| General Fiction posted September 5, 2016 | Chapters: |
...13 14 -15- 16... 
|
  |
Long day at the factory
A chapter in the book Buttons
Touring the Button Factory.
by jusylee72
Joe greeted Delaney and Mary at the front entrance. "My boss wants me to show you around."
The factory in action was fascinating to watch. Large machines were everywhere. Joe began the tour at the front of the factory.
"Here is where we mix the resin. We sometimes add several layers of colors to the buttons. The beauty of them comes out later when we polish them."
He took us to a large machine that resembled an open MRI machine.
"These machines continuously turn to keep the resin smooth. We make large sheets of each design. Once it hardens we roll the individual sheets and take them to the cutting room."
"Here we have several large machines."
"Computer generated shapes are cut into the sheets of resin. Further down this row, we have the finishing machines. They put the holes in the button. They indent them. Some of the more expensive buttons, the inlaid buttons have to be made by hand. Next, we put them in the polishing machines. They are down the hall pass the lounge area. These look like an oversized clothes washers. We add water and polishing grit to the machines. We polish them for hours. We put them in the cooling tanks for several hours."
Joe was so enthusiastic about the creation of these buttons. His face lit up with all of his explanations.
"At the end of the hallway, we have a small museum. It talks about the history of this place. It was started in the late 1800's, 1894 to be exact. The Shumaker family business is known internationally. The grandfather ran the place until he died in 1938. His family still owns the place. Now, they use a management company."
He led us to the museum.
The large room was meticulously put together. Colorful buttons everywhere. Some were in buckets that you could run your hands through. Some were in shadow boxes protected from the public. Signed pictures of other famous people filled the walls. Howard Hughes had visited here. Marylyn Monroe was pictured with the owners. Several presidents pictures were shown wearing the artwork we call buttons. Jars and jars of colored buttons filled the shelves.
Mary stopped by one of the shadow boxes. It was a picture of Rome. Inside it was a display of polished black onyx buttons inlaid with an ivory cross. They were originally made for a Cardinal in Rome. They were also the exact buttons sewn into the lips of Father Mac Murphy. Involuntary chills ran down Mary's back.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Delaney was interested in the button factory but not as much as he was interested in Joe. Joe was an actor. He loved the role of "The Good Employee.' Delaney's instincts were telling him to not trust him.
'He is a well put together man. He seems too perfect. He is trying to impress us. He doesn't seem to be hiding anything. He doesn't seem to be afraid. I don't know what it is but something doesn't sit right with me.'
Mary indicated to Delaney to come over to where she was. She pointed to the box. Delaney stared at it. He recognized the buttons.
"Hey, Joe, who sets these rooms up? Who makes the shadow boxes and the other displays?"
"It was originally set up by Alfred Schumaker, the owner of the place. Then his family took over it for years. Ralph Peterson was the last one in charge of this area. He made all the shadow boxes for this room. Three years ago we started giving tours to some of the local elementary students. He was afraid visitors might take some of the more valuable buttons."
"How well did you know him?"
"He was my supervisor. He left several months ago. He got in trouble with the law. The rumor has he liked the company of young boys. The newspapers say he was indicted but before he went to trial, he simply disappeared. The police have been out here several times asking if any of us have heard from him. "
"What kind of man was he?"
"I never liked him much but he did his job well. He never gave me any trouble. He did seem strangely quiet."
"And you got along with him?"
"Well, most of the time. He did seem a little jealous when the company accepted some of my designs for new buttons."
"What was his personal life like?"
"I didn't know him that well. I think he was divorced. Other than that, I don't know anything about him."
Mary spoke up. "Joe, we need an employee list. Phone numbers and addresses. Could you arrange that for us?"
"Sure, I'll go ask the big boss now."
Now that Joe was gone, Mary and Delaney could talk more freely. They searched the room for any more clues.
"Mary, we will have to take the shadow box with us. Please make an evidence list of anything else we take. Ask one of the workers if there is a storage room nearby. We need to find the other buttons."
Mary left then came back several minutes later.
"One of the workers tells me they use a storage company about fifteen miles from here, Evan's Cubicles. I think I saw it when we were driving over here."
Joe returned with a long list of the employees. This was going to take a long time. ------------------------------------ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joe set them up in a small office in the back of the factory. He excused himself saying he had to get back to work.
The two of them spent the rest of the afternoon interviewing the other employees with connections to the church. It was painstaking and slow. It was almost seven p.m. before they left the factory.
