When Storage Units Are All the Rage

     Tiffany eyed the clock on the wall sleepily. Only ten thirty? Why did the morning have to drag on so? Being the manager of a Bakersfield, California, self storage facility was good for paying the bills, but some mornings were just so slow. She looked at the stack of paperwork on her desk and sighed. I sure wish something interesting would happen today.

Just then, as if someone had read her mind, the office doorbell jingled as it swung open. Tiffany glanced up, expecting to see Jim, the postman, but what she saw made her blink. Was she dreaming? In front of her stood a man and not just any man – a gorgeous man. Tall and muscular, he was wearing what appeared to be a sports uniform – though what kind of sport, she couldn’t tell. The dream man opened his mouth, “Miss, are you ok?” Startled, Tiffany realized she’d been staring at him with her chin on the floor. “Why, y-y-yes,” she stuttered, self-consciously tucking her hair behind her ear and wondering just how awful she looked at the moment. “He called me Miss,” she thought. “He must think I’m young.”

Tiffany realized the man had made a comment. “S-s-sorry,” she stuttered again, “what was that?” “He must think I’m an idiot,” she thought, and did her best to concentrate on what the handsome man in her office was saying to her. “Can you direct me to Storage Unit B55?” he asked. Whatever could he want with a storage unit? Did he own it? Wouldn’t she have remembered giving him a form? “What’s your name?” she asked. “Edward,” he answered, smiling at her. “And you are?” “Oh, I’m Tiffany,” she answered flattered that he would want to know her name. Edward spoke again, “You probably wanted to look me up, but I’m afraid I don’t own Storage Unit B55, I’m just in today’s tournament.

Surprised, Tiffany questioned, “A tournament? At our storage facility?” Edward smiled, “Why? Yes, I was pleasantly surprised to hear it was being hosted at a Bakersfield storage facility this year. Now do you mind showing me? I was told I’m the last to arrive.” Tiffany couldn’t recall seeing any other athletes in her parking lot that morning, but she had seen a white school type van roll past earlier but hadn’t thought much of it. Eager to see exactly what type of tournament this was, Tiffany grabbed the storage office “closed for lunch” sign, and stuck it on the door. For all anyone knew, this was on early lunch.

In a couple of minutes, Edward and Tiffany were standing before Storage Unit B55. It was quiet except for some strange banging noises coming from the storage unit itself. Opening the door, Tiffany found herself facing 3 other athletes. One man and two women, they were all dressed in white tank tops and shorts. The women even had white sweatbands. Smiling broadly, they welcomed Edward and he went to take his place for the match. Tiffany took a seat off to the side and said to one of the women, “What kind of match is this?” The woman looked at her surprised, “Why it’s the Annual Storage Squash Match.” “A squash match,” Tiffany exclaimed. “I used to play squash back in high school. I’ve never heard of it in a storage unit before.” The woman smirked at Tiffany’s obvious ignorance – “oh sweetie, it’s all the rage these days.”

When the woman’s back was turned, Tiffany shot her a look, “it’s all the rage these days,” she mouthed, as she rolled her eyes. She caught Edward watching her and blushed, suddenly shamed by her open display of sarcasm. Edward shot her a wink and then readied himself for the first play. The match began and it seemed as though the storage unit was ready to explode with the energy. With every whack of the ball hitting the racquets and walls, Tiffany felt the adrenaline rushing through her. Oh, how she had missed this game. Just think, working at a storage facility, she could have been doing this all along.

The game ended with Edward’s team winning. Tiffany felt exhausted from watching so intently. She longed to play squash again. She had forgotten the rush it gave you. The players all shook hands and began to disperse. Tiffany sighed. Well she’d better get back to her boring office. She smiled at Edward and left the storage unit. The rest of the day went quickly, as Tiffany daydreamed of playing squash. She saw the white van roll by and assumed Edward had left too.
    At the end of her shift, she locked up the office and turned off the lights. Hesitating, she remembered she actually had some of her squash equipment stored in one of the lockers here. She had put it there ages ago and forgotten about it. She went to the locker and opened it. Yep, still there. She walked back to Storage Unit B55. Opening it she barely dodged a squash ball that came flying at her. “Oohhhh!” she cried out. Edward came walking towards her, a sheepish expression on his face. “Sorry,” he said, and grinned. “My sister – that woman you were sitting next to – mentioned you had said you played squash. I figured if you had, you’d probably want to play after the game today and so I stuck around hoping.” Tiffany looked up at him. Wow, today had been an awesome day. And it was about to get even better. Hiding her smile, she spoke calmly, “Well then Edward, you’d better be prepared to lose. Squash is all the rage in storage units you know.” Walking forward, they shook hands and smiled. Game. Set. The match began… 
   
This story was inspired by the people we know, the stories we've heard, and the things that are most important in our lives.

If you’re a squash player, then we’d invite you to try a game out sometime. You never know…it may become all the rage in Bakersfield, California.

Thanks for reading,
-  The Find Storage Fast Team