The Gong Rings

Short Story | 10 Minute Read

This week was an entry into another NYC Midnight short story contest. I don’t remember the whole prompt, but you can bet “gong” was part of it. I was surprised to find that I hadn’t shared this story here yet. This is one of those that feels like an oldie by now, but I probably only wrote it last year.

This story is a 10 minute read.

this image was created by NIcole Rivera using CanvaPro

THE GONG RINGS

“A gong?” Madison was exasperated as she pulled into a spot at the rear of the parking lot switching her phone from Bluetooth to speaker. “Do they even carry gongs here?”

On the other end of the line, Bryce sounded amused. “I mean, it is the MegaMart, Maddie. Aren’t they supposed to have everything?”

“You know... I know what you’re doing here, right?” Madison had her Michael Khors purse in the crook of her arm and was walking to the superstore’s entrance in her Jimmy Choos. She’d rather be home getting changed and ready for dinner. 

“Here’s the deal, Maddie, you go in there, ask customer service if they have a gong and don’t you dare try to come to dinner before you hear that thing ring five times.”

Madison cracked a smile and rolled her eyes. “You’re ridiculous, you know that? I can not say anything around you!”

“Hold on a second, are you trying to back out of this?” Bryce was putting on a full faux offense. “You said MegaMart anniversary gifts only. That’s what I want.”

“Goodbye, Bryce,” Madison said as she neared the sliding doors of the MegaMart.Then she hung up the phone and threw it in her purse with a laugh. 

Had it only been five years since this goof came into her life? Why did she feel like it was forever? Why did she feel the need to demand so much more already? She was only 26, and swore she’d hold out to 30 for marriage, but Bryce changed everything. He knew it too. When she blew up in a rage over the question, “What do you want as an anniversary gift this year?” And told him, “I want a ring, Bryce! And until that happens, you might as well pick up some shit at the MegaMart.” 

He said, “Deal. MegaMart gifts only this year. You’re absolutely right.” And he held her to it. He had been shopping the site and asking her every day about her likes and dislikes. 

Then he added his own contingency, “But you can’t buy my gift until I figure out exactly what I want. I’m researching.”

So today was the day. Their five year anniversary. The plan was dinner after work, but she knew nothing else. He told her he would call her on the way home from work with his gift idea so she could swing by the MegaMart on route 301 right before their apartment’s turnoff. 

And he says, “I want a gong.”

This is exactly what she loved about the idea of a life with him, but it was also what frustrated her. Everything -- even starting their future together -- fell into the realm of joke-worthy. She decided she would roll with it this time, since it was her outburst that led them here, but after the anniversary, she was going to have to find a way to bring up the topic more seriously. 

The visual, audio, and even aromatic assault of the MegaMart was exactly the type of thing Madison tried to avoid on her commute home from work. This was her time to unwind and relax. The bright yellow polos worn by all the employees were torture enough, but the music on blast and the weird mix of smells from the store’s kitchens was… well… a lot. She hated this place.

She walked over to the customer service counter and found a line of humans that looked like they were each suffering their own individual torture in silence. Knowing nothing about any of these people, Madison thought, I would not trade a minute of my life for theirs. Not a minute.

She immediately felt guilty for being so judgemental and decided she needed a distraction. She pulled her phone out of her bag to text Bryce about the long wait, asking if she could order him the gong from the MegaMart website. 

He didn’t answer.

After twenty minutes of waiting for a lotto ticket buy, a return of a makeup bag for $4.38 of in-store credit, and a battle over a vacuum that had a missing attachment from the box, Madison was finally face to face with a woman whom she immediately pitied. Again, guilt flowed over her as the emotion hit. She imagined that this woman may have a much fuller life than she could imagine, but the yellow polo shirt had long ago lost its brightness and turned into a faded dinge that was reminiscent of urine. Add to that the woman seemed to struggle to smile, and Madison was worried the woman wouldn’t be able to find the amusement in the gong request.

