10 Pound Bag Ch. 185-189

Chapter 185 -- Coffee and Complaints

By: Emmeran, 22 September 2021

Editor: TeNderLoin

I never made it away from my chair at that table that morning. The moment people knew I was there they started queueing up to air their concerns with the 'man in charge.' I had thought that the council would alleviate this problem for me but I was desperately wrong, some people had a desire to discuss their concerns with the person at the top. In this era they demanded it be a man, it didn't matter that Michelle had answered their questions before, this group required that their answers be accompanied by a set of testicles and a poorly shaven face.

Throwing apologetic looks in Michelle's direction didn't help, I could still see her fuming as previously heard complaints and questions came up. What I did notice is that most of them simply wanted to have their grievances heard by the person at the top of the food chain. The also apparently wanted to have whatever claim to fame there was by having a personal sit-down with me. Sonya sat diligently next to me taking notes and thankfully making the appropriate sounds of understanding and support while avoiding outright agreement.

On the plus side the coffee was good and the weather wasn't sweltering yet, on the negative side there were a lot of complaints to hear. Rarely did an original and valid complaint come up, most were just some form of a previous complaint regarding changes that were in the plan already. Naturally, some were just outlandish and never going to happen. As a community we were still in the baby steps phase of making sure everyone survived the winter. We would begin to make major strides next spring but long leaps were still quite a ways off.

And so it went, a morning spent having my ear bent by complainers and attention seekers. Not the worst morning of my life but far from the best. Having Mouse at my side made things much easier

After dinner we surveyed the lower pastures and rode the fields. The horses were kept inside a simple single rail fence and the cattle were simply rode herd on to keep them from deciding they had someplace better to go.

Mother Nature had been kind to us and the first cut of hay had finished drying and was in the process of being stacked for transport to the haybarns, you could already see the second growth coming up. We were a little late with the first cutting so we missed a lot of the best of it but we cut far more than we needed and would have plenty to carry us through the winter.

The tomatoes were being harvested and crated up for our first run down river, along with a goodly amount of sweet corn. The amount of buffalo being dried and jerked was amazing to see, the different techniques from different cultures was promising a interesting if not delectable cuisine during the winter. Of course Matilda was filling the freezer with fine cuts of all sorts of meats including some sausages made for her by the local butcher. Winter might be boring but it wouldn't be hungry.

Neither would it be cold, our team of woodsmen were working non-stop to build the pile up and had them sorted out according to dryness. I had my handy little moisture checker and pleased to see they were spot on with deciding which were dry enough and what was still too green to burn well.

The next few days were spent examining the progress and preparing for my trip to Washington and New York. I was dragging my feet and trying to find excuses to put it off and stay here with my new wife, I had a baby on it's way and I didn't want to get stranded there and miss the arrival. Two days of procrastinating soon turned into five before I came up with a good excuse to put the trip off until spring. It was hurricane season on the eastern seaboard.

That being done I sat down with the council and reset my plans for the rest of the year. It was decided that I'd make a trip down to St. Louis to check on things there, and then hustle back here to finish preparing for the winter. Of course Amos and Brin went with me, also, somebody had to watch my back!

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The trip down-river wasn't as fast as it had been the first time, this time we were loaded down with freshly tanned buffalo hides. It made for a comfortable journey though. We had another boat with us loaded down with produce. It was mainly corn and tomatoes; but it was fresh, early season produce. Needless to say we ate well on the trip down and it gave me a lot of time to relax and think. The boatmen, having seen my attempts to help before, politely declined my assistance so I was basically on a summer cruise.

The first stop was planned for St. Charles, there was a bar there I was rather fond of and they could use some fresh produce as well. Starting next year we'd be shipping beef and pork down to our restaurants as well as anything else we had excess of. If we couldn't off-load everything in St. Louis then we'd consolidate and continue on down the Mississippi to New Orleans.

To be honest I was still hoping to pick up a small steam boat or just a steam engine if I could find one available, it would come in quite handy for quick trips along the river. To that effect I made sure I had some gold with me, I took Mouse's dowry gold to keep the accounting easier back home. Frankly, anything I could find would be worth looking at and I had the engineers back home who would be able to figure out how to make the thing work.

It was a relaxed trip down river and I had plenty of time to think. I even figured out a was to hide my trusty hand held computer so that I could read it in public.

Chapter 186 -- SinClaire

By: Emmeran, 11 November 2021

Editor:

My little dive bar was no longer a dive.

It had received a brand new exterior paint job, the windows were clean and it even had curtains. The thing I noticed as I walked up was that we had neglected to give it a name. Now that was something to think on. The frontage area was clean and well kept and they had even managed to attach and paint trim. It actually looked like a respectable establishment.

I was slightly disappointed in an odd sort of way, I had kind of liked owning a dive bar. However the place looked great and the only thing we seemed to be lacking was a proper pub name. That was something that could be easily remedied on this visit, I just needed to think it through completely. I didn't want my name on it, I'm not much into self-aggrandization, and I wanted the restaurants under one umbrella if at all possible. Probably something along the lines of 'Rulo Entertainment' or some such, I'd talk to our pet lawyer when I got back home to sort that out.

The first person I walked into as I entered the building was Mickey, our bouncer and the cooks husband. he was sitting at the bar eating lunch and sipping coffee with his back to the door and apparently concentrating on his food. There were a surprising number of customers for it being mid-day, at least a dozen either have a meal or sipping a beer. Since he had his back to the door I slipped up behind him and heartily clapped him on the shoulder.

"Howdy Mickey!", I said in a boisterous voice, "Good to see you again".

Well poor Mick was so startled that he dropped his coffee cup and I had to catch him to keep him from falling off his stool. After a moment to gather himself, Mickey spun around on his stool and landed a straight jab directly to my chest.

"Ya, bastid! Ya made me spill me coffee!"

I simply chuckled and smiled while I fetched him a new cup of coffee from the kitchen. Returning to the bar I pointed out to him that he shouldn't be sitting with his back to the door, that's just a bad idea.

"Either sit behind the bar or at the end over against the wall where no one can spill your coffee. Now where the hell is Sinclaire?"

"Bath, boss," Mickey managed with a mouthful of food. So off I went to get cleaned up.

The backyard hadn't changed much since we'd left. The fresh coat of paint had made a world of difference though. I made my way up the short path to the bathing tent and slipped inside as quietly as possible. Sinclaire was floating in the tub on her back, only her face and the tips of her breasts broke the surface of the water. A variety of pranks floated through my head but instead of starting trouble I merely reached out and caressed her cheek.

She still had a knee-jerk reaction, and ended up dunking herself completely. She jumped up, sputtering water in shock and surprise. I suppose I had a big old goofy grin on my face as she let out a coarse string of commentary, mostly concerning ways she planned to maim or mutilate me. That lady knew how to swear! To shut her up, I had to grab her by the sides of her face and kiss her soundly. Finally, the noise abated.

I merely said, "I need a shower," and turned around and started undressing.

The cool water from the shower did wonders to wipe away the heat and humidity and it felt good to be clean again. All the while Sinclaire was chattering away, filling me in with the goings on and gossip of St. Charles. I just listened patiently, smiling or frowning at the appropriate times while quietly making the corresponding noise. Finally, she fell silent and had a look of apprehension on her face.

"Zach," she started very softly so I prodded her along, "there's a restaurant sitting empty and available up on Main Street and I...." she faded off.

Well that got my interest. "You want to buy it and start a restaurant? Sinclaire that's not a bad idea at all, tell me about it."

Well that led to a long discussion, to the point we had to get out of the tub before we turned into prunes. We retired to the bar to discuss the idea and eventually to a walk uptown to have a look at the property, I trusted Sinclaire but it making blind financial decisions was a bit outside of that trust range right now.

