After the last customer of the day meandered out the door, it was time for the familiar ritual of closing up the store. Ron, our senior sales manager, was making the rounds that night, turning off the lights, fluffing the occasional pillow and straightening a picture that was askew on the wall.
In the gentle silence of the top floor, he took one last look around before going down the stairs when suddenly he caught a glimpse of two beady eyes glaring at him in the dark. “Oh, no!” Ron whispered to himself. “We’ve got a squirrel.”
Cute as they are burrowing for acorns in the backyard, a squirrel in the showroom is downright annoying. They’re happy enough outdoors during the spring and summer, but once the temperature drops they’re ingenious at finding a way to wriggle inside for warmth. This one apparently found a tiny porthole somewhere to gain entry to FCG.
Still, Ron is fearless when it comes to rustling wild creatures. He should have been born with chaps, a lasso and a ten-gallon hat. He grabbed a broom. Yee-haw, the rodeo was on.
This squirrel wasn’t going to be cast out without a fight, though. Ron chased that critter around the fifth floor for fifteen minutes, darting around the furniture while blocking off escape routes with the broom. Finally, he managed to herd the squirrel into the stairwell, down five flights and out the side door. Both of them were gasping for breath after that chase.
Ron dropped the broom and collapsed into a leather recliner, sweat running in rivulets down his face but triumphant at his victory. After an 11-year career at FCG, he still reigns supreme as our top salesman. Who would have thought he’d have major skills as a critter rustler?
Our showrooms are warm and inviting all winter long, and we do our best to try to make everyone who comes through our doors feel welcome. Our hospitality doesn’t extend to members of the wild kingdom, though. Good thing we’ve got a cowboy on staff.
