A/N: This takes place in the 80's and has no relationship to any of my other Carter stories. Andrew Carter is in his 60's and single. He decided to finish school after the war and earned his Pharmacist degree. He bought the town pharmacy with his GI Bill, and lives above the drugstore. He has grown even more eccentric as he has gotten older. He is known for the fact that he lives by the sign hanging behind his register. He is beloved in the town, and perplexes and frustrates outsiders, which greatly amuses the locals.
~HH~
The college kid was passing through town on the way back to school. He was out of a few things, and he figured he had better stock up while he had the chance. He was used to big cities, and this place, while not exactly a small hick town, did not impress him at all. He laughed when he saw a couple of old men lounging in rockers in front of a hardware store across the street from his destination. He roared to a stop in front of an old brick building with a sign on the front that read "Carter's Pharmacy."
He shook his head as he climbed out of his Corvette. He was startled when he noticed a grey-haired old geezer, wearing an old-fashioned white apron, standing on the porch watching him, eyebrow raised and arms crossed. For one moment, the boy nearly laughed. The resemblance to a cigar store Indian was uncanny. The man said nothing as the kid pushed past him and entered the unbelievably old-fashioned store. The fact that there were no customers didn't surprise the kid a bit.
The kid headed for the toiletries aisle. Carter stepped behind the register. He was irritated, but trying not to show it. He knew he was just being grumpy and probably a bit unfair, but he hated these spoiled kids headed to the university with their fancy clothes, and their fancy, noisy cars. And he hated the way the boy had looked down his nose at him when he had gotten out of the car. He and his friends had rotted and risked their lives in the Stalag for all those years for this punk? Kid could barely shave yet, and he acted like he was God's gift to the universe!
He shook his head, and picked up a shipping invoice, marking off the items he had stocked just before he had heard the kid racing up the street. He kept an eye on the boy as he did. He didn't really expect him to steal anything, but you could never tell these days. The kid finished selecting his items and brought them to the counter. He dropped them, then snapped his fingers, and reversed direction. He walked back to the cooler in the back and grabbed a bottle of beer.
He set the bottle on the counter, and pulled out his wallet. He flipped his driver's license out in a perfunctory manner. Andrew did not even look at it. He rung up most of the items, but stopped short of the last item. "I can't sell you the beer."
The kid frowned. "Why not? I'm old enough."
"That's not the problem. You're driving. You're not from around here and that beer is cold." He looked the kid right in the eye. "You are not planning on saving it until you get to wherever you're going to drink it. So, no. I won't sell it to you."
The kid laughed unpleasantly. "Look. It's one stupid beer. I'm over 21. You have to sell it to me. It's none of your business when or where I drink it, as long I don't drink it in your damned store."
Carter tipped his head and sighed. The kid smirked, knowing he had won.
And then Andrew Carter pointed to the sign behind the register. His blue eyes chilled slightly. "I assume you can read?"
Emblazoned on a large wooden sign were the words "We Reserve the Right to Refuse Service to Anyone."
Glowering, the kid stalked out the door, calling Carter's parentage into question as he left. Suddenly feeling better than he had in days, Andrew called out, in an accent he hadn't used in years, "Bye-bye buddy, auf Wiedersehen!" And he began to whistle as he voided out his register.
~TBC~
