The Gruffs and the Ice Cream Princess

Part One

Like all brothers, the Gruffs didn't always get along. Sometimes Lance would slug Sam because he whistled non-stop. Occasionally, Mason shoved Lance because he took his coat without asking. On any given day, at any given moment, there could be any combination of the three boys roughhousing. Anybody who knew them though, knew they adored each other, would do anything for each other, were in this life together. Their parents were "gone", which is a less harsh way of saying "dead" which is what they actually were. They'd been gone for four years, which seemed like a long time and no time at all to the boys.

The Gruff parents left their boys a store. It was beloved among the Gruffs, but only among the Gruffs. The townspeople thought it smelled like birdseed and dogfood, though they didn't sell either. To the boys it smelled like home. There was no denying it was a struggling business, despite the fact that the boys were savvy businessman.

Lance, at least was an adult, so most responsibility fell on him. He'd never admit it, but he was eternally grateful to have Mason and Sam. They were stand-up guys: smart, hard-working, and, he had to admit it, fun. They loved Gruff General as much as he did; they missed their parents as much as he did; they understood the pressure of keeping the store running as much as he did.

The brothers' social lives were non-existent, so it was a good thing they liked each other. Sure, they were friendly with everyone in town. Sam was especially chatty and knew tons of people, but who had time for real friends? There were shelves to stock, books to balance, orders to place, and bills to pay. If Lance thought about his extroverted little brother's lack of social life too much his heart broke. He told his littlest brother multiple times to go out and have fun, but Sam would only shrug, "Maybe when I'm done with inventory." But inventory was never-ending.

Mason was significantly quieter, but he broke Lance's heart too. Mason would have dominated any sport he tried, but when Lance suggested trying out for the baseball team or soccer team, Mason waved him off, "I get a pretty good workout stocking shelves." But getting a good workout wasn't the issue.

So, the three boys kept each other entertained, the store kept them busy, and they were happy when they weren't completely stressed about keeping the store afloat.

**

One day, after their third customer of the day left, and the "OPEN" sign flipped to "CLOSED," Lance thunked his head back on the wall.

"How'd we do today?" Sam asked coming from the backroom.

"We're just rollin' in the dough," Lance answered the same as he did every day.

"Awesome. So caviar and champagne for dinner, then?"

"You're too young for champagne."

"Beer then," Sam grinned.

Lance rolled his eyes. "I'll finish up here and meet you guys upstairs. Get some water boiling?"

The boys had lived above the store their entire lives. Since their parents left, it echoed a little louder, and smelled a little funkier, but it was all they knew. They made do up there just fine. Even if they did only eat boiled noodles for every single meal. Every now and then they'd splurge on a bunch of bananas, or a little bag of carrots to split. If they were really lucky, someone from town would take pity on them and drop off soup or even a cake. This particular night though, it was plain noodles. Lance thunked his head again.

He heard the door slam above him and two sets of feet begin thumping around. Lance sighed, pulling the giant book of checks and balances out from under the counter. He carefully entered in each sale from the day, then looked at their debt in the far column. He closed his eyes and thunked his head a third time.

"Excuse me." His eyes popped open.

"I'm so sorry, I didn't hear you come in!" Lance slammed the book shut. "How may I help you?" Even if the store was closed Lance would never turn away a paying customer. The man was extremely well-dressed. Better dressed than anybody Lance had ever seen. Did people really own top hats and canes? He looked like a black and white movie star, with his crisp suit and tidy moustache. Lance put a hand over his left elbow, where he knew there was a hole.

The man didn't answer Lance's question, but smiled widely. "I knew your parents, you know."

"My parents?"

"Bill and Jane. Lovely people. You must miss them."

Lance's throat swelled. He couldn't reply and hoped that didn't come across as rude.

"They sure did love this store." Lance resisted the urge to thunk his head on the wall again. If only this guy knew how he was letting his parents down. "You aren't letting them down." Lance's eyes widened. The man continued, "This place was a financial burden from day one. Your parents must have said a million times they wished they'd picked a different location."

"A different location?" Lance found his voice, but three words at a time seemed to be his absolute maximum.

"A different location." The man said firmly. "Greenville, for instance. They wished they'd opened in a prospering town like Greenville." Lance knew of Greenville. It was a booming metropolis, a hundred miles west. Lance knew the storefront leases were a hundred times what they could afford.

"Greenville is very nice," Lance agreed politely.

"Better than nice." The two men stared at each other for a very long time.

"Well, I need a few things."

"Of course!" Lance sprang into sales mode. "What can I help you find?"

The next thing he knew he was ringing the man up for $850 worth of goods. He helped him load things into a car out front that Lance could have sworn wasn't there a minute ago. When the bags of random items were all loaded, the man gave him a substantial tip. "Sir, thank you. I hope you'll stop in again?"

"If I stop in again, Lance? I hope you aren't here." The words weren't unkind. The man smiled, tipped his hat in that old-timey way men with top hats do, and was gone before Lance could put a "Thank you" together.

**