Before the Horns - A Bob Velseb Story

Chapter 2

Charlie looked down at the photo of a little butcher shop, and up at the storefront ahead of her. She smiled as she recognized the building from the photo. This was it.

Curiously she stepped inside, and was startled when a little bell rang. It had a cheery sound to it and wasn't scary in itself, but she wasn't expecting the sudden sound. What she expected even less was that the man at the counter would call out a hello to her. Charlie didn't exactly like the attention of the room being brought to her and silently cursed at herself to check next time if there was a bell at the door. 

Pushing her embarrassment aside, she entered the little shop and cased the place. There was a large man working the counter. He was tall and heavy, with shaggy black hair, an unshaven face, and dark circles under his so-brown-they're-almost-black eyes. He looked pretty messy in general and wasn't exactly the most attractive guy she'd ever seen. Despite his intimidating stature and unattractive looks, he had a friendly aura about him and when he wasn't taking an order or cooking he was chatting with the customers. Then again even when he wasn't chatting, he still made a point to smile at the people he was serving or say something to make them feel welcome.

She averted her eyes from the shopkeeper and continued observing the place. The counter the man was working at was very clean, and it seemed like when he wasn't doing much other than talking and smiling while he was wiping it down. The counter split at roughly two thirds of its length separating the restaurant half of the place from the store part and was bridged by a hinged board. 

The diner side was lined with barstools where patrons would sit and eat. Behind the counter, was a grill at which the man was cooking burgers and a variety of other foods. The store side had a small section of counter occupied by a register and beside sat a large glass case of meat products. Behind the register was a door that read employees only, that Charlie assumed most likely led to a stock room. 

Both sides of the room were heavily decorated, with posters of various bands, old photos of the man working the place, shelves covered in trinkets, a jukebox beside the window, and various other oddities. The strangest of the décor were advertisements for Boys and Grills. Charlie found it peculiar that someone would hang adverts for something in the place they were advertising, but took advantage of the phone number plastered across the multiple red posters to put it in her notes for later.

Charlie continued looking around, noting how many dining customers there were compared to buying customers, what the menu said, and what all the store had to offer. One thing she found very strange was that the large man was the only one working the place, even though it could have been more easily run by multiple workers so he wouldn't have to bounce back and forth all the time. She shook her head, finished typing her notes into her phone, and slipped it back into her pocket. 

Charlie ventured over to the store counter waiting for a good moment to order, quietly watching the man at the counter converse with two of the teens who were eating together. 

"I dunno Bob, she seems pretty into me," the first boy explained through a mouthful of fries. He was short with a mop of messy blond curls, and had the start of a mustache growing on his upper lip. He looked maybe 15.

The boy sitting beside him burst out into laughter. "A girl? Like you? Oh you have got to be kidding, John, even I know you're making stuff up now!" He ran his hand through his black neatly cut hair and pretended to wipe a tear from his eye after laughing so hard.

The boy whose name was apparently 'John' slugged his tall and slender friend in the arm. "You're real mean, you know that?" 

The man working the store who John had called 'Bob' shrugged with a smile. "I don't know much about ladies so I prolly won't be much help to ya, but if she does end up likin' ya, don't forget to tell her she's pretty, and sometimes it's just better you lose the argument." He had a thick southern accent that was deep and husky which Charlie wasn't expecting from the way he looked.

The black haired friend laughed. "Yeah that's true. And hey, maybe you finally have a reason to shave that ugly caterpillar off your face too." 

"Jack!" John exclaimed as 'Jack' nudged him with an elbow playfully.

Bob chuckled at the two. His laugh was surprising to hear, and once again didn't match his face but was cheerful either way. He took a quick glance over at Charlie and reassured the two he'd be back after he helped the next customer.

The tall shopkeeper stepped over to where Charlie was standing with a warm smile, pulling a little notepad out of his apron pocket. "Welcome to Boys & Grills, can I getcha order miss?"

Charlie fiddled with the gold beaded chain hanging around her neck nervously and looked up at the menu board above their heads. She stammered a moment before replying, "I think I'll get the roast sub, I've heard good things about it." She was lying through her teeth, but she hoped he wouldn't notice. All she needed was to get the information required and get out of there, so one little white lie could not be the thing that stopped her. 

He smiled, jotting her order down and nodding. "And can I getcha anything to drink?"

Charlie shook her head trying to cut the interaction as short as possible. 

Bob nodded, catching the hint. "Last question, I promise. Is there a name I can call ya by? Gotta know when to get your order someway."

Charlie thought for a moment and replied shortly, "Sarah."

Bob nodded with a smile, closing his little book. "Well, Miss Sarah, I'll get that to ya fast as I can! It'll be 'bout 15 minutes and it'll be done if ya don't mind the wait. When it gets done cookin' I'll call ya back here by the register to pay for your meal." 

Charlie nodded and watched as he went into the employees only room and returned with a roast, chopping it up masterfully on a cutting board beside the grill. Charlie pulled out her phone, filmed him cutting the meat, and imported the video to her notes. 

With that, she slid her phone back into her pocket and promptly left. She had everything she needed to know, and there was no use in staying any longer. Plus, she'd already eaten lunch and didn't really like roast anyway. Charlie strode out of the little shop, ducked aside into an alley way, pulled a red hood over her head and face, and took the backway to return to the others, silently congratulating herself on a job well done.