Ted reached finally the store, but became worried when he began watching a lot of kids going out of the store with big marshmallow bags, he asked to the man that was just outside the store selling Chinese food.
"Why is everyone buying marshmallows?" he asked to the busy man
"Haven't you head , boy?" he responded with a thick accent "Today after the fireworks is going to be a big bonfire, you know sort of a camping site, so everyone wants to roast a lot of this, I think the cookies are also flying from the shelves he said as he put some salt to a dish.
"Oh, I didn't know" he said scathing his head awkwardly "Thanks, sir"
"You should go with your old man" replied the man after Ted has turned "It's father day after all..."
Ted sighted "Yeah, I'll do that" said as he went inside the store. He didn't notice that two men arrived just seconds after him to the Chinese food.
.-.-.-.-.-.-
"My good friend Han!" yelled Carl as he parked his motorcycle "How are you in this day?" he said removing his helmet.
"Carl" the man greeted "I haven't see you in a while, are you poor again? Because you know you can always get a job with me..." said the man increasing the fire to a pan.
"No, no, that's not the case, but thanks for the invitation"
"Who is your friend?" asked the man looking at the skinny man with the mustache
"He is...uh...well it's a complicated history" he responded awkwardly "But the important thing is that I brag about your food with him, and since I'm treating..."
"Say no more" answered the man "I'll give you the best food you'll ever tasted, especially for my best client" said the man focusing on the soup.
"That'll be great, Han, but first we are going inside to buy some marshmallows" responded Carl.
"Fear not, kid" said the man as if taking a challenge "You better hurry those are flying like warm bread, a kid just entered for the exact same thing...Nevertheless ,your food will be ready when you get out of the store..."
"Really?" asked the Once Ler with exceptisism
The man just glared at him "Do your business old man, your food will be ready before you can say 'Ma-Ke-Han'" he said with a competitive glare. The Once Ler was about to say something else when Carl covered his mouth.
"Thanks a lot Han" he said as he pushed the Once Ler slowly to the store. Once inside he removed his hand from the old man. "Dude, take it easy, that man doesn't like to be questioned about his food, it is the kind of man you never want to see his bad side, trust me" said Carl with a dead serious expression.
"O...K?" responded the Once Ler
Carl sighted "Let's get your candy so we can eat" he said as he took a basked and headed down the aisle.
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
"Too bad Ted isn't here" said Grammy getting out of the car
"Yeah, but I think he is having a good time with Carl...I hope" said Helen frowning at the man's name.
"Relax dear, I bet he is having a good time" reassured Norma as they got close to the entrance. "Good evening Mr. Ma" she greeted to the man who was cooking furiously and bowing a bit.
"Good evening Mrs. Wiggins and Miss Wiggins" said the man pausing to reply with a bow.
"Why are you so busy?" asked Norma.
"Oh" he said resuming his cooking "One of my best clients came with a guest, and he bragged about my food and my efficiency, so I can't let him down" he said as he flipped a piece of meat.
Norma and Helen chuckled
"Then good luck Mr. Ma" responded Helen bowing a bit.
"Don't tell me you want to buy marshmallows" said the man
"Well, yes, how did you know?" asked Helen
"You are not the only ones, a kid just entered being followed by two men, searching the exact same thing, if I was you I'll better hurry, they are flying due the bonfire of today"
"Thanks for the advice" responded the two of them at unison.
As they entered the store they found the cashier busy packing bag after bag of marshmallows. Helen approached to an employee.
"Excuse me, where are the marshmallows?" she asked
"At the back, where the three aisles met, but hurry there aren't much left and a kid and a pair of men have just asked the same question.
"Thanks for the advice" she said as she approached to her mother. "I'll go ahead mom" she responded like if it was a Mission Impossible film.
"Good luck agent Wiggins" responded Norma as her daughter took the left aisle.
.-.-.-.-.-.-.
"I'll take the right aisle" thought Ted "I just go directly to it and grabbed before anyone.
.-.-.-.-.-.-
"Hey old man" said Carl "I'll take the center aisle, but I'll get ahead so they don't run out"
"Ok" responded the Once Ler "I'm just behind you. He said as Carl began jogging thru the store.
.-.-.-.-.-.
"I hear steps" though Helen as she looked that there was only one bag left on the counter. "Those will be mine" she said as she began walking even faster
.-.-.-.-.-.
"Only one bag?" Ted asked "Not what I expected, but that'll do, better hurry"
.-.-.-.-.-
As those three practically rash thru the sea of people, the two older persons followed close behind.
"This legs" tough Norma
"Aren't what they used to be" thought the Once Ler
At the same time Helen, Ted and Carl yelled as they practically jumped to the counter.
"THIS" yelled Helen
"IS" yelled Ted
"MINE" yelled Carl
At the exact same time the three of them grabbed the bag and began pulling.
"Kid this is mine" said Carl to the kid in blue shirt
"No way!" is mine said Helen
"Both of you are wrong this is mine" said Ted as he pulled harder. Suddenly the three of them stopped dead cold on their tracks looking at each other confused.
"Dear, did you get it?" said Norma as she got to the scene
"Hey kid!" said the Once Ler as he cached up with Carl "You better get that bag or I'll..." he stopped mid-sentence as he sat at the persons in front of him.
"Mom?" asked Ted
"Carl?" asked Helen
"Son?" asked Carl
"Son!" exclaimed the Once Ler as knowledge sunk
"Helen?" questioned Carl gesturing at the curly haired woman
"Helen!" replied the Once Ler as he looked at a younger version of Norma.
"Grammy Norma?" said Ted with a confused face.
"Norma!" exclaimed the Once Ler as he got pale as a bone
"Oncie?" asked Norma as she rubbed her eyes as if she was seeing a ghost.
"Oncie?" questioned Helen as he watched her mother spread a nostalgic smile.
"Wait a sec" said Ted gesturing to the Once Ler "Once Ler do you know Carl?"
The Once Ler stared at him from a moment as if scanning him, he certainly looked like him when he was a kid "I...I...I just met him this morning" he stuttered.
"Ted, do you know this man?" asked Carl
"Yeah!" he responded "He was the one who gave me the seed, you know the one who gave me the seed that changed the whole town minus one" he said with resentment "He is THE Once Ler" he said as he empathized the 'the' with pride.
"The Once Ler?" asked Carl again "You mean as 'the' Once Ler in Norma's story, the one that was consumed by the greed and never got to meet his..." he stopped as he watched at Helen again.
"Ted" asked the Once Ler with trembling voice "Is that woman really your grandma?" asked a bit unsure
"Yeah!" he said also with pride "She is the one who told me how to find you and what to give you How do you know her?"
They all stared at each other silently.
"But wait" said Ted scratching his head "How does everyone know each other?" everyone looked at him, he just pointed the elephant in the room.
"Well, I..." began the Once Ler
"Let's better talk outside" suggested Norma "I don't think we want to be kicked out of here due 'talk' we are going to have." they all nodded as they walk silently towards the door.
Carl hugged the big bag of candy as he moved swiftly to the cashier, with his eyes still in blank.
The cashier moved quickly and gave the bag as he walked toward the door where the confused group was waiting; he looked at the Chinese man.
"Han" he gulped "Make it to go" he said mechanically
The man looked at him questioningly "Why? Don't you all want to eat here?"
"I...I don't want anyone near a hundred feet of a knife" he said as he handed the money to the man.
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Cliff changer?
Hell, yes :O
Remember More reviews=Faster Chapter
This will be a VERY interesting talk...
