The Secrets of Ice Cream Success (9 page)

But against all his hopes it
very much looked like he would be the owner of a fully functioning
ice cream factory within a week or two. He was so scared by the
thought he had started to feel queasy every time Randy mentioned
“The Big Day”. However, walking around a supplier’s factory with
Randy and Lucy that afternoon as they negotiated contracts for
ingredients and packaging, Carlo saw more than one poster for
“Hill’s Vanilla this” and “Hill’s Chocolate that” and pictured the
vile, gargling Mr Hill each time and when he did he mentally took a
deep breath and re-doubled his efforts to understand what Randy and
Lucy meant by Resource Plans, Peak Production Days, Demand
Indicators and the other foreign terms they kept using. The simple
idea of selling ice cream from a window in a van was seeming more
remote the more he learnt about his new Empire.

‘
So we have
staff?’ Abi asked excitedly that weekend.

‘
Some.’ Carlo
answered. ‘And enough stock to start limited production next week,
Uncle Randy says.’

The gang took this as
legitimate grounds to dance around Norton’s front room in
celebration.

‘
And,’ Carlo
continued, ‘Uncle Randy says I can sit in on the last few
interviews tomorrow.’

‘
Firstly,’
said Norton to groans from the others, ‘he’s not your Uncle. And
secondly, can I come to the interview?’

‘
I don’t
know…’ Carlo said, ‘It’s very important Uncle Randy gets the right
people for the job and I’m going to be putting them off as it is
without you sat there dressed like a squat dictator.’

‘
I do not look
like a squat dictator!’ Norton fumed. ‘Anyway, what’s a
dictator?’

‘
Someone who
writes down stuff other people say.’ Ben answered
knowledgeably.

‘
He’s saying
you dress like a third world despot.’ Newton corrected.

‘
Well, that’s
OK then.’ said Norton, appeased but none the wiser. ‘So, can I
come? I really think the Junior Director of Human Resources should
be at one interview at least. That is what HR is isn’t it?’ he
added in a whisper to Newton as Carlo thought about it. Newton
nodded, so Norton intensified his determined look.

Unfortunately, determination on
Norton tended to manifest itself as a reddened face that looked
dangerously close to exploding, so Carlo caved under pressure not
to laugh. ‘OK, OK… you can come. Just don’t say anything. Let Uncle
Randy and me do the talking.’

‘
Who’s phone
is that?’ Abi said, looking around at the others as something
started beeping manically. ‘It’s not mine.’

‘
Not me,
either.’

‘
Mine’s in my
bedroom.’ Norton added.

‘
Must be
yours, Newt.’

‘
Mine doesn’t
have that ringtone anymore.’

The gang turned to Carlo, the
only one who hadn’t accounted for his mobile phone. ‘It can’t be
mine. You’re all here.’ he pointed out. ‘Who else would call
me?’

‘
Just answer
the phone!’

Carlo fished his mobile from
his jeans and looked at the screen. ‘Oh, God! It’s Victoria
Dearlove!’

‘
Answer it
then.’ Abi said, sitting up in excitement.

Carlo pressed the call button
and lifted the phone to his ear. ‘Hello?’ he managed but the caller
had hung up. ‘I wonder what she wanted?’ Carlo said, staring at his
phone as if it may hold the answer. ‘I didn’t even know she had my
number. No one has my number.’

Abi shifted in her seat. ‘Ah…
It’s funny you should mention that…’ she said, but Ben cut across
her…

‘
Call her
back, see what she wants.’

‘
What? Are you
mad… I’m not calling Vicky Dearlove.’

‘
Why not? She
called you.’

‘
Coz it’s
Vicky Dearlove!’

‘
He has a
point. I mean, it’s Vicky Dearlove.’ Norton added, helpfully. ‘You
don’t just call Vicky Dearlove.’

‘
But she
called him!’ Abi said exasperated. ‘She wants to speak to him! Call
her back, Carlo.’