Mary was quiet for the first 15 minutes of the ride home. She managed to forget about William the entire time they were at the factory. Now, the thoughts quickly came back. She would have to confront him in the next few hours.
"Why so quiet, Mary?" Delaney was curious. She had been quite verbal on the way here. He remembered the tongue lashing she had given him. Now she looked defeated.
"Come on, you know you're going to have to tell me eventually anyway. Just get it over with."
The verbal dam broke. Mary told him everything:
How William was gone for a sabbatical for two full years.
How He did nothing but criticize her.
How she really didn't want him to go home.
How she was sure he never loved her and how he just used her to advance his career.
How she wanted out.
She wanted a divorce.
She had finally said it. The D word, the forbidden word, had fallen off her tongue.
She repeated herself so she could actually hear it. "I want a divorce."
Tears followed angry tears, frustrated tears, grieving tears. Delaney tried his best to comfort her. He was awkward at moments like these.
"I understand, Mary. It sounds like something you need to do. I won't judge you. Are you going back to your apartment tonight? Will you be safe? Has he ever physically hurt you?"
"I will go back tonight. I can't put it off any longer. He will not physically hurt me. If he tries I will call for help. If I don't face him now, it may never happen." They were about twenty minutes from her place.
Delaney pulled the car over. His voice became very serious. "If you are in any danger, you call me immediately. I won't let anything happen to you. We are going to stop and get something to eat. You can re-do your makeup and prepare yourself for what you want to do. I won't interfere since you have asked me not to, but I will respond if you need me. Do you understand?"
Mary nodded her head. They stopped at the corner cafe. They took their time eating. Mary was not in a hurry. He dropped her off about 9:15. He waited outside for at least thirty minutes before he went home.
Joe greeted Delaney and Mary at the front entrance. "My boss wants me to show you around."
The factory in action was fascinating to watch. Large machines were everywhere. Joe began the tour at the front of the factory.
"Here is where we mix the resin. We sometimes add several layers of colors to the buttons. The beauty of them comes out later when we polish them."
He took us to a large machine that resembled an open MRI machine.
"These machines continuously turn to keep the resin smooth. We make large sheets of each design. Once it hardens we roll the individual sheets and take them to the cutting room."
"Here we have several large machines."
"Computer generated shapes are cut into the sheets of resin. Further down this row, we have the finishing machines. They put the holes in the button. They indent them. Some of the more expensive buttons, the inlaid buttons have to be made by hand. Next, we put them in the polishing machines. They are down the hall pass the lounge area. These look like an oversized clothes washers. We add water and polishing grit to the machines. We polish them for hours. We put them in the cooling tanks for several hours."
Joe was so enthusiastic about the creation of these buttons. His face lit up with all of his explanations.
"At the end of the hallway, we have a small museum. It talks about the history of this place. It was started in the late 1800's, 1894 to be exact. The Shumaker family business is known internationally. The grandfather ran the place until he died in 1938. His family still owns the place. Now, they use a management company."
He led us to the museum.
The large room was meticulously put together. Colorful buttons everywhere. Some were in buckets that you could run your hands through. Some were in shadow boxes protected from the public. Signed pictures of other famous people filled the walls. Howard Hughes had visited here. Marylyn Monroe was pictured with the owners. Several presidents pictures were shown wearing the artwork we call buttons. Jars and jars of colored buttons filled the shelves.
Mary stopped by one of the shadow boxes. It was a picture of Rome. Inside it was a display of polished black onyx buttons inlaid with an ivory cross. They were originally made for a Cardinal in Rome. They were also the exact buttons sewn into the lips of Father Mac Murphy. Involuntary chills ran down Mary's back.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Delaney was interested in the button factory but not as much as he was interested in Joe. Joe was an actor. He loved the role of "The Good Employee.' Delaney's instincts were telling him to not trust him.
'He is a well put together man. He seems too perfect. He is trying to impress us. He doesn't seem to be hiding anything. He doesn't seem to be afraid. I don't know what it is but something doesn't sit right with me.'
Mary indicated to Delaney to come over to where she was. She pointed to the box. Delaney stared at it. He recognized the buttons.
"Hey, Joe, who sets these rooms up? Who makes the shadow boxes and the other displays?"
"It was originally set up by Alfred Schumaker, the owner of the place. Then his family took over it for years. Ralph Peterson was the last one in charge of this area. He made all the shadow boxes for this room. Three years ago we started giving tours to some of the local elementary students. He was afraid visitors might take some of the more valuable buttons."
"How well did you know him?"
