Customers Conflict

All of the ingredients had been put away. Now all that was left to do was wait for customers. It wasn't long before the bell above the entrance went ding as our first customer arrived.

"Hey Kelly! Get me that delicious vegetable soup!"

The man who entered yelled out loud, calling out what he wanted. He had a deep voice, but a light tone, suggesting that he was on a good mood.

"All right!"

Kelly yelled back from the kitchen.

"Okay, listen up Estelle. Grab two carrots, three pea pods, two potatoes, and some water from the well out back. I'll get the spices along with the dishes we'll need. Go on now, get to it."

Doing as I was told, I grabbed all of the ingredients she asked for from the kitchen first, then I grabbed the bucket that sat next to the backdoor and went outside. Just out the door sat a small well. I attached the bucket to an old and thin rope and lowered it down. Before long, I carried it back up and had water. Having the last thing I needed, I brought it back inside and set it on the counter.

"Good. Now take this knife and cut the carrots into thin slices."

In only a few short moments, I moved with speed and precision and chopped both carrots into thin and even slices.

"Wow, that was fast. Next, chip the potatoes."

Again, just like the carrots, I had them cut into nice and even pieces.

"Great. I will do the rest."

As she said that, She grabbed the bucket of water I had brought in before and poured it into a pot. She then set the pot above the fire which was burning in the fireplace in the corner of the room. It wasn't long before the water had been brought to a boil. When that happened, she tossed all of the ingredients into the pot along with seasonings and individual peas, which had been plucked from the pea pods. After that, she let them sit in the pot for a bit before she grabbed two hand towels and used them to grab the pot and move it. She then grabbed a bowl and spooned some of the soup into the bowl.

"Now then, go serve it."

"Yes mam."

Doing as I was told, I brought the hot and steaming bowl out and set it down in front of the customer. He was a tall man with a thick beard. His face was covered with scars and his arms had tattoos. The man had muscles for days, yet he was gentle with the food when I served it. As he took his first bite, his face, which had a natural mean look to it, softened up in an instant as a smile spread from his lips.

"Ah, this is good. Here young lass. This should cover for me."

As he spoke, he pulled out a single silver coin. I grabbed the coin from him and went back into the kitchen. When I entered, Kelly held her hand out expectantly, in which I placed the nice silver coin.

"Good. If anyone else comes in asking for vegetable soup, just grab some from the pot. Be sure to warm it up over the fire before you give it to them though. My cafe has a reputation to uphold, so I won't tolerate serving my customers cold food. Understand?"

"Yes, I understand."

"Good. If anyone comes in and asks for vegetable soup, I will leave it to you then. Anything new, though, and I will have you help me make it. Now, let's wait for our next customer."

Just like before, it didn't take long before our next customer, or rather group of customers, arrived. The bell dinged just like before, telling us of their arrival. As they came in, I could here our first customer leave behind them.

"Hey Kelly! It's me and my four boys. We'll take the usual."

As they made their order, another group of customers came in.

"Yo, Kelly! It's me and my two friends! We'd like some veggie soup today!"

Both groups spoke in a manner that made them seem tough. As they yelled their orders, both groups sat down at opposite sides of the cafe from what I heard. Kelly put me in charge of the vegetable soup. I should check if it's still nice and warm. I grabbed a spoon and tasted a small amount of the broth in the soup. It was still plenty warm. Great, I should be able to serve it.

Grabbing three bowls, I filled them nice and full with vegetable soup. I then grabbed a tray to carry all of the bowls.

As I was working, Kelly was moving quickly around the kitchen, gathering the ingredients and preparing them. It seemed like she was preparing some meat based dish. As I finished observing, I carried the three bowls of soup out to the customers and set them out.

As they each received their soup, they quickly began to start eating. Like the first customer, they all had a strong figure with a mean look on their faces, but they each smiled as they ate. After a few moments, one of them pulled out three silver coins and handed them to me, which I took. When I came back into the kitchen, I set them down on the counter where Kelly could grab them when she finished.

"WHAT WAS THAT PUNK?"

Out of nowhere, one of the guys from the first group that entered yelled at the top of his voice with an ugly tone. It was clearly directed at the other group.

"I said, seems like we're more important than some wannabe nobodies."

A guy from the other group had repeated what he had said in a loud and clear voice.

"Hey man, you wanna go!"

Another man from the first group spoke up.

"Wanna go? Why would we fight some losers like you?"

Oh my, it seems like things are getting heated. I turned to look at Kelly, who had slowed her work to listen to their fight.

"Should I do something?'

I quietly asked my question, but Kelly only shook her head.

"I'll deal with it."

At that, Kelly stopped what she was doing and left the kitchen.