She scanned her chest for a name tag and started with that, and a smile. “Hi Bridget, I’m wondering -- and I realize this is going to sound ridiculous -- do you guys carry gongs in this store?”

Bridget transformed in front of her. She stood taller, grabbed the counter with intent, and bit her lower lip before asking, “Did you just ask for a gong?”

The two yellow-clad workers on either side of her also turned to look at Madison. 

Now Bryce was about to get the last laugh as Madison was about to get laughed out of MegaMart.

“She asked for a gong!” Bridget then shouted into the air, and another employee appeared from a back door that had been hidden from Madison’s view. Though no one was telling Madison where she would find a gong, she heard one ring somewhere off in the distance.

The ring of the gong seemed to change the air in the entire store. The employees behind the desk, and the others who had started milling out of the back of the store were all lit up and the yellow polos made sense to Madison for the first time. It felt like she was in a bowl of sunshine. 

She didn’t know where the gong was, but it felt fun and light and happy in the MegaMart now and Madison didn’t mind letting them in on this silly aside from her goofy boyfriend.

She was leaning in to tell Bridget it was for her boyfriend, when a different yellow-clad employee was by her side, holding her arm. 

“I can help you with the gong request, Miss. Come this way.” Her name tag said Ellen and she looked nothing like the talk show host. She was large, dark haired, dark skinned, and looked like she typically wasn’t this friendly. Underneath her name was the title of Assistant Manager and Madison instantly understood her battle-weary look. 

“Thanks, Ellen,” she said, unable to shake her superior tone or feeling. 

What was it about this place that made her feel bad for everyone inside? Why was MegaMart the greatest insult she felt she could sling at Bryce when she felt she wanted his utmost attention?

Madison followed behind Ellen past endless racks of t-shirts that looked like they would disintegrate in one wash, past barrels of cheese balls, crates of DVDs, and through a maze of televisions that had to be mismarked for the prices they had on them. She followed blindly without thinking about whether or not the direction made any sense based on what they were supposedly looking for. But then Ellen stopped in women’s wear and picked up a red dress. It was surprisingly kind of cute and didn’t look like it would fit Ellen at all. Then Ellen pulled the walkie-talkie off her belt, pressed a button that made it chirp and then said something into it. The only word Madison was sure of was “gong.” Ellen clipped the walkie-talkie back on her belt with a smile just as the gong rang in the distance. 

This was one weird MegaMart.

“Excuse me, Ellen?” Madison started.

“This way!” Ellen said cheerily. She started down another wide aisle dodging shopping carts overflowing with more items and food than Madson thought she and Bryce could fit in their tiny apartment. Ellen shouted, “Sam!” when a good looking guy who had to be only a year or two younger than Madison appeared from one of the side-facing aisles. Madison wondered what path in life had landed him in this place. Ellen continued, “This young lady here is looking for the gong,” she raised her eyebrows and Sam mimicked her. 

“Oh wow,” he said, turning to smile and nod at Madison. Ellen handed him the dress and said, “You think you could help her from here?”

“Absolutely!” Sam said. He turned to Madison. He was a talker. “This is quite a dress, isn’t it? Didn’t even know we had one like it in stock. Gotta love the ladies in red. Never gets old, that look, does it?” He walked much faster than Ellen and seemed to have a sixth sense about in-store obstacles coming up without keeping his eyes on where he was going. Madison was struggling to keep up -- with his stride and his conversation. Once again, she was getting swept through the expanse of this superstore without any notice of a possible destination. Before she knew it, the two of them were winding through cases of floral arrangements and house plants and Sam had his hands on a beautiful bouquet of roses wrapped in a large red ribbon. “Yep, these are the ones. But we gotta get you that gong, don’t we?”

“Yes, I, uh--” Madison barely had a moment to register that they were back on task.

“Genesis, darling!” Sam was calling over Madison’s head to a young Latina that must have still been in high school. Finally, Madison thought, someone who belongs in retail -- the part-time teenager. She had been tapping away on her phone and thought she had been caught by Sam the way she jammed that phone in her back pocket. 

