Chapter 162 - Christmas Date (2)

The old man walked out of his house using a walker to aid him. It seemed like an older model as there was two cut tennis balls on the walker’s hind legs. He slowly made his way over to us before taking a seat in one of the cushioned chairs opposite of us.

“So,” He spoke first, “You two are looking to move in around here?” He asked.

My eyes drifted to his hands which were constantly shaking, they were covered in wrinkles and scars that had long-since healed.

“Yes!” I replied brightly, “First, before that, I just want to say, merry Christmas! I hope you’re having a good holiday.”

“Merry Christmas.” Luna chimed in.

“Oh, thank you. Merry Christmas to you two as well.” He said with a wrinkled smile.

“So, that’s right.” I nodded, “First, just to introduce ourselves, my name is Stella, and this is Luna.”

“Gerald,” He said, “Nice to meet you two.”

“Nice to meet you too, Mr. Gerald. So, Luna and I are thinking of buying that land just up the road, the ten acre one, if you’ve seen it.”

“Ah, yes, I drive past it every other day.” He nodded, “There used to be a supermarket complex there before the Winterfowl incident.”

I’d have to assume that’s what the gate outbreak 20-some years ago was named. But, winterfowls, huh? Those are avians if I remember correctly—which, I do—you can get pretty high quality materials from them.

“Yes, probably that one.” I nodded, “We plan on building a house there.”

“That’s quite a lot of land for just a house.” He commented.

“Well, we also plan building on some other things too. Like a small farm and a few other buildings.”

“Oh, a farm?”

“I grow strawberries!” I said proudly, “If I get the chance, I’ll bring you some to try.”

“I’d love that.” He smiled, “So, as for your question about the area, it’s quite a quiet place compared to other parts of the county. The government have tried to get people to move here, but, everyone’s just too fearful.”

“Because of the superstition?” I asked.

“That’s right.” He solemnly nodded, “Though the security today is significantly better compared to 23 years ago, people still aren’t ready to move in.”

“Then, did you move in because you trust the security? Or because you don’t believe the superstition?” I inquired.

“It’s neither.” He shook his head, “I lived in this area for all my life, I can’t leave now. Although the security is good, without a major guild nearby, there will still be significant damages. And I believe that if another outbreak were to happen, it will be ten times worse than the last.”

“I see.” I nodded.

“Back to the point, there’s a lot of us old folks who still live here because we’d rather not live anywhere else. Other than that, there’s a few local businesses, I recommend visiting them when you can; The owners are very nice.”

“What about the roads?” Luna asked.

“They’re usually free. People don’t really need to drive past our city to get to wherever they need to go. So, you’ll likely see familiar cars after being here for a little.”

“Interesting, interesting.” I said, “What about the negatives? Any downsides to living in the area?”

“The immediate thing that comes to mind is that the major stores and food chains aren’t nearby. If you want something and the local stores don’t have it, you’ll usually have to order online or drive further. But, you could also ask one of the local stores, