A Recycling System in Jamaica

Chapter 7

“Can you cash these plus that suitcase in the corner?” he asked, pointing to a black suitcase that was large enough to hold the things he was buying. He tried hard to mask his voice, not wanting another incident like this morning. And it worked. His voice didn't sound as deep, because the face mask helped distort his voice as well.

When Lisa, the cashier, saw that this guy was seriously not joking. So she started to check out the things he had brought over but slowly expecting him to tell her when to stop. However, he didn't say stop and even took out a card like he was waiting for her to total the items. Eventually, she sped up because he had taken out a lot of stuff and if she continued at this speed she would take an hour. What she didn't know was that Reed was not finished shopping, yet he didn't want anyone to believe that he was playing, so he was cashing out these to show his spending power. He knew that after that the clerks would come help him, and he could get things done quicker.

This was the first time he was spending money like this, and it gave him an exhilarating feeling. While Reed was thinking the cashier had finished.

“Sir, your total is 541,000. Is that ok? She asked hesitantly. She worried he would tell her to take out some of the items, and she would have to call her manager. It would be annoying.

“Did you add the suitcase?” Reed asked, seeing that she had brought over the suitcase he had pointed to earlier.

“You still want the suitcase?” Seeing that he nodded, she went and grabbed the suitcase he had pointed to. Lisa then added the cost of the set of suitcases to the total, bringing it to 592,000.

Before she could ask, Reed handed her his debit card. Lisa took the metal card, surprised by its weight, and swiped it for the mentioned total. When the machine beeped, indicating that the transaction was successful. She couldn't believe it.

“Wendy!” She called out to one of the clerks who was chatting at the back. None of them had been paying attention to Reed, so they didn't notice the large pile of clothes that had just been purchased.

Hearing her name, Wendy came over not sure why she was called. But seeing the pile of clothes she instantly became irritated.

“Why do people come into stores that they can't afford and take so many things off the racks? Do they know how much time it's going to take to put all these things back into the correct places?” Wendy said, her tone filled with sarcasm.

Lisa, seeing that she misunderstood, grabbed her hand and squeezed it to shut her up before saying.

“Mr. Carter purchased all of these items. Can you help me pack them into this suitcase? He just purchased it too.”

The moment these words were said, not only Wendy but the other two clerks stared at Reed in awe.

“Sorry for my callous words Mr. Carter. Please don't worry, I will pack your items with care.” Wendy said while smiling, hoping that this big spender wouldn't report her for what she said before. If he was broke, no one would care if she was rude but it's different when he is rich. She just didn't know why he was wearing such old clothes, otherwise, she wouldn't have made such a mistake. Reed didn't respond to her and just said to Lisa.

“Please pack these now. I will go and get the other things I want to buy.” The other clerks heard his words and jumped into action.

“Mr. Carter, what can I get for you?”

“Five packs of underwear in size medium and let me see some footwear in size 12,” Reed replied. This was exactly what he wanted, for them to collect the things and make it easier for him. For the next hour, Reed picked out the shoes he wanted before changing into a new outfit. He also picked out a backpack. After paying for the rest of his picks, he asked them to hold the bags he would be coming back to pick them up before going home.

The staff members watched him walk out, and they couldn't believe he had spent over 1 million dollars. They were in awe.

“That guy is so rich I wonder what his face looks like,” Lisa commented. Reed had kept on a face mask the entire time he was in the store. What they didn't know was that he was even masking his voice.

“How much did he tip you guys, one of the other clerks asked.”

“10,000” Lisa replied.

“5,000” the other two answered.

“He tipped you guys?” Wendy asked, visibly upset.

The others looked at her and did have to wonder why she wasn't tipped. They all knew this was because of the comments she made when Lisa had called her.

On Reed's side, he walked to a phone store.

“Can you let me see the Samsung Galaxy 24 Ultra?” he asked when he got to the counter. The clerk saw that he was dressed in all brands, looking like a wealthy young man. So he didn't question Reed or mention the price, he just took out the requested phone.

“Does your store guarantee that the phones are brand new and genuine?” Reed didn't care about the price, but he didn't want to waste his money on a fake or used phone.

“Yes, our store also offers a warranty. That if the phone malfunctions in two years we will replace it.”

“OK, since that's the case, I want two of the 24 Ultra. And one s21 fe. Please also give me cases for each phone. Let me have black and red cases for the Ultras and a pink case for the s21.” Reed was buying phones for himself, his mom, and Maddy.

The clerk took out the phones, had Reed check them, and went to get the cases he asked for. While he was getting the cases, Reed looked around the store and saw the Samsung ultra watch and looked at his bare hand.

“Can you also give me the ultra watch with a black band?” Reed asked.

“Yes, Sir,” answered the clerk, wondering where this rich boy came from, and he was also a little jealous that he didn't have money to spend on all the latest phones. He could see that all the clothes this guy had on were new as well.

“Sir, since you are getting all these phones, the cases are free. Your total is 602,500. Are you paying by cash or card?”

“Card” Reed answered while taking out the metal card again.

The clerk saw that Reed paid without any burden and was again filled with jealousy. But what could he do? Everyone's life was different. Reed put his sim into the black phone and put on the watch, syncing it with the phone, and then placed his old phones and the other new ones into his backpack. When he was leaving the store, he tipped the clerk 3,000. Because his transactions were quick, and he didn't take up too much of the guy's time or effort.

Having done all that he wanted to do in the mall, Reed left and walked to Young's Plaza where the construction company was located. The plaza was relatively small but very upscale, so it was easy to find the office of the construction company. Reed walked in and saw that it was a young man at the front desk and relaxed. In his now natural voice, he spoke to the young man.

“Hi, I would like to hire your company to build a house for me.”

John, the young man at the desk, looked at the guy in front of him and was at a loss. He is very straight, but this man's voice could make him reconsider. Shaking his head to clear his strange thoughts, he answered.

“You choose the right company. My boss is dealing with another client, so you can just have a seat. He should be able to see you soon.”

“Thank you,” Reed replied before taking a seat in the waiting area. It was about 10 minutes before Reed saw whom he believed to be Elliot walking out with an elderly man smiling and shaking hands.

After the elderly man turned and walked towards the door, John spoke.

“Mr. Williams the client would like us to build his house.” hearing these words, Reed stood up and greeted Elliot.

“Hi, I am Reed Carter.” Once again, using his natural voice. Elliot heard him speak and had to look at him from head to toe.

“You have a very nice voice.” was the first thing out of Elliot's mouth.

“Sir, I thought the same thing when I first heard him speak,” John said, never admitting that the voice caused him to have other thoughts.

“Thank you,” Reed said, smiling under his mask.

Elliot was about to invite Reed into his office to discuss the house, but he was soon stopped.