“Yes, Sam! Sorry, Sam!” Genesis was sugar-sweet and all eyelashes as she slid over to the floral section. Madison was now pinned between two yellow-clad employees in an in-store MegaMart florist. This was going to be one memorable anniversary story, that was for sure. Touche, Bryce. Touche.

“Genesis, sweetie, no apologies necessary. I actually need your help. This lovely lady right here is looking for the gong,” he stopped and Madison turned to look at Genesis in time to see her eyes pop like she had just been asked out by her four year high school crush. “You think you can help her?”

“Me?” Genesis asked, reaching over to Sam, taking the dress and the flowers. “Are you sure?”

“I mean you know where to go right?” Sam asked.

Genesis looked in her arms, bit her lip and nodded. 

“Excellent,” Sam said, patting Madison on the shoulder. “You are in great hands. Good luck!” 

“Come this way, please,” she said, turning back multiple times looking Madison up and down. 

As they walked away Madison heard the chirp of a walkie-talkie behind her and Sam talking. This time she could make out two words: “Genesis” and “gong” before she heard a gong ring again. Madison turned back to find him, but there was a cart filled with two children, asleep on pillows in the big part of the cart, and the woman she assumed was their mother, shopping for shoes.

“My name’s Genesis, by the way,” Genesis said. “I love your style.”

“Thanks,” Madison said. “My name’s Madison, but most of my friends -- and my boyfriend -- call me Maddie.”

Genesis held back a squeal. “I love nicknames! I wish I could come up with something cute like that.”

“Your name is beautiful,” Madison said. “And I’m sure your style extends beyond yellow polos and khakis.” She placed a hand on Gensis’s shoulder. She felt like this was a girl she could mentor in some big sister capacity. Help her climb her way out of retail horror into a career of her choosing where she could wear whatever she wanted and demand people call her whatever she wanted. “Don’t think I didn’t notice those lashes! Where do you get them done?”

“Oh em gee -- do you like them? My friend and I are thinking of starting our own business! We do each other’s every other week and photograph them. I think we’re ready to start getting clients.”

“Thatta girl, Genesis! If hers look as good as yours I’d say so!”

“Honestly, the ones I put on her always last longer, so I think I have a tiny edge.” Genesis looked up at Madison and shrugged playfully. Madison saw so much of herself in this girl. The style, the confidence, the eagerness to do more. She was so wrapped up in her little mentee, she was surprised when she saw they were in the makeup department.  “I get all of my supplies here, too, so I spend next to nothing.” She started grabbing things off the shelf, when Madison spotted a rack of shopping baskets next to the shopping counter. She grabbed one and gave it to Genesis who said, “Wow. You’re so sweet. It’s so nice really helping out customers who are as sweet as you, you know?”

It was at that point that Madison couldn’t help but think that she hadn’t been helped out at all, yet. “Thanks so much, sweetie. I do appreciate that. Speaking of which, do you know where I can find the gong? I’m sure if you just tell me where to go, I can find my way.”

“It’s a gift, right?” Genesis asked, holding Madison’s wrist gently as she pulled her away from the makeup counter.

“Uh… yes?” Madison said, looking back to the woman behind the counter who seemed to be watching her and Genesis very closely before speaking into her walkie-talkie.

The gong rang again in the distance.

“For your --”

“Boyfriend,” Madison finished. “It’s for our anniversary.”

“How romantic!” Genesis said. 

“Really?” Madison said. “A gong? Romantic?”

Genesis laughed. “I mean… maybe? But whatever the gift is, the effort put into it is worth something, isn’t it? Look at you trying so hard to get your boyfriend the thing he asked for no matter what it is because you know him and love him and --”

Ellen, the assistant manager, was in front of them. “Ma’am, have you not gotten that gong yet?”

Madison looked up and shook her head.

“I am so sorry for this inconvenience,” she said. “Did you know that MegaMart has a hair salon and stylist on its premises?”

“I-uh-no. I did not,” Madison was thoroughly confused and unable to find a segue back to the gong. 

“Well,” Ellen sidled up next to her and put an arm around her, while taking the shopping basket from Genesis, “the thing is, I think we owe you something for your inconvenience.” Ellen had begun walking Madison toward the far end of the store. There were a number of employees behind them following this fete of customer service. Madison looked up and saw an inset hair salon with a sign announcing “Mart’s Manes.” She was afraid of what Ellen thought she owed her. As they walked the gong rang again, which pulled her out of her fears, back to her present and back to her senses.

“Excuse me, Ellen,” she said as she sidled out of her embrace. “All you owe me is the directions to a gong. I keep hearing it. Maybe like three times already --”

“Four,” said a bunch of voices from the growing group of employees following them.

“It only rang four so far,” Sam said from the back of the group.

“Yeah,” Genesis added with a shrug, “One more to go.”

“One more to --” Madison cut herself short as the memory of her conversation with Bryce flew back into her mind. He said something weird like don’t even try to come to dinner before you hear it ring five times. “What is happen--?” 

The employees cheered, hooped and hollered. Madison flushed red as she suddenly understood that all employees were in on some big Bryce prank that she was the victim of. She wanted to run, to cry, to hide, and to find Bryce. It was Genesis’s face that grounded her. It was not full of laughter and pranks, she was batting her giant eyelashes again in her “how romantic” look. She remembered what she said she thought was so romantic -- all of the effort and thought being put into a gift for the one you love. So Madison shook off the embarrassment and decided to ask, straightforward, what was going on before she fled for her dignity.

She looked at Ellen. “What is this?”

“Word is it’s your anniversary. These,” she held up the shopping basket, “are your gifts. In addition to a blow out before your dinner, if you so wish. If you’d rather you just use the facilities to do yourself up, that’s okay too. When you go in there and get all gussied up, you’ll get the gong, you can ring it for a fifth time, and we can tell you where your dinner is.”

It was madness. Pure Bryce madness. He took this idle threat and turned it into his own fun and games. How could she not love this guy?

Madison went into the salon, got a blow out and asked for input from Genesis as she freshened up her makeup and lashes -- that girl was going to make millions. Then she went into the dressing room, changed into her new MegaMart date night outfit and could not believe how classy she actually looked by the end of it. When she came out, it was Bridget, from the customer service desk who held the small 12” round gong before her with a tiny hammer to hit it with. “Fifth time’s a charm?” she said.

“Evidently,” Madison said, taking the hammer from her and striking it. 

“He’s on the roof,” she said with a small smile, handing her the roses once again, pointing to an emergency exit to her left. Keep going up til you can’t go no more. I think the sun is about to set.”

Madson took the gong and climbed the enormous flight of stairs. MegaMart was only one floor but the ceilings were epicly high. She wondered if she’d be sweating when she reached the top, or out of breath, or over the excitement of this amazing gift, but when she opened the door and saw the scene laid out before her everything was reignited. Christmas lights, a folding table with plastic folding chairs and a disposable tablecloth, lawn decor she had passed while on her gong journey -- in short, it was clear that everything on that roof had been purchased in the superstore below. She just burst out laughing, a deep, wonderful laugh that reached from her toes to her tearing eyes. Then she saw Bryce, handsome as hell and wearing one of the proudest smiles she’d ever seen on him. 

“I got you the gong,” she said.

“And the five rings?” he asked.

“All five,” she said as she spun to show off her dress, her flowers, her whole look, and when she turned to face him once more, he was down on one knee opening a tiny box in his hand.

“How about one more? Will you marry me?” 

Leave a Comment and Don’t Hoard this Story!

I love that this story ends in a proposal, but I don’t love the last line. Do you think I could end this story with just, “How about one more?” and it would be clear to the reader that Bryce is proposing?

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