Intro:
Henry
from
The Jimmy
Jolts Series
By Luca Satana
Copyright 2011 Luca Satana
Smashwords Edition
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you're reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
Henry
Henry Richards was a twenty-seven year-old bachelor living in downtown Springfield, Missouri. Since his graduation from the local university, Henry had very little luck finding gainful employment, or any other kind of employment for that matter. In fact, things were so bad his landlord, with whom he thought he shared a certain understanding, suddenly told Henry one day, if Henry doesn't come up with the rent, including the two months back rent, he had no qualms about locking his sorry ass out and selling his shit to the highest bidder. The conversation, which Henry played and replayed in his head, had caused him considerable distress.
In light of Henry's dire situation, he lowered his standards for employment to the lowest common denominator. However, to his surprise, even the local fast food joints wouldn't hire him. To his surprise, Henry has discovered America is in some sort of economic gutting.
Henry was just about ready to give up altogether, when he ran into James Hastings, an old college buddy of his. The two were happy to see each other and went into the nearest pub to catch up. To Henry's bittersweet delight, as awful as his own situation was, his old college buddy's situation was the complete opposite. When they had reminisced for a good two hours, and the two were considerably afloat, Henry finally admitted to his old friend that his situation wasn't as grand as he might have led him to believe. In fact, he told his old friend, if he doesn't find work soon, he might end up homeless. Henry's old college buddy sympathized and then wrote down a number and gave it to Henry.
The very next day, Henry pulled the number out of his pants pocket and called it. A man with a suspicious tone answered. The man asked Henry where he got the number. "James Hastings," Henry offered. After a short pause, the man reluctantly gave Henry an address.
When Henry arrived at the downtown address, he was surprised to see an old building that seemed to smack of an old horror-film laboratory. Henry noticed a man standing, seemingly on guard, near the front door. Henry was both intrigued and put-off by the whole thing. When the man suddenly stepped in front of the door to block Henry's way, Henry was instantly taken aback. After a considerable time trying to explain to the guard he actually had an appointment and was supposed to be there, the guard finally let him pass. Henry walked in and sat down in what appeared to be an empty waiting room. Henry noticed an advertisement on the wall depicting a couple in a passionate embrace, with a message that read, "Rejuvenation Is Only A Jimmy Jolt Away!" Henry wasn't quite sure what the sign was selling, but assumed it had something to do with erectile dysfunction or some unknown energy drink. Then a man in a white coat appeared in the hallway and motioned for Henry to follow him.
Henry followed the man to what appeared to be the man's office. The man took a seat behind the desk, while Henry took one of the chairs in front of the man's desk. Right in front of Henry's line of vision, resting on the man's desk was a small box of tiny plastic vials filled with some sort of green liquid. Henry was instantly curious.
Skipping any ice-breakers or phony pleasantries, the man started to explain the situation. "You will be working for Jimmy Ray Bob's Rejuvenational Systems, a company based in the thick of the Ozark Mountains and doing business all over the world for over a century now."
"I've never heard of it," Henry said innocently.
"Nobody has and we'd like to keep it that way, save for a select group of cliental." The man paused a moment, looking over some papers. "First things first," he suddenly restarted, as he waved a hand over the box of vials, "For the duration of your employment, effective immediately, you will be expected to consume one of Jimmy Ray Bob's Rejuvenation Jigger Jolts everyday, without fail."
Despite Henry's desperate need to find work, he was suddenly halted by pride and self-preservation and asked the man, "Time out. What exactly is this stuff? And how much will I be paid to drink it?"
"You will be given a small sum for your due diligence in maintaining this daily regimen," the man said. "However, the actual earning potential comes when you're on the field and securing future services and/or orders, for which you will be given a substantial commission."
"So," Henry said. "What you're saying is I'll be a salesman? Is that the gist of the job?"
Rather than answer Henry directly, the man went back to explaining what Henry would be doing. He told Henry once the JRBRS was absorbed into his system, he would be given a lead sheet of names and addresses. "It is your job to follow up on each of these leads by meeting each person at their home or work," the man said. "Due to the nature of our product, you must conduct yourself discreetly. When you look at the list, you will notice there are no phone numbers. There is a reason for this. Never at any time are you to attempt to obtain the clients number or call the client. We would prefer that you and the client only meet in person, with no correspondence beyond this. Your interaction with the client should be kept to a minimum, with next to no record of your activity or evidence of your employment with JRBRS."
"This sounds a little James Bond-ish," Henry thought aloud.
The man ignored Henry's comment. Then he said, "For now, all that's required of you is to take this month's supply, and begin your daily regimen immediately. When 10 days have passed, an associate will be along to test you. At this time you will be given your first payment, which will be cash in an unmarked envelope. To insure you've maintained your due diligence taking your daily regimen, additional testing will be administered on a regular basis. That will be all for now."
Naturally, Henry was more than a little concerned about consuming this strange green liquid. Henry reserved the next morning to decide once and for all if he would go through with the whole thing. But when he woke up the next morning, and discovered the notice of eviction on his front door, his mind was sort of made up for him.
Initially, Henry found the Jolts to be rather putrid, and so he would take them like a shot and chase them with whatever he could find. However, by the tenth Jimmy Jolt Henry, though he would never admit it, actually grew to tolerate the green liquid, ceasing to even bother chasing it with anything.
On the twelfth day, when Henry woke up, he discovered a woman in his bedroom. The woman was dressed in business attire, a black suit and skirt and white blouse. Henry estimated her age to be around thirty. She had dark, possibly Greek, features including brown eyes and dark brown hair, which was done up. For the most part she was quite small, but endowed with a large bust, which was mostly hidden and bound tightly to her chest. The woman was standing idly by, not at all impatient, as she waited for Henry to come to. When she saw Henry open his eyes, she suddenly approached the bed and extended her hand out to shake his and said, "Good morning, Henry. My name is Daphne. I'm here to test you."