Charlie snickered to himself as Jenny sat engrossed, reading a snack machine manual in a folding office chair. He'd set her up with a cold soda. She'd declined chips or candy, accepting a bag of pork rinds. He smiled at her as she tucked the strand of hair behind her ear as she turned a page in the manual.
Jenny, like him, had always loved to figure out how things worked. Charlie had figured she'd want to know about the equipment or the safe, but she'd gone straight for the shelf of manuals. She took a sip of soda, licking her lips.
Charlie gave himself a mental shake and turned to the "pull" - the money he'd taken out of the machines the morning he'd gotten sick. It seemed ages ago, now. He pulled out the stacks of bills, rubberbanded.
He removed the rubber bands and began to count the bills by hand. It was a lot more affordable to count the bills yourself, than to use a bill sorter machine. Besides, the one he'd tried had beeped incessantly, refusing to process the typically used bills he found in his validators. Occasionally, he'd separate a five dollar bill into a separate stack, the rest found their way into hundred-packs of singles. He put the hundred-packs back into his backpack after noting them on a tally sheet.
Jenny leaned back in her chair, watching Charlie count. He looked so cute and serious, counting his money. He sat at an old metal desk, facing a corner. Behind him Jenny spotted a metal rack full of vending machine parts. They had labels like "Rowe Snack Validator" and "Food compressor". "Snack Parts" appeared to be comprised of metal coils leaping out of the milk crate like demented springs. She never knew vending required so many parts.
She turned to her left and pulled out the "Manual" box, replacing "Rowe 648 Snack Merchandiser" and removing "Rowe Bill Changer". Charlie sure seemed to like his Rowes. She settled back in her chair.
Charlie finished counting. It had been a good week. "Hey, Jenny, I'd like to show you something." He began stacking bills into piles. Jenny got up, stretched, and came over. He could smell her soap, something light and sweet.
He pointed at the first, and biggest, stack of money. "This is inventory". He pointed at another: "Taxes." Jenny made a sour face. "This one, God forbid, repairs. I like to put a percentage aside so they don't bite me in the butt." Jenny nodded. He pointed at a good-sized stack of hundred packs. "Profit". Jenny nodded.
"Question" she began. Charlie nodded. "What's the duration on this - a month?" Charlie gave her a wicked grin.
"A week." Jenny gulped.
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