New Roles

No one was more surprised that Harry liked his new job than Harry. It was soothing, relaxing, numbing to do something as simple as selling belts. This was gorgeous, that was a runner, the one with the inlaid brass buckle came in both cabretta and suede. All Harry had to do was show up to work. Once he was in the showroom, the rest took care of itself.

Brew a pot of coffee, open a box of poppy seed cookies, place them on the showroom table and let the buyers stuff their faces. Throw in a few jokes, flirt, ooh and ah over the latest styles and by the time the the chi chi boutique owner left the showroom, there was a sale of no less than a G-note.

Harry was plagued with guilt about his unabashed enjoyment selling belts in a showroom. Stupid-fucken-strips-of-leather-or-textiles-that-hold-up-your-pants, as he liked to call them. But what was there not to like about luxuriating the days sequestered away in a comfy showroom with dolled-up sweeties whose mission on earth was nothing more than dispensing good taste?

And so Harry found himself dressing better:

"I love your cashmere sweater, Harry."

Splashing on Holt Renfrew counter colognes:

"You smell so yummy, Harry. Is that Polo?"

Initiating inane chat:

"Did you see what Meryl Streep wore to the Oscars?"

Land of the brain-dead.

It was the role that the strapping, tall dark and handsome Harry Starr was born to play -- belt salesman? And that made him sick.

He could't allow himself to get too caught up in the pleasantries of the job, Harry still had a mission in life, he just hadn't figured out what it was. But it sure as fuck wasn't selling belts for dickhead cousin Alvy Shugar, the crooked-pinkied vulgarian Belt King who was screwing him inside out.

"No commission on Boutique Glitz, that's a house account."

"Commission on the House of Iris, you're kidding? They take a 60% mark-up with a 3% warehouse discount!"

"Of course I docked fifty bucks off your paycheck, Harry! You don't expect me to pay for  getting your teeth polished at the dentist? This ain't Hollywood, pretty boy." That was true.

And so on and so on, until Harry chose to play a new role.