Wholesome Greens
Chapter 2 We've Struck A Deal
"Ok, let's see how the kids did...OH GOOD GRAVY!" Bill shouted, nearly falling backwards upon seeing the destruction of the family's booth. Their hard work and vegetables both in shambles and squashed. "What in the world happened?" He could only assume Cricket had done something.
Alice rolled her eyes. "Isn't it obvious, you leave Cricket and Tilly alone long enough, something's libel to get destroyed. I mean mischief runs through our blood."
"And don't forget, it wouldn't be considered a "normal day" in the Green family unless something went wrong." Gloria added. "I'm learning that day by day."
Bill thought about that for a second to try and retaliate against her statement but he couldn't come up with a remark of his own. He was just too concerned about what had happened to the rest of the kids. "Ah geez, you're right. Cricket! Tilly! Where are you!?" The farmer called. The sweet sound of Tilly's voice caught his attention immediately.
"Over here papa." The girl waved him over.
"Oh thank goodness you're alright." Bill hustled over to his daughter and wrapped her in a hug, releived she was ok. "You'll have to excuse the chaos and destruction but things got out of hand." Tilly explained. "It was a battlefield out here. And don't worry, the splashes of red everywhere are tomato juice, not blood...or is it?" Gloria covered her mouth while almost gagging at the girls rather morbid choice of wording, all while Tilly winked at her.
"Yeah, we got the memo about the destruction cause our tomatoes are everywhere. I assume Cricket had something to do with this?" Gloria questioned, looking upon the carnage while simultaneously trying not to shudder in horror from her surrogate sisters unique outlook on life. "Like I said on the way back here, 'it wouldn't be considered a "normal" day unless something went wrong around this crazy family. Just like when I left Cricket in charge of the cafè and he hired other people to do his job for him. He may not be cut out to be the boss due to him constantly needing supervision and sometimes his inability to follow through on certain tasks, but sometimes his antics aren't as bad they might seem. Sometimes Cricket Green can surprise you and he does care about other people."
Gloria's mind flashed back to the Critterball Crisis and the shattering of her one dream. "Kinda like when he handmade me a new replica of the Eiffel Tower...to replace the one he broke..." Gloria could feel her eyes starting to twitch, but, living with the Greens had made her more confident about herself as a person. Her twitcheness and anger very quickly subsided afterwards. "But it was a sweet gesture."
Alice gazed around at the downed vendors and ruined produce before gazing upon her grand-daughter, "Did you kids seriously start a war without your gramma?!" She demanded, her foot tapping in irritation.
"Sorry Gramma. We really did try to protect the booth, honest, but you know our families destructive nature." Tilly reminded.
"Well next time you wanna throw food in an all out food fight, just call me so I can join in on the fun. One of the reasons Bill bought us all smart phones is so we can keep in touch, plus I'm great with conflict. Mainly cause I'm usually the one causing it." A sinister laugh slipped through her teeth. "Now, where's my grandson at? Cricket, where are you boy?!"
Cricket's ears perked up and he scurried over his family, slipping on a squashed tomato along the way and sliding forward, landing right in front of Alice. He lifted his head up seconds later. "Right here Granmma and sorry for the mess." The boy noted, standing up straight and brushing his overalls off. "But I've got great news for you all, thanks to Tilly. We've come up with a solution to make more money from our crops and put our family's name on the map, just like when we were first here at the market." He grinned excitedly. Cricket was bursting at the seams, ready to explain what had happened that he almost couldn't control himself.
His father was skeptical by that notion, "Son, what did you do? Be straight with me here. Did you get into trouble while we were gone?" Bill demanded, looking the boy straight in the eyes. His arms sternly crossed over his chest, awaiting an explanation.
The brunettes excitement quickly fell flat as a lump formed in his throat. He had been backed into a corner...with no place to go.
Nancy lifted her head up and streched herself out on the couch, she was enjoying the peace and the calm atmosphere. It was her own descion to stay behind and hold down the fort.
It seemed a little weird however, not having the rest of the family around but she told Bill she would look after the house while they were out. Being with the Greens (even if just for one hour) was enough for anyone to take any moment of peace and quiet they could get.
The redheads eyes wandered downward and she was met with Phoenix sprawled out on the floor underneath her. "Bill and the kids sure are taking their time at the market." She felt her stomach rumble. "Alice said she'd be making chili tonight but I don't think I can wait." Nancy reached down and rubbed Phoenix's head before collecting her boots and slipping them back on. "Well, nothing that a good distraction and a little snack can't fix." While doing so, she decided to take it upon herself and feed the families pets. "Come on ole' girl. I'll make you a nice bowl of food." She patted her leg to signal the cat. "You too Dirtbag, supper time!"
