Chapter 1: The call to action
Groggily waking from a deep sleep to the sound of the morning weather report at 6:00 AM, much to the dismay of his wife, who was still sleeping right next to him, Hank pulled himself up out of bed and began to get ready for the day. After shaving, changing into his Strickland uniform, and putting on his glasses, Hank left his sleeping wife and son to go to a place he was proud to call his job.
Arriving at Strickland propane, Hank took a few seconds to himself. "Okay, here we go. Another day, another satisfied customer" Hank thought to himself. "On three. One, Two, Three: for the customer!" Hank said the last part aloud, and exited his truck, ready for a productive day of selling propane to the good people of Arlen. Reaching for the door, something caught his eye. Looking to his right, he saw Buck Strickland, standing with his back to the window. "Good morning, sir." Hank said in his professional and respectable tone. Buck held a finger up at Hank, turning so that he can see he was on the phone. Taking the hint, Hank went inside to begin his duties.
"And as you can see, the Char-King 500 has enough surface area to cook a whole turkey, chicken, and rack of ribs, all in faster time then the leading charcoal grills". Hank explained to a customer with the informative and persuasive technique only he exemplified. "Can it grill watermelon?" asked the customer, showing in his face that a yes from this will sell him on the grill. "Well I suppose, but I don't know why you would want to-" Hank was cut off in the middle of answering by a very excited Buck Strickland grabbing his shoulder and spinning him so they're face to face. "Hey ol' top! I need to see you in my office!" Buck said, making no effort to masquerade his excitement. "Can it wait sir? I'm busy with a customer right now" Hank gestured to the person behind him, who was growing impatient. "Oh, forget him! I got some big news for you! Big for all of us!" Buck grabbed Hanks arm and started pulling him towards his office. Hank yanked his arm back and walked with Buck to his office. Once inside, Buck closed the door and sat at his desk. Hank took a seat in front of him, waiting to hear what's so damn important. "what's the problem sir?" asked Hank. "oh, no problem. As a matter of fact, this is a solution to a lot of our problems!" Buck said, all the while smiling. "You see ol top, I've been making some phone calls, and I was talking to a man who runs a burger restaurant who's been looking for a propane supplier." Buck announced. "well that's great sir!" said Hank, happy but sharing only a small percentage of Bucks enthusiasm. "That's right ol top! We'll be sellin' out the ass! But here's the thing: being the official supplier of propane for this burger joint means that our rep is tied in with theirs. If their burgers are no good, people will think that it had something to do with the propane! You know what that could do to us?" Hank listened to Bucks explanation. "Sir, propane is a great source of energy for grilling, but it's the man that has to make the burger. Who would blame us?" Hank asked. Buck scoffed at his question. "Come on, Hank you know how people are! Always looking for someone to point a finger to!" Buck rolled his eyes at the last part. "I, uh, understand sir. But what do you need me for exactly?" "Well, as someone who's arrived uninvited to one of your cookouts before, I'd say you know a good burger when you taste one!" Hank laughed a little at Bucks comment. "Well, thank you sir." Hank said, adjusting his glasses. Buck nodded, "Uh huh! So what I need you to do is take a little road trip to this place. Make sure they're as good as that man said they were" Buck explained. Hank answered happily, "No problem sir. Asking Me to eat a burger while on duty is like payin' for my lunch." Hank laughed. Buck looked confused, "who said I'm payin' ya?". Hank stopped laughing, and the two stared at each other for a few seconds. Buck started to smile, before bursting into laughter, "I-I'm KIDDIN' WITCHA OL TOP!" Buck said through his unwarrantedly loud laughing, clutching his chest with one hand and pounding his desk with the other. Hank caught on, "Oh! Uh-hehe! Good one sir! So where is this little burger joint?" asked Hank. Buck leaned in, gaining his composure. He answered, "New Jersey!" This caught Hank off guard. "What? You're asking me to drive to New Jersey to eat a burger?" Hank showed in his voice just how ridiculous the whole thing sounded to him. Buck raised an eyebrow. "can you think of a better reason to go to New Jersey". Hank thought, then sighed. "When do I leave?"