The 'Cousins'

Part Seventy-Three: Progress, Pressure and Plans

This chapter is dedicated to Dean C Moore, a stalwart supporter of Wattpad and giver of much sage advice to writer's as they learn the craft. Dean has just published his book Sci-Fi, fantasy,thriller 'Blood Brothers' on KIndle. It is  a polished version of the story that appears here on WP and is highly recommended as a good buy.

http://www.amazon.com/BLOOD-BROTHERS-ESCAPE-TO-CREEPORIA-ebook/dp/B00I9FTN8I/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1391631536&sr=8-1&keywords=Blood+Brothers+by+Dean+C+Moore

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Timeline: 12:33, Friday 20th April :: Greg’s Room at the Motel

The succession of knocks on the motel door went unheard. Greg was alone in the room, totally engrossed in the internet, searching for information about ‘Lumpurs’ potatoes  and oblivious to everything else around him. 

“Yes!’ He exclaimed when he came across  an item that struck him as important; snatching the pen from where he held it between his teeth to make a note in a reporter’s pad. 

In the short time he had been at work this morning, he already had several pages of notes on growing conditions, pests, diseases and the most favourable sites to plant the potato tubers with expected yields for different varieties. Other pages of notes were on seed availability, planting and growing costs and, most importantly, on grading, packaging and marketing expenses with the likely returns on the investment of resource and effort in today’s market. 

Each piece of new information Greg collected supported and expanded his original belief that there was not only a profit to be made in this venture, but also a substantial one. He wrote each note down with a singular fixity of purpose, pausing in his quest only to flick over the page of his notebook to a fresh page before returning his concentration to the internet. 

Greg had begun sourcing wholesalers servicing the large Irish community inand around Chicago and had found O’Connell’s; a fruit and vegetable wholesaler with a butchery, creamery and restaurant as ancillaries to the main business. He was about to go into O’Connell’s website for more information when a strong hand landed on his shoulder and startled him.

“What the hell…” Greg cried, jumping sideways from his chair, knocking it over and standing poised to defend himself. 

Ali bent down and picked up the chair placing it back under the computer desk and pointed to the door with a sheepish, aggrieved expression.

“ I knocked on yer door three, four times… I knowed you’re inside and stuck fer time… you said not to be late.”

Greg relaxed, exhaling in relief and looked at his watch. “I did. I did just that. Sorry about that …you startled me” Greg sunk his upper teeth into his lower lip to hide his grin “ So why are you late? I said 12.30 and it’s now 12.33.”

“What’d you say?” Ali rose and squared up to Greg ready to do battle, verbally or physically, however Greg’s peal of laughter and slap on the man’s back showed that Greg was teasing. Ali relaxed and joined in the laughter. The men were beginning to bond.

Greg closed down the computer and began gathering his things together prior to leaving for Lincoln, while Ali talked through the things he had bought, counting the items off on his fingers; finishing by holding out a fistful of papers.

“Here’re the receipts and your bank card. I burned the paper with the PIN.”

“Well, thank you, Ali,” Greg said warmly, taking hold of the papers.  While he put the bank card back into his wallet Ali thought to add: “Ain’t nothin’ else bin spent off’n that card. It’s all there in them there receipts.”