Page 26 of Fake it For Good
“Good. And you’re sure you want to go through with this?”
“I’m in,” she said. “Do you have cold feet?”
“No,” I said. “I’m ready.”
“Thank you for showing me around the factory,” she said. “It’s pretty cool. I can’t wait to tell the kids I got to tour a toy factory.”
“The kids?”
“The ones I visit,” she said.
“Do you need to leave right away?” I asked her. I was suddenly inclined to spend more time with her. There was another part of the factory I could show her. I had skipped it because I didn’t think she would be interested. But now I wasn’t so sure.
10
NOELLE
“You’ll love this,” Cane said. “This is where the wooden toys start. You’ll need to wear eye protection.”
“Oh, you were hiding the good stuff,” I teased.
“Honestly, I didn’t think you’d care to see a bunch of old guys cutting and carving,” he replied.
“I feel like a kid in a candy shop,” I told him. “This is incredible. Do you give tours to the public?”
“Not really,” he answered. “It’s a hazard and we never know when the competition is sneaking in. We do have a display at our headquarters. It showcases all the toys.”
“But it doesn’t show people how they’re made,” I said. “You have actual people in here making the toys. I was expecting machines. Lot of machines mass producing your toys.”
“We do mass production within some specific parameters,” he explained. “But mostly, it’s people. A lot of the people you see here have been with me from the beginning.”
He handed me some clear glasses that would never be considered fashionable. I happily slid them on. Through the window in the door, I could see men and a couple of women cutting wood pieces. I was excited to see the magic happen.
We walked in, the sound of saws screaming through the air. “Here,” he said and handed me some squishy earplugs.
I ripped open the package and stuffed them in my ears. The sounds were softened but not muted. All of the woodworkers were wearing headphones. I assumed they were listening to music, which I thought was very progressive for a man that was making toys like we were in a previous century.
Cane approached a man that I wasn’t entirely surewasn’tthe actual Santa. He had a white beard and a pot belly that was framed between suspenders. Cane tapped on his ears, prompting the man to stop the fine saw he was using to cut out animal shapes. The man pulled off the headphones, which I quickly realized were ear protection. So, maybe he wasn’t so progressive.
“Good morning, boss,” the man said.
“Hi, James, this is Noelle,” he said. “She’s here to see what all of you do.”
“Can I ask what you’re making?” I asked.
James picked up a thin piece of wood that resembled a giraffe. “This little guy is going to be a part of a puzzle.”
He pointed to a stack of pieces. Various animal shapes were piled up. I reached for what looked to be a lion. “Do you paint them or use stickers?”
“Paint,” Cane answered. “Non-toxic of course. We have a pattern we stamp onto the wood and then it’s painted.”
“Very cool,” I said.
We talked a bit more before letting James get back to work. I was in awe with every station. The people making the toys were all very friendly and eager to talk about what they did. I had a really good feeling about the place. I understood why the toys were more expensive than the cheap stuff that wasn’t always good quality.
“Cane!”
We both turned at the muffled voice. It was Denton waving him toward the woodshop entry. We stepped out and removed our ear protection.