"He was my supervisor. He left several months ago. He got in trouble with the law. The rumor has he liked the company of young boys. The newspapers say he was indicted but before he went to trial, he simply disappeared. The police have been out here several times asking if any of us have heard from him. "
"What kind of man was he?"
"I never liked him much but he did his job well. He never gave me any trouble. He did seem strangely quiet."
"And you got along with him?"
"Well, most of the time. He did seem a little jealous when the company accepted some of my designs for new buttons."
"What was his personal life like?"
"I didn't know him that well. I think he was divorced. Other than that, I don't know anything about him."
Mary spoke up. "Joe, we need an employee list. Phone numbers and addresses. Could you arrange that for us?"
"Sure, I'll go ask the big boss now."
Now that Joe was gone, Mary and Delaney could talk more freely. They searched the room for any more clues.
"Mary, we will have to take the shadow box with us. Please make an evidence list of anything else we take. Ask one of the workers if there is a storage room nearby. We need to find the other buttons."
Mary left then came back several minutes later.
"One of the workers tells me they use a storage company about fifteen miles from here, Evan's Cubicles. I think I saw it when we were driving over here."
Joe returned with a long list of the employees. This was going to take a long time. ------------------------------------ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joe set them up in a small office in the back of the factory. He excused himself saying he had to get back to work.
The two of them spent the rest of the afternoon interviewing the other employees with connections to the church. It was painstaking and slow. It was almost seven p.m. before they left the factory.
Mary was quiet for the first 15 minutes of the ride home. She managed to forget about William the entire time they were at the factory. Now, the thoughts quickly came back. She would have to confront him in the next few hours.
"Why so quiet, Mary?" Delaney was curious. She had been quite verbal on the way here. He remembered the tongue lashing she had given him. Now she looked defeated.
"Come on, you know you're going to have to tell me eventually anyway. Just get it over with."
The verbal dam broke. Mary told him everything:
How William was gone for a sabbatical for two full years.
How He did nothing but criticize her.
How she really didn't want him to go home.
How she was sure he never loved her and how he just used her to advance his career.
How she wanted out.
She wanted a divorce.
She had finally said it. The D word, the forbidden word, had fallen off her tongue.
She repeated herself so she could actually hear it. "I want a divorce."
Tears followed angry tears, frustrated tears, grieving tears. Delaney tried his best to comfort her. He was awkward at moments like these.
"I understand, Mary. It sounds like something you need to do. I won't judge you. Are you going back to your apartment tonight? Will you be safe? Has he ever physically hurt you?"
"I will go back tonight. I can't put it off any longer. He will not physically hurt me. If he tries I will call for help. If I don't face him now, it may never happen." They were about twenty minutes from her place.
Delaney pulled the car over. His voice became very serious. "If you are in any danger, you call me immediately. I won't let anything happen to you. We are going to stop and get something to eat. You can re-do your makeup and prepare yourself for what you want to do. I won't interfere since you have asked me not to, but I will respond if you need me. Do you understand?"
Mary nodded her head. They stopped at the corner cafe. They took their time eating. Mary was not in a hurry. He dropped her off about 9:15. He waited outside for at least thirty minutes before he went home.
The factory in action was fascinating to watch. Large machines were everywhere. Joe began the tour at the front of the factory.
"Here is where we mix the resin. We sometimes add several layers of colors to the buttons. The beauty of them comes out later when we polish them."
He took us to a large machine that resembled an open MRI machine.
"These machines continuously turn to keep the resin smooth. We make large sheets of each design. Once it hardens we roll the individual sheets and take them to the cutting room."
"Here we have several large machines."
"Computer generated shapes are cut into the sheets of resin. Further down this row, we have the finishing machines. They put the holes in the button. They indent them. Some of the more expensive buttons, the inlaid buttons have to be made by hand. Next, we put them in the polishing machines. They are down the hall pass the lounge area. These look like an oversized clothes washers. We add water and polishing grit to the machines. We polish them for hours. We put them in the cooling tanks for several hours."
Joe was so enthusiastic about the creation of these buttons. His face lit up with all of his explanations.
"At the end of the hallway, we have a small museum. It talks about the history of this place. It was started in the late 1800's, 1894 to be exact. The Shumaker family business is known internationally. The grandfather ran the place until he died in 1938. His family still owns the place. Now, they use a management company."
He led us to the museum.
The large room was meticulously put together. Colorful buttons everywhere. Some were in buckets that you could run your hands through. Some were in shadow boxes protected from the public. Signed pictures of other famous people filled the walls. Howard Hughes had visited here. Marylyn Monroe was pictured with the owners. Several presidents pictures were shown wearing the artwork we call buttons. Jars and jars of colored buttons filled the shelves.
