Chapter 17 - Page 248 - Trouble In Chicago

   Within thirty minutes, the Freightliner was parked beside the Randell Tool Distributors warehouse. Jim got his shipping invoice out of the cubby hole above his head and headed toward the unloading dock area. Rhasha and Shanha walked with him.

   As they walked across the unloading dock looking for the receiving office, a forklift driver pulled up beside Jim. "What do you think you're doing, driver?" the large man yelled in a gruff voice.

   "I'm looking for the receiving office," Jim replied.

   The man looked angry. "You drivers think you know everything," he said, "but you don't. You have to stop me from doing my job, because you're not smart enough to find the receiving office."

   "I didn't stop you, mister," Jim replied. "You came to me. If you had signs up, telling drivers where to go, it would be a big help."

   The driver got off his forklift and snatched the invoice out of Jim's hand. "We're not here to baby-sit you truck drivers," the man said. He looked at Rhasha and Shanha. "What are those niggers doing on my dock?"

   Jim became fighting angry. He grabbed the front of the man's shirt and pushed him up against the forklift. When he realized he was getting violent, he let go of the man's shirt, but stayed in his face.    "Don't you ever call my girls names again."

   The man held up his hands, showing that he didn't want to push the issue. He climbed back on the forklift. "Get 'em out of my warehouse," the man snapped.

   Jim backed away from the forklift and put one arm around Rhasha's waist and the other across Shanha's shoulders. "I'll do better than that, mister," Jim replied. "I'll get my truck off 'your' property. I'll take this load back to Dallas."

   The forklift driver looked at the invoice. "We've been waiting for that load," he said. "You move that truck one inch and you won't have a job when you get back to Dallas."