The aforementioned cat strolled into the room and followed Nancy and Phoenix.
Nancy collected the bags of pet food and poured each of them a bowl, to which the two dug into right away. She then patted herself on the back afterward. 'That should make Bill happy.' Nancy then began rummaging through the cabinets to russel herself up something to eat. When she couldn't find anything that seemed to suite her, she grabbed up a bag of chipz from the cupboard and retrieved a fresh, cold can of Splish from the fridge.
After setting the pre dinner snack down, Nancy scooped up one of her magazines, laid back on the couch and put her feet up. "There you go Nancy, family pets taken care of, now you just gotta wait for everyone to get back." She tore open the bag and shoved a handful into her mouth.
The tension settled around the market was so thick you could slice away at it with a knife, but Cricket, being the humble, honest country kid that he was, spoke the truth to his father. "Yes, I might have started a food war but here's the great news I mentioned. Now don't be mad but, we're gonna merge our business with Wholesome Foods and sell our products there. I struck a deal. Again."
"You mean, we've struck a deal again kid." Chip added, figuring he'd explain this compromise.
Gloria rolled her eyes upon seeing Chip again. The flirtatious comment that made her unleash a Tae Kwon Doe kick right to the gut was still burned into her brain. She almost immediately attacked the buisness man after he revealed the rest of the collab. "Tilly here, despite her dark outlook on certain things, is very persuasive actually and as Cricket mentioned, we're merging our businesses. I'll admit, even though I hate to say this, Tilly is right and also since new information had surfaced that I wasn't aware of. I didn't know you guys couldn't fulfill my order for the twenty bushels of assorted produce I had requested. I thought you guys were just bad farmers but, I wouldn't know. Dad tried to get me to follow in his footsteps for years but farming never peeked my interests one little bit."
"Yeah and you just immediately jumped to conclusions and took your anger out on an innocent family cause...'
"Zip. It. Greg!" Chip stressed that remark through his teeth but it seemed to shut Greg back up for the time being. The blonde then pointed in the direction of the Wholesome Foods van. "You two, take the van and head back to the store but don't phone the ceo and tell him the news about this merger. I'll head over to Times Square later and tell him myself." With a wordless nod, the two loyal employees rounded up their "defeated" comrades and backtracked it to the main store.
Once the van was out of sight, Chip turned back around to face Cricket. "No tricks or ruses this time kid. If this collaboration actually falls through, I'll be keeping a very, close eye on you. Got it?" The young farmer shook his head yes. Just make sure he got the memo, Chip gave his rival the "I'm watching you" gesture before addressing the rest of them. "As for the rest of you Greens, if you're certain your crops are a hundred percent delicious like the kid says, then why don't you bring a sample to our corporate office, I'm sure you'd be hired in no time. The ceo of this business is big on organic "homegrown" produce. Our original produce provider from Medium City hit a snag with their crops due to a drought, and like I mentioned when we first met, there is big money in this deal."
Bill scratched at the back of his neck. "Yeah droughts will do a number on your crops... among other things." He muttered that last part under his breath before he remembered Cricket burying the family's garbage in the garden. However, all the kid saw was a trash hole. "Alright, I'll admit Chip, our family's financial situation is in a bit of a bind right now. It's the very reason why we joined the farmers market in the first place." Bill turned back around and eyed the tomatos that still resided in the crates next to their booth. "And I do say, 'you gotta put in the work before you can reap the rewards.'"
The blonde standing before him tapped his foot. Time seemed to slow down as Bill scratched his head, he was most certainly overthinking this. "So does this mean you guys will take my offer? For real this time?" Chip raised an eyebrow, his curiosity peaked at it's highest.
"Well, I..." Bill was beginning to overthink this situation and had of sweat started to form. His ma's advice made him jump.
"Bill, if someone offers you an opportunity to make easy money, you take them up on it!" Alice yelled, swinging her cane up in the air. "So say yes! Don't think about taking this decision for more than five seconds! I've got to get back home, you know chili dosen't make itself."