Mary stopped by one of the shadow boxes. It was a picture of Rome. Inside it was a display of polished black onyx buttons inlaid with an ivory cross. They were originally made for a Cardinal in Rome. They were also the exact buttons sewn into the lips of Father Mac Murphy. Involuntary chills ran down Mary's back.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Delaney was interested in the button factory but not as much as he was interested in Joe. Joe was an actor. He loved the role of "The Good Employee.' Delaney's instincts were telling him to not trust him.
'He is a well put together man. He seems too perfect. He is trying to impress us. He doesn't seem to be hiding anything. He doesn't seem to be afraid. I don't know what it is but something doesn't sit right with me.'
Mary indicated to Delaney to come over to where she was. She pointed to the box. Delaney stared at it. He recognized the buttons.
"Hey, Joe, who sets these rooms up? Who makes the shadow boxes and the other displays?"
"It was originally set up by Alfred Schumaker, the owner of the place. Then his family took over it for years. Ralph Peterson was the last one in charge of this area. He made all the shadow boxes for this room. Three years ago we started giving tours to some of the local elementary students. He was afraid visitors might take some of the more valuable buttons."
"How well did you know him?"
"He was my supervisor. He left several months ago. He got in trouble with the law. The rumor has he liked the company of young boys. The newspapers say he was indicted but before he went to trial, he simply disappeared. The police have been out here several times asking if any of us have heard from him. "
"What kind of man was he?"
"I never liked him much but he did his job well. He never gave me any trouble. He did seem strangely quiet."
"And you got along with him?"
"Well, most of the time. He did seem a little jealous when the company accepted some of my designs for new buttons."
"What was his personal life like?"
"I didn't know him that well. I think he was divorced. Other than that, I don't know anything about him."
Mary spoke up. "Joe, we need an employee list. Phone numbers and addresses. Could you arrange that for us?"
"Sure, I'll go ask the big boss now."
Now that Joe was gone, Mary and Delaney could talk more freely. They searched the room for any more clues.
"Mary, we will have to take the shadow box with us. Please make an evidence list of anything else we take. Ask one of the workers if there is a storage room nearby. We need to find the other buttons."
Mary left then came back several minutes later.
"One of the workers tells me they use a storage company about fifteen miles from here, Evan's Cubicles. I think I saw it when we were driving over here."
Joe returned with a long list of the employees. This was going to take a long time. ------------------------------------ ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Joe set them up in a small office in the back of the factory. He excused himself saying he had to get back to work.
The two of them spent the rest of the afternoon interviewing the other employees with connections to the church. It was painstaking and slow. It was almost seven p.m. before they left the factory.
Mary was quiet for the first 15 minutes of the ride home. She managed to forget about William the entire time they were at the factory. Now, the thoughts quickly came back. She would have to confront him in the next few hours.
"Why so quiet, Mary?" Delaney was curious. She had been quite verbal on the way here. He remembered the tongue lashing she had given him. Now she looked defeated.
"Come on, you know you're going to have to tell me eventually anyway. Just get it over with."
The verbal dam broke. Mary told him everything:
How William was gone for a sabbatical for two full years.
How He did nothing but criticize her.
How she really didn't want him to go home.
How she was sure he never loved her and how he just used her to advance his career.
How she wanted out.
She wanted a divorce.
She had finally said it. The D word, the forbidden word, had fallen off her tongue.
She repeated herself so she could actually hear it. "I want a divorce."
Tears followed angry tears, frustrated tears, grieving tears. Delaney tried his best to comfort her. He was awkward at moments like these.
"I understand, Mary. It sounds like something you need to do. I won't judge you. Are you going back to your apartment tonight? Will you be safe? Has he ever physically hurt you?"
"I will go back tonight. I can't put it off any longer. He will not physically hurt me. If he tries I will call for help. If I don't face him now, it may never happen." They were about twenty minutes from her place.
Delaney pulled the car over. His voice became very serious. "If you are in any danger, you call me immediately. I won't let anything happen to you. We are going to stop and get something to eat. You can re-do your makeup and prepare yourself for what you want to do. I won't interfere since you have asked me not to, but I will respond if you need me. Do you understand?"
Mary nodded her head. They stopped at the corner cafe. They took their time eating. Mary was not in a hurry. He dropped her off about 9:15. He waited outside for at least thirty minutes before he went home.
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