen…”

“Let me show you the rest of the floor when you are done.”

*

It was a big warehouse, containing several other spaces and alcoves he would not have suspected from the outside if he had not been allowed to enter the building. Michael soon became used to the kitchenette, larder, garage – no vehicles here, of course – main storage areas, and all the other nooks and crannies that Melinda shared with him.

He also became used to assembling many piece of furniture. After the bed came a dresser; then there were several bookshelves – she showed him several boxes of old books she had brought with her and never opened – cabinets and chairs. Soon, he was doing it for the challenge. An ottoman with a foot rest took up one afternoon; the space heater was a good challenge for an evening; and he also managed to create a new space just for his items (half closet; half shed).

A week went by in this manner. His emails were unanswered and the weather continued to be unpleasant. Michael could hear the wind and snow shake the building on certain nights and wondered if the whole structure, no matter how well-constructed, would eventually collapse. A silly concern, perhaps. If the furniture and other goods were as well-made as the building, he would be fine.

The week ended, and Michael woke up one morning quite surprised by how quiet it was. There were no odors of coffee, eggs, bacon, or any other breakfast foods in the air and he heard no noises in the building.

“Melinda?”

She was not in her room and the computer in her office was on. The monitor kept flashing a message that froze once he touched the mouse and began to read:

“Michael, I want to thank you for the work you have done here and the material that you have assembled. We have been looking for a real team player for such a long time and are very glad that you decided to come to our company for the shelter. I guess we have both benefited from such an encounter: you escaped the cold and I escaped this job!

Please note that the computer in front of you only works with the password I received and that I cannot give it to you. You will soon be received by certain members of our staff and I would suggest that you cooperate with them unless you want to be arrested as an intruder who broke into the building and attempted to steal our goods. The laws here do not favour foreign visitors, especially ones who attempt to sell products we can make ourselves.

I would suggest you continue with your work assembling goods. You have a real talent for it and I think that our staff would appreciate your continued efforts.

Many thanks,

Melinda Fjallraven,

President

P.S. I am so glad you entered our orbit.”