Frank asks the question

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Car sales continued... Frank continues to berate Billy, the hapless salesman.

‘This had better be flippin’ good Billy. Everybody can’t flippin’ wait to see what pile of poo is going to come out of your mouth next.’ He paused in his rant for the moment to allow the laughter of the audience, for that is what we were now, to die down. Billy meantime was scanning around desperately for a hole to jump into. If someone had placed a spade on the table, he would have literally started digging. I think he must of known that the only was for this to be over was to take the punches and hopefully Frank would get bored, or someone else would be in for a doing too, before he was lethally wounded.

‘I’m not sure Frank’, offered Billy as his opening reply. It turned out to be a bad choice. Either that or Debbie, Frank’s wife has denied him this morning and he was more pissed off than anyone had realized.

‘You’re not sure! What the flipp kind of answer is that? You’re supposed to be a car salesman and you don’t flipping know why a customer might wander into – the – flipping – showroom.’ These last words delivered in a shout so loud that spittle flew from Franks mouth and landed on the table inches from Billy. I could see him looking at it. Frank’s punctuated each word with his fists slamming on the table as if he were beating the words into the skull of Billy. It reminded me of the comedian, Billy Connolly’s sketch in which the mother would be beating the child in time to the telling off he was getting. Frank stood upright and changed back to Mr Reasonable again as he smoothed his suit a little with his hands. The next question was thrown open for the rest of us to participate freely.

‘Can any one of you geniuses tell me why some bampot would get off their bottom and wander into a place like this. Before you answer, let me remind you it is a car showroom.’

Billy tried to claim some ground back, ‘Is it because –‘

‘Shut the flip up. You had your chance.’ Frank didn’t even turn his head in Billy’s direction.