Carlo tried to sink into his
chair in the hope the cushions might show pity and swallow him.
Everyone was staring at him in anticipation of his next move but he
was stuck between the will of a girl who wanted to speak to him but
was not actually in the room; someone he probably couldn’t have
spoken to even if he wanted to; and the will of a girl he was more
than capable of talking to and was very much in the room, furrowed
of brow and resolute of manner.

‘
Call her!’
Abi ordered.

Carlo looked at the three boys
hoping for some male solidarity but recognising that they were just
as interested in seeing the outcome, he gave in and pressed the
last number on his phone.

‘
What do I
say?’ he asked.

‘
Hello?’ Ben
offered.

‘
Thanks.’
Carlo answered, pulling a face at Ben just as the phone started to
ring, but he soon let out a sigh of relief as the call clicked
through to answerphone. He was just about to hang up when the tone
beeped in his ear awaiting his message. He hung up in
shock.

‘
No answer, it
just went to answerphone.’ he announced happily.

‘
Why didn’t
you leave a message?’ Abi asked.

‘
Why would I
do that?’

‘
Because
that’s what normal people do. I think you should call her
back.’

‘
Are you
mad?’

‘
Well, she
knows you called her now, so you might as well leave a message and
be nice.’

Norton started to smirk. ‘Yeah,
play nicely, Carlo.’

‘
Shut up,
Norton. Carlo, leave her a message.’ Abi persisted.

Carlo, feeling rather
harangued, pressed re-dial and waited for the answer machine, but
as it kicked in he made the mistake of looking over to Newt and
Norton and started to feel very self conscious. ‘Err… hi. Umm…
yeah, er, bye.’ he mumbled into the phone before hanging up.

‘
Carlo!’ Abi
moaned. ‘What was that?’

‘
I dunno… I
panicked.’

‘
Well, you’ll
have to ring her back now.’ Ben said with a grin whilst Newt and
Norton giggled at Carlo’s discomfort from the sofa.

‘
What? Why? I
tried and she didn’t answer; I left a message; why do I have to
ring her back again?’

‘
Because you
just left her the world’s most stupid message, that’s why.’ Ben
answered.

Not convinced, Carlo pressed
the button again and waited for the answerphone one more time,
hoping desperately that Vicky wouldn’t answer in person. ‘Yeah,
err… Hi, again. I’m just ringing you because you, err… rang me. So
yeah. Bye.’

‘
Pathetic!’
Ben laughed as the two boys on the sofa howled in
laughter.

‘
Perhaps you
should do this in private?’ Abi suggested.

‘
Do what? I
called her again. That’s it… isn’t it?’ Carlo asked, now concerned
that Abi was suggesting it wasn’t.

‘
Boys are so
stupid!’ Abi said, standing up and dragging Carlo out of his chair.
‘Listen… Vicky fancies you and you fancy her… No, don’t deny it.’
she added as Carlo made to protest. ‘Now go out there,’ she
continued, pushing him into the hall, ‘and call her again. And if
it goes to answerphone say hello, say you’re sorry you missed her
call and that you’ll speak to her later… and try not to make it
sound like you’re a stalker this time.

‘
She won’t
want to speak to him at the party at this rate.’ Abi said to the
others, falling back into her chair as Carlo left the
room.

‘
Oh, you don’t
seriously think his invite still stands after this?’ Newton said
with a smile.

‘
We better
go.’ Norton said glumly as the others laughed. ‘My Mam’ll be back
soon.’

‘
Yeah, OK.’
Newton said picking up his bag. ‘Did she know we were coming
round?’

‘
Nah?’

Without needing to ask why
Norton was anxious about leaving, the group having emptied the
recently re-stocked fridge, the gang stood and made their way to
the front door as Carlo finished on the phone and joined them,
looking rather ashen.

‘
What?’ Abi
asked, ‘Did you speak to her?’ Carlo shook his head. ‘Well? Did you
leave a message?’

‘
I got
confused.’ Carlo said miserably. ‘I don’t know why I said it. It
just sort of said itself.’

‘
What did?
What did you say?’ Norton asked excitedly.

‘
I think I may
have just asked Vicky Dearlove out on a date.’

Carlo and Norton were sat in
stunned silence. The man on the other side of the desk was taller
than anyone they had ever met, had three teeth missing from his
smile and seemed to whistle every time he spoke. Norton’s mouth had
dropped open as he stared quite openly, leaving Randy to hurry the
interview to a close in order to limit any possible offence.

‘
I think
that’s it, unless either of you have any questions for Mr Lumsden?’
Randy asked, turning to the two boys.

‘
Yeah… just
how tall
are
you?’ Norton blurted out in a manner that suggested he had
been waiting to ask the question since Mr Lumsden entered the
office, a feat of patience not normally associated with
Norton.

‘
Richard!’
Randy scolded, ‘A work related question, please.’

‘
It’sssss OK,
Mr Fox. I am ssssix feet and ten inchesss.’ Mr Lumsden answered,
whistling tunefully as he pronounced every “ess”.

‘
Whoah.’
Norton volunteered as a reply.

‘
I think we
can assume there are no more questions.’ Randy added, giving the
boys a meaningful glance. ‘Thank you so much for coming in and
we’ll be in touch shortly.’

‘
Sssssuper.’
Mr Lumsden said, shaking hands with all three before leaving the
office in a crouch to fit through the door.

‘
Ssssssssssuper!’ Norton mimicked with a shrill
whistle.

‘
Richard, I’m
going to ask you not to attend the final interview.’ Randy said
sounding annoyed.

‘
I’m only
messing. Anyway, did you see him?’

‘
Yes, I saw
him and I also read his CV. He is highly qualified and I think will
fit in well here.’

‘
You said that
about the last one!’ Norton pointed out.

‘
He’s got a
point, Uncle Randy.’ Carlo added. ‘She barely said two words and
when you asked if she had any questions she squeaked and looked
like she was about to leg it!’

‘
Don’t be
dramatic, Carlo…’

‘
And the one
before that…’ Norton continued, ‘took three attempts to leave the
office.’

‘
And the one
before
that
had
an eye patch.’ Carlo offered.

‘
And a false
leg. I think he actually
was
a pirate. Exactly which recruitment agency did
you use?’ Norton asked.

‘
Look, lads.
We need to open the factory ASAP and don’t have many options. These
people are ready and willing to work and are perfectly fine. Once
they are trained up you’ll wonder what all the fuss was
about.’

‘
So you’re
going to hire all of them?’ Carlo asked with barely disguised
indignation.

‘
Yes.’

‘
Even the
first one?’

‘
Yes, even the
first one.’

‘
He couldn’t
speak English!’ Norton pointed out, not for the first
time.

‘
And I got the
impression he thought he was here about a different job. He kept
mentioning cabbages.’ Carlo added. ‘Or I think he did. Perhaps
cabbage is ice cream in his language?’

‘
Cabbage ice
cream. Yuk! Even I wouldn’t eat that.’ Norton said standing
up.

‘
Bet he
would.’ Carlo whispered to Randy as they too stood and left the
office.

‘
So that’s it.
I’ll get the paperwork ready for the new staff and then we’re all
set. If all goes to plan we can start manufacturing in two days and
be ready to open and start selling by next week. You’ve done it,
Carlo. You’ve re-opened Leodoni’s.’ Randy said, placing his hand on
Carlo’s shoulder as they looked over the balcony at the factory
floor below.

‘
No; you did
Uncle Randy. And I’ll do my best to learn from you and Lucy and
maybe do just as well when I take over.’ Carlo turned and offered
the older man a hug, feeling quite emotional.

Norton started to make retching
sounds behind them as he walked back towards the main doors. ‘Get a
room!’ Carlo heard him mumble.

Still feeling rather nostalgic
after the talk with Randy, Carlo offered to lock up, but took a
stroll around the factory floor beforehand, taking in the silent
grandeur of the huge machines one last time before the factory
re-opened and the almost constant clatter, whiz and buzz of a fully
functioning Ice Cream Factory kicked into life.

‘
You
understand that when I say clean, I mean
clean
… really, really
clean?’