Main Street was still pretty slow, the recession was ending but prosperity was just starting to poke it's head over the horizon. This was a great time for capital investments. The building itself was a bit run down, it looked as if it had been sitting empty for the last couple years, that part could be fixed. The kitchen and cellar were in good shape, there were eight rooms on the second floor and they all needed work.

I turned to Sinclaire and asked, "So what are you going to call it?"

"I hadn't thought about that, I was so nervous about asking you." She stammered in reply.

"Well I think we should call it Claire's Café, now how much do they want for it?"

"The landlord said seventy-five hundred, but that seems like a lot."

I reached into my pocket and pulled out my wad of bills, counting out five thousand I handed it to her. "Offer him five thousand cash and if he starts to dicker," I counted out another thousand, "use this handle the rest."

"I'll be down at Mickey's when you finish."

"'Mickey's?' What's that?" she said, looking confused.

"It's the name I just gave our little pub down on the strand." I said, then I turned and left.

Chapter 187 -- Mickey's

By: Emmeran, 11 November 2021

Editor: TeNderLoin

Mickey was back in the same seat when I walked into the pub, it was going to be really hard to break him of this habit. I grabbed the stool from behind the bar and took it down to sit facing him.

"Mick, I got a job I need you to do."

"Sure Zach, what you need?"

I put a twenty dollar coin on the bar between us and went on, "I need you to run to town and get me a large sign made to go on front of this pub, a pub should have a name."

Mick nodded so I went on, "it should be big enough to be seen and read from a distance and should say this on it." I took a slip of paper out of my pocket and slid it over to him. He took a long look at it and said in a confused voice, "I don't read so well but that looks like me name..."

"It is your name Mickey, it's still my bar and Sinclaire is still the manager but she's going to be very busy from now on and since you are here running it, might as well have your name." Now he looked very confused.

"Go tell cook and see what she thinks, " I offered to help settle him down.

I personally think it's a desire of every Irishman to eventually run a pub, no matter how small. Apparently he was having trouble with the fact that everyone would know it as 'Mickey's' and he would actually be the point man. Sinclaire would continue to do the books for now but I was sure Sonya would be down here soon to visit all of these businesses and establish some accounting procedures.

Mickey came back from the kitchen with a big smile on his face and his hat in hand, he grabbed the coin off the bar and let me know he'd be right back. I told him to take his time.

Cook came out right after he left and hit me with a big hug, she was actually crying and they sounded like tears of happiness. When she eventually released me from her bone crushing hug I held her at arms length and just smiled at her.

"You do understand that I didn't give him the pub and Sinclaire will still be the manager, I just put his name on it and told him he was the front man from now on.

She nodded.

"You guys will need a few errand boys to help out now, especially with winter on it's way, Sinclaire will help you hire them.

"Mickey will need some better clothes, maybe two vests with lots of pockets and four nice shirts." I slid her a ten dollar coin and said "buy yourself some better working clothes also. You should have crates of fresh tomatoes and corn to put on the menu, if they haven't arrived yet they soon will."

She simply gave me another of those bone crushing hugs and a kiss on the cheek, apparently she was speechless right now which was a new experience for me. Cook was usually constantly talking about one thing or another. She started to head back to the kitchen when I stopped her.

"When you get a chance have another rocking chair made for him, he can stay the hell out of mine." I said with a huge grin and a wink. Cook simply giggled while she nodded and scurried off to her kitchen.

I relaxed on the stool behind the bar and considered the events thus far through the day. It had been fun to play with Sinclaire in the tub, friends with benefits are always a joy to have available. I truly hoped she didn't harbor any dreams of marital bliss with me but that was something far beyond my control. When we talked, and we did talk, I was open about the situation in Rulo. She got a huge kick out of Matilda and professed that she'd love to meet all of them one day. I pondered over these things and served the occasional beer when someone came up to the bar.

