Mrs. Kurtz, On Hold, snort the ninth.

The Bethany Gobbledy-dook voice said “Hold please,” and the phone clicked.

Once again, the hold button had been missed entirely.

“You —–,” the Bethany voice hissed. (Mrs. Kutz held her breath. If only she could hear better!) “What did I tell you?”

“The customer is always…right?” Scott’s voice asked. As if it were a difficult question.

Mrs. Kurtz held her breath.

“And what does that mean?”

“The customer is…always right?”

Mrs. Kurtz heard a sharp slap.

“Don’y play with me, young–” a hiss of static– “Do you have the training to handle her problem even if she tells you what it is?”

“No?”

“No. So if she says she wants a technician at her home, you say…?”

“Yes, m’am?”

“That’s right. And if she asks for a manager, what do you do?”

“I give her the manager.”

“You get the manager. No voices. Remember?”

“Yes, m’am.”

“Don’t you ‘yes, m’am’ me, Scott. You know what can happen to you if I put in the word.”

“Uh…”

“I’ll finish this call. And you, Scott, will have a mark on your record over this–no, don’t say it. Just keep your mouth shut.”

The phone clicked again.

“Mrs. Kurtz? Hello? Are you there?”