A Familiar Stranger

“Let me have half a dozen of the cinnamon and sugar,” said Eddie pointing to a wire rack with his chin.

“If you buy twelve, you’ll get one free,” said the girl texting, not looking up from her phone.

“I don’t want twelve,” said Eddie glancing at his watch. He still had a little time before his appointment.

“You don’t want any with sprinkles? Cinnamon is kind of boring. That’s what the old ladies get,” said the girl, her eyes still glued to her screen.

“I want six cinnamon,” he repeated.

The girl let out a sigh, rolled her eyes and reached for a sheet of white waxed paper and placed donuts into a brown paper bag

If you screw someone on your way up, they’ll be at the front of the line to help you start your journey downward.

Eddie got his job at Andover Media the way he won most things—impeccable timing. With a knack for being in the right place at the right time, good things seemed to happen to him without him doing much at all. Friends often joked that he had done a deal with the devil, that he led a “charmed life”. Deep down, Eddie kind of agreed with them. Still, no matter what he did, the good stuff always came his way. Even his new job at Andover Media, that had been a huge step up, was just another one of the lucky things he’d fallen into. That’s the way it always was and he never qu

jokes.”

“It’s not the jokes,” continued Julia shaking her head and leaning in closer. “You’ve got natural talent. You’re smart and charismatic. The loser I have in there now is a total disaster. He’s incapable and wooden and the salespeople detest him. Not to mention there have been some sexual harassment complaints. I need to make a change quickly