Two business men came in at some point and bellied up to the bar asking for some of that fine bourbon they'd been hearing about. I poured them each two fingers and then sat back down to continue my relaxing contemplation. As bartender you get to hear a lot of information, people simply seem to forget that you're there. Well they meandered over the immediate business gossip of the day and finally got around to their personal days. Apparently one of them had just offloaded that worthless restaurant on Main Street and proud of himself for getting such a good deal, his only concern was that he wasn't sure who the buyer was. A lady named Sinclaire had made the transaction but she refused to give up the buyer which was a shame because he had some more worthless property he was trying to offload.

At this point I decided to get involved a little bit so I pulled my feet off of the barrel I had them resting on and slowly stood up, I took a moment to stretch out a little and then put my hands on the bar in front of them.

They looked up at me and I could see the change in their demeanor as they tried to figure out the situation. I simply held out my hand and introduced myself as Zachariah Narrater the owner of Rulo Entertainment and Beverage Company. Well obviously Sinclaire chose that moment to come bouncy through the door full of happiness and excitement.

"Zach! I got it! I got it and it was only fifty-eight hundred dollars! I can believe I finally have my own café!"

I'd never seen her this happy, but then again I hadn't known her all that long. She leaned over the bar and I gave her a quick kiss, I told her to go share the good news with Cook and off she skipped.

That left just me and these two gentlemen at the bar.

Chapter 188 -- House Hunting

By: Emmeran, 13 November 2021

Editor: nnpdad 24 November 2021

There was fun to be had and I intended to have it. This guy here in front of me was just bragging about how he ripped me off right before Sinclaire walked in - how much more fun could this get? To make matters even better Mickey chose that moment to show up as well. I simply handed him the cash purse and told him to take over. I then invited my two new friends out back for a conversation; if I thought they had gone pale before, I was wrong. I got to see a whole new color of pale and they reeked of fear. I pointed to the back door and then gathered up three glasses to follow them.

I sat down in my reluctant rocker and pointed at the chairs on the other side of the small table for them. While they arranged themselves I poured out three measures of my private stock and offered them each a glass.

"I propose a toast to open and honest business dealings now and into the future!" I said as I raised my glass.

Well the guy who was bragging about the deal looked like he was about to have a stroke but his friend seemed to be relaxing a little bit. Sadly his friend didn't enjoy his drink like we did, loss for him. I decided to jump right in.

"Now gentlemen, I assume you heard how happy Ms. Sinclaire was when she came just moments ago. I also assume that none of us here want to do anything to lessen that happiness." That got me two instant bobble-heads as Mr. Realtor-wannabe couldn't decide if yes or no was the correct answer.

"I also assume that you've heard quite a bit about me since I was down here last. I do want to point out that it's all probably exaggerated. I've not heard the stories but I'm sure they make me out to be something more than I really am."

Stares. They just stared at me.

"So compensation is now the question and since I'm going to have a large presence down here I'm sure we can help each other. Firstly, I'm looking for a house to use when I visit; I do have a nice home in Rulo but I plan to travel through here frequently so I'd like a nice one here, too. I'm hoping you can recommend something.

"Secondly, Claire's Café. We're just starting up right now but I'm sure come spring it will be fully operational with a trained staff and, yes, we train our cooks. We will also be offering a private dining room suitable for up to twelve guests should you have business meetings you need to hold.

"It would seem to me that if you were to frequently hold meetings at the café all could be forgotten and water under the bridge. That is, if we can come to an understanding." That being said I sat back and waited for them to think. I gave them a moment while I walked into the bar and grabbed three beers stopping to have a very quick chat with each employee as I went by. Beers delivered, I sat back down, lit a cigarette and waited to hear what they had to say.

The pause was long and very pregnant - they were still afraid to speak so I kicked it off for them.

"So how about those meetings and lunches?" I asked.

Well that seemed to be the ice breaker and Mr. Realtor-wannabe led the capitulation.

"Mr. Narrator, I'm very sorry about the confusion..." he started.

I cut him off, "You mean shenanigans."

"Yessir, that is what I meant and I truly apologize.

"We would be most pleased to frequent and direct traffic to the Café. I am sure it will be a wonderful establishment. Sir." He finished.