Promotional Spirits

"... You want me to help your husband get a promotion?" Anisha asked, not sure what to make of this task as Harold and Charlotte redressed. "Won't people see me on the way to his work."

"Nope!" Charlotte drawled, "Says here only those who summoned you can see you, though it never said just how many people can summon you in one setting. As for that Devil Woman that Harold calls a boss..."

"Hey, Harold! You and your wife okay up there?!"

"We invited her to dinner..." Harold sighed.

"That will be $215.12 for her wardrobe, Ma'am. Cash or credit?" The Cashier asked Nudy Judy.

"Charge it!" Nudy Judy said as she pulled out Anisha's MasterCard, handing it to the man as Wendy and Monika stared at her.

"We gotta find out what this loony did with Anisha before she bankrupts the poor girl." Wendy whispered.

"Tell me something, are you enjoying this? Do you think this is funny?"

"Of course not! Anisha's our friend, and she -"

"Not Anisha and this idiot!" Monika hissed, gesturing down at how she was dressed. "I meant me! I told you not to let her pick me out anything that made me look like a little girl, and now I look like I'm about to be enrolled in kindergarten again!"

"..."

"You are enjoying this! That's why you jumped at the chance to say you were babysitting me, wasn't it?!"

"I plead the fifth..."

"Ooh, when this is over, I'm gonna -"

"Well, Girls," Nudy Judy began as unintentionally interrupted the argument, "now that shopping is out of the way, I think we should treat ourselves to a day at the salon next door. Maybe get rid of that horrible thing they did to Little Monika's hair."

"Oh no!" Monika yelled, suddenly in a panic, "You are not removing the dye from my hair! Do you know how much this color costs?!"

"Yeah, your beautiful golden locks from what I see from the roots." Nudy Judy said, "Now come! I'm not taking no for an answer."

"You know," Wendy said with a smirk, "maybe we can also bring back those natural curls of hers."

"If you have those freaks come anywhere near me with a curling iron I'll break your arm!"

"MmmMmph!" A tall, bronze woman in white cowboy attire moaned as she slammed her fork down. "I'll tell ya right now, Charlotte! I had a lot of porterhouse in my life, but shoot! This here's the best steak I've ever had since my Mama's!"

"Quite..." Charlotte drawled as she subtly turned to Anisha.

"What she means is... Thank you very much, Ms. Winchester!" Harold said timidly.

"Now, let's get down to business, Harold." Ms. Winchester drawled, wiping her lips with a napkin. "I know that you put in a request as a candidate for the position of Vice President of Winchester's All American Appliances. Which is a very big jump from... Er, what position are you again?"

"I'm the head of accounting, Ma'am."

"And while I have read your records, with you being in my Pa's company for... Er..."

"Six years, Ms. Winchester."

"Right. Right." Ms. Winchester said nonchalantly, "I'm afraid your just not the right material for the position. Now, it ain't that you haven't done a good job at WAAA, but since I took over as President for my Daddy, I've been looking for somebody who's tough and gritty, not afraid to make difficult choices. Someone not afraid to stand on their own two feet. Someone who glares down confrontation with a smile on their face, and eats it for breakfast! Someone like a wild bucking bronco!"

"And that describes my Harold to a T! Right, Darlin'?" Charlotte asked her husband.

"No offense, Mrs. Peterson," Ms. Winchester drawled, "but your husband is the exact opposite of what I'm looking for. He's soft, indecisive, afraid of his own shadow, and runs at the first sight of a disagreement. He's, to put it nicely, a spineless jellyfish."

"Why you disgrace to the good name of Texas!"

"Darlin'! Now let's not say anything rash! Please!" Harold begged.

Anisha stood there and tapped her chin. If she had to get out of this, she had to make Harold get promoted. And to get Harold promoted, she needed...

An idea struck her just then.

"Harold! Nod your head if you can hear me!" Anisha called out. As Harold nodded in response, looking fearfully as an argument broke out between his boss and his wife, Anisha said, "Okay. I need you to repeat exactly what I say to your boss verbatim..."