Bill then looked down at his children who both had the pleading eyes before sighing in inevitable defeat. He had given in. Between his mothers aggressive persuasion, the fact that he couldn't disappoint his children and his feeling of accomplishment whenever their crops sold, the simple farmer couldn't find it in him to turn down Chip's offer this time. "Well, alright. I'm in, and this will benefit you too Gloria, you can afford to pay your rent and the Greens will no longer starve. Come on family, let's clean up this mess and go round up our some of our crops. The Greens are partnering with Wholesome Foods!"
"With all our tomatoes squashed, just what are you thinking to bring with us as a sample?" Tilly wondered.
"We've still got some zucchini left-over from earlier in the month." Bill remembered, snapping his finger. He didn't expect so much of it to sprout at once.
That anwser made Cricket happy. "Well, why are we still standing around here lollygagging for? Let's get a move on, you know I'm fed up with zucchini." The farmboy soon met Chip's intrigued gaze. "Please, take all the zucchini we have! I'm sick of eating that stuff! We ate it for a week straight and now my body is protesting against it! Dad tried to give it to me in cake form! Cake is supposed to be a sweet, rewarding treat, not some gross vegetable disguised as it." Cricket practically came unraveled and started bawling right there.
"Yeah, Cricket said it was too much zucchini, but as I tell the boy, "Us Greens do not waste food."
"Are you forgetting that these are our tomatoes squashed and scattered everywhere?" Alice reminded.
"Oh... right. Well about the zucchini Chip, we'd be glad if you'd take the rest of the surplus off our hands."
Cricket almost did a backflip right where he was standing, "Yee haw! Churreo's here I come!" Cricket dashed off to collect his 'Tasty-Est Tomatoes in Town' sign, while Chip simply looked on.
"It's pronounced churros kid!" The blonde called after him while rolling his eyes. Not long after, the buisness man looked at Bill. "Well, they do say 'variety is the spice of life'. Don't worry, Greens, Wholesome Foods will take it and anything else you currently have an surplus of at the moment. Like I said, chumps will pay twice as much. Meet me at Times Circle in say half an hour and we can set this up."
"Sounds good to me." Bill gave a thumbs up while his eyes settled on Gloria.
She looked skeptical. This was Chip after all, "I don't trust you Whistler but the money does help me to pay my rent cause my art is not selling. And if you try to pull anything over on us, so help me..." The barista grabbed Chip by the collar of his shirt and tugged him closer. "I do the same thing I did to you the first time we met. Got it?"
Chip started to open his mouth in protest, "You wouldn't da..." and he would've finished that sarcastic comment too but the rage filled eyes of the artistic girl reeling her arm back, ready to slug him instantly put a lid on that remark. "Alright, got it." Was all he could manage. "See you soon Greens. If this truce doesn't work out, we're back to the way things were." Chip informed as soon as he was released, his balance thrown slightly as he stumbled back a little.
As he started to walk away of course, he felt something panging at him. And Chip would never admit this but a small part of him wanted this to work.
"Hey Nance, we're back." Bill announced as soon as he set foot in the house.
"Hey ya'll, how was the farmers market?" Nancy asked, looking up from her magazine just as Cricket came barreling into the room, doing a front flip onto the cushion beside her.
"Woo hoo! No more zucchini!"
"Why do you say that sug?" She tilted her head while also watching Alice stroll past her to the kitchen.
"Ten alarm chili, here I come."
Bill and Gloria walked inside and closed the door, setting the empty produce crates down next to it. Gloria groaned in annoyance as she plopped down onto the couch. "Cricket here has made a deal with Wholesome Foods and Chip and now we're the produce supplier for them! Thanks Tilly." Her voice was laced with sarcasm as she headed off tword the cafè rooftop garden to collect her salad ingredients.
"What's up with Gloria?" Nancy asked.
"Oh her and Chip have a small rivalry going, ever since me and her took back a sack of coffee beans that Chip tried to steal from us. The city had a coffee bean shortage a while back." Cricket explained.
"So the Greens are now partnered up with Chip?" Nancy couldn't help but raise an eyebrow. "I hope you know what we're getting into kiddo."
A/N
Yay! Second chapter completed. Next we possibly draw up a contract for the Greens and Wholesome Foods and then this merger will be officially complete. My brain has so many possibilities for this story. I'm gonna take my time with this little tale cause, well time for a little bit of a ramble: I've given up on so many stories in the past and I haven't completed a full on story that was more then 24 chapters since 2014 so don't think I'm just gonna put this story down and walk away from it forever. Not again, I've done what with like three stories over the years.
And you guys tell me how I did with writing Nancy. I'm so used to writing Chip, you understand.
Until next time, stay Wholesome! Bingo Bango.