Ch2

The first day had gone brilliant for Charlie. He had managed to dust the whole shop before opening and then sold an entire 'slightly used' Oscar Wilde collection to a very unsure woman. He had made a new friend in the form of Fran, who had been lovely to him all day, and was paid enough to get a nice meal at a restaurant down the street. He couldn't wait for the next morning.

The day had gone terribly for Bernard. Fran had made him stay in the kitchen all day and only brought him fresh wine and cigarettes at two hour intervals. The television had disappointed and enraged him greatly and only when Charlie had gone for his break could Bernard come out to the shop. But worse then these other injustices was, not only did the temp use his curtains to dust the books that morning, but Bernard had had to listen to Fran flirt with him all day.

"Why were you so nice to him?" Bernard asked as he poured some wine for himself and settled back into his chair. "He was a twat."

"He was not. He was lovely." Fran pushed a glass across the table so that Bernard could fill it but he just poured a glass for himself and then downed the rest of the bottle.

"He was a twat." Bernard repeated and then hiccupped loudly. "What kind of man uses curtains to dust books? What kind of man dusts books?"

"What kind of man uses a beach towel as curtains?"

"A gentleman's man."

Fran shook her head and searched for more wine. She disappeared from view behind a bookshelf.

"I wasn't flirting with him." She said from behind the stack of books. "It wouldn't be right for the boss it flirt with an employee. Even if he is a temp."

Bernard drank some of his wine and took a long drag from his cigarette. Then he realized what Fran had said.

"What do you mean, boss! What temp!" He needed something to frown at. "Where are you!"

Fran poked out from behind the books and produced a bottle of two pound fifty red wine. She looked worried.

"Well, as far as he knows I own the shop. And you're my mentally ill cousin from Ireland who I took you in three years ago when I bought the shop." She disappeared again.

Bernard widened his eyes and then stood up. He walked over to the book shelf and knelt down next to Fran, who was sitting on the floor drinking the wine from a glass she had found on a typewriter. He leaned in and said loudly in her ear,

"And why would he think that, Fran!"

Fran jumped up and began backing into the desk.

"Because I, well, I told him that."

Bernard glared at the terrified woman.

"Why? Why did you tell him that, Fran?"

"Well." Fran straightened up and looked proud of herself. "I will be the one he's working for. As far as he knows you just live here."

"I do live here." Bernard growled. "This is my shop! I own it! And I will sell the books, I will sit out here and I will boss the temp! And neither you or Ming the Merciless are going to change that!"

Fran gripped Bernard firmly by the nose and yanked him towards her. He shrieked out loud and gasped as she twisted him down to the ground.

"You will cock it up. That is what you do. He will leave and we won't get anymore temps!"

"I don't want anymore!" Bernard gasped. "Their too much trouble! And they dust!"

Fran let go and grabbed her bag. Then she walked out the door.

Bernard grumbled and went upstairs to get the £4.99 corner shop finest.

Charlie walked into the shop the next day and smiled when he saw Fran standing over the desk.

"Good morning!" He waved at Fran.

"Hi." She said back in a shaky voice. Bernard had been nowhere to be seen and Fran was worried he was going to do something. Something Bernardy.

"How are you?" He smiled cheerily.

"Alright. I have-"

There was a crash from upstairs.

Fran froze.

"What was that?" Charlie asked.

"One moment." Fran put on a smile and backed into the kitchen. When she was safely behind the curtain that separated the shop and the kitchen she bolted up the filthy stairs.

"Bernard!" she yelled on her way up.

Turning the sharp corner at the top of the stairs she ran into Bernard's room and immediately regretted it.

She ran back out coughing violently and with a look of terror on her face. For the few seconds she was in there Fran was able to see that Bernard was not in his room so she began walking carefully along the corridor towards the bathroom.

"Bernard?" she called out carefully.

She entered the dirty bathroom and when she was sure he wasn't there began walking back out. That was when the door swung closed and Fran heard a key locking the door. Then a shaky, croaky voice began laughing manically from behind it. Followed by a drunken cough and hiccup.

"Bernard!" Fran beat on the door with both her hands and yelled. "What are you going to do?"

"I think you'll find that escape is quite impossible."

The sound of a key dropping on the floor could be heard and then Bernard saying as he walked down the steps:

"It's my shop. MINE! Yeh ha ha ha!"

Fran frowned, lit a cigarette and stared out the window.

"Arse."

Downstairs Charlie was setting the shop up for the day. He looked out the window at the passers by and smiled. As he checked that all the books were still clean he began humming a song he had heard on the radio that morning.

"Why do you always hum?" Came a voice from behind that sent a jolt up Charlie's back.

He spun around and saw a scraggy, messy, black clad figure sitting at the desk, leaning forward to light his cigarette. As the figure flicked off the lighter he took a long drag from his cigarette and blew a curling puff of smoke from his mouth. He stared at Charlie and sat back. The effect made Charlie shiver slightly.

"And you smile. Constantly." Bernard added. "Why? Why do you feel the need to be merry about everything?"

There was a small tinge of genuine interest in Bernard's voice.

"Well," Charlie placed his elbows on the table behind him and leaned back. He thought for a moment. "I guess life's too short to be sad all the time. Or angry for that matter. I'm happy because I want to have good time rather then whine or shout. And then I do have a good time and that makes me smile more."

Bernard blew some more smoke.

"But what if you enjoy being angry?"

"Maybe some people do but that's not for me." He turned around again and continued dusting. "Bad vibes."

Bernard poured out some wine and took out a book. Damn hippies.

"Hey, do you know where Fran is?" Charlie called back to Bernard.

Bernard just turned his page and drank his wine.

An hour passed before either of the men said anything to each other. Charlie had customers to tend to and Bernard had his book. After this hour a huge bang, followed by a clatter of wood, could be heard from upstairs. Charlie looked worried but then put on a reassuring smile for the woman he was helping.

"That's the cat." He lied to her. "Must have knocked down the, um…"

"Red wood?" Bernard suggested and turned a page.

Charlie walked over to the kitchen but stopped when he realized that some one was running down the stairs. Suddenly Fran came stumbling down the steps. She ran into the shop and stopped when she saw Charlie was intact. She straightened up and smiled at him.

"Sorry about that. I had to take care of the…water level of the…" She gave up and tried to walk as classily as she could across the shop. She began pretending to check stock.

Bernard took a drag from his cigarette and kept his head down.

When Charlie went for lunch, Fran closed the shop for an hour and decided to take care of Bernard. As she closed the door she said to him,

"You are a bad man."

"I did what had to be done." Was his defense.

"You locked me in the bathroom." Fran turned around and scowled at him.

"How did you get out, by the way?" He asked with interest.

"Threw the toilet seat at the door for about a half hour." She said casually.

"You're paying for that door." He mumbled.

"Why did you do it?" she asked.

"Because a man's bookshop is his castle. It's a sacred thing, not to be tampered with by temp nor horse. "

Fran nodded and went out for a sausage roll.

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I'll be perfectly honest. I have not a notion what is going to happen. It will end though. And what an ending it shall be, me maties! Ideas welcome! -'-,-