I love my best friend. She is my rock in all things. Thanks Jen.
Also due to her fantastic kindness, I have a computer to work on this with. It all goes well, my computer should be back to me in a couple of days, maybe Wednesday at the latest. Then regular updates again.
It is quite possible that I spent too much time looking into this chapter. Herbs and spices, meat and such. I hope it was worth the wait.
Hollowgirl17, who was SO excited about Mike's weekend, this is all for you.
Mike loved Saturday above all other days. It wasn't because there was always a good baseball game on, but that did help, or because bars had better drinks or clubs and good music. No, Mike loved Saturday because that was the day of the Farmer's Market that was in Central Park every day of spring through fall. Not only did it mean he actually saw sunshine, but he was able to get the very best ingriedents for Sunday cooking.
Every vendor knew Mike by name because, Mike was a very good customer. His gran had been the same way. They hid the best fruits and vegtables, choice cuts of meat, and the freshest herbs for him solely because Mike never tried for a bargain. He always knew exactly what he needed and what it was worth. It was simply good business on their part to keep such a good customer happy.
To the young associate, the market was a trip back to his childhood, spending time with his gran and learning about something that did so much good for other people. While he rarely had time to spend the full day there, a coffee bribe for Donna went a long way in making sure he was always covered at work when he arrived late.
Mike arrived at the park at seven in the morning, wearing dark jeans and a faded shirt, with a very silly looking wooden crate hanging by his side thanks to the thick leather strap slung over his shoulder. It was a little known fact, that fresh food needed to be treaded in a different way. Fruits were always more delicate, herbs easily crushed and their flavor ruined, and meat tainted. Mike's crate, had wooden dividers that kept everything separate.
As always, Mike's first stop was a small little stand that was right on the edge of the market. It was by far his favorite stall. The woman that ran it specialized in herbs, she had told him once that she grew them on the roof of her apartment building, using a special mixture of dirt that she sswore by. Mike never could argue with her as the results were obvious. Her mint was crisp and the sage rich and powerful. Mike always bought those, but this week, he also bought her completely out of parsley, time, basil, rosemary and nutmeg, the last was for Donna.
This week's shopping was extra special as the secretary's birthday was next week and Mike wanted to make sure to give her something special. He learned from Harvey once, that Donna loved hot chocolate and not the store bought powder kind that nearly everyone used. She preferred a special mix of chocolate, nugmeg and cinammon. So Mike was going to make her some, along with his gran's infamous fudge.
Moving along the rows of stalls, he bought several vegetables for a stew for Martha, his next door neighbor, small choice pieces of sausage and more vegtables for a stir fry for Karl, chicken, beef, rice and potatoes so that Christina and Leila could eat well for the week, sugar and cinammon for Donna and his gran, more meat, mostly beef and more potatoes for some of the people that lived on the streets near his apartment and several bits of pork, ham and bacon, along with nearly four dozen eggs for the people at the soup kitchen. Mike wasn't able to work there all day on Sunday but he was always there for their breakfast lunch and knew that the food always ran out before the people did, so he made a habit of cooking up extra so that more people could eat.
His last stop was at a rather large stall that sold various cheeses, which he reasoned he could use in nearly everything he planned to cook for the week. Crate completely full and loaded just so, he was about to leave when several voices called out to him.
Harvey never came to the Farmer's Market. Usually his groceries were delivered to his apartment, but the woman that did his shopping was home with a sick child so Harvey found himself standing in the middle of a croud of shouting people, vendors and running children, completely disgusted with the start of his day.
Since he never came he had no idea where anything was, and spent a large amount of time wandering around, trying to orient himself with the place. Once that was taken care of, took his time choosing what he wanted, being nearly, but not quite, as fanatical about his ingredients as Mike. The vendors actually made his job a bit easier, pointing out the benefits and drawbacks of their wares with more openness than Harvey expected, until he realized that people would buy their items dispite some of the drawbacks simply because they were fresh. In New York, fresh food was insanely popular which was why the market did so well that he was able to be open once a week.
He had nearly gotten everything he felt he needed, when he heard a group of voices calling out a familiar name. Completely sure that it was not possible for his associate to be anywhere but at home, in his ratty apartment, sleeping at nine on a Saturday, he ignored it, until he heard that unmistakable voice answer. Turning slightly, he watched, equal parts surprise, shock and trepidation, as a group of what looked like a small gang crowded around his associate.
"Oi! Mike!"
"Heyyy, it's Mike."
For his part, Mike only smiled at the slightly dangerous looking group and was crowding around him. "Hi fellas. Did you need something?" He teasingly pushed his way out of the group so that nothing would happen to the food, but kept his easy smile. "Don't tell me Ryan's in trouble again."
"Naw, but we do owe for that." One, a rather goofy looking man with crooked teeth, pushed another one slightly. "Ryan's good now, arencha?"
Ryan, who looked a bit older and cleaner, shrugged, looking sheepish for a minute before scowling. "That wasn't too smart Mike, jumping in the middle like that." He pushed the first man back, "Don't shove me, Bruce."
"Take it easy," Mike soothed. "If you guys knock over one of the stands I'm making all of you help clean up the mess." The small group stilled a bit. "Ryan, I was fine. All they wanted was the money you borrowed. They only shoved me around a little, besides, they knew me and I knew them. It was a professional thing." A casual shrug. "Just, don't do it again, I got razzed at work for the marks. You need help you come ask me."
A shorter man shook his dark head, crooked glassing glinting in the sunlight. "Why'd ya do it, Mike? Ryan shoulda know better than to borrow from sharks like that."
"Do you know why he did, David?" Mike spoke easily, smile still in place. "Because his sister needed medicine. You all know Amy, and don't even try to lie and say that you don't love her as much as he does." His grin grew at the quiet shuffling and muttering. "So, Ryan heled Amy and I helped Ryan. You all know that's what I do."
The last one of the group, by far the most dangerous looking, slug an arm over Mike's shoulder, smirking at the other three. "That's what I tol' them. Yer granny, bless her heart, was always doin' nice stuff fer me maw. Now yer takin' care o' my boys. Yer a good man, Mike, and if'n that little weasel guy bothers ya again, ya come to us, we'll have yer back. We take care o' what we owe."
Mike laughed, squirming out the the half embrace. "Thanks, Paul. I'm good. Look guys, I have a lot to do so I have to get home. Paul, take your mom to see gran alright, she'd love a visit. Now, go on. Get out of here and stay out of trouble for one day, alright?"
Laughter, teasing and half heard remarks were his answer as each of the four clapped Mike on the shoulder or back before moving out of the market.
Harvey had seen many things in his live that amazed him, and with Donna as his assistant, little surprised him anymore. But, the sight of Mike, laughing and apparently being treated as a person of respect to a group of thugs, definately surprised him. He had been convinced when he saw the group around him, that he would be once again saving Mike from some kind of trouble. Hearing, and Harvey made certain that he had been close enough to hear, not that any of them were very quiet, Mike call them by name, and be familiar enough with that kind of person make Harvey a bit angry. Didn't Mike know how stupid it was to get involved with that kind of person? Look at the disaster with Trevor, that incident had the posibility to actually get Mike killed, and yet here he was, doing it all over again.
The conversation had stopped Harvey's thoughts dead in their tracks. Hearing how Mike recieved the bruises Donna had mentioned, apparently doingthing things like this regularly enough to be known for it, and the fact that apparently a 'weasel' was bothering Mike, left him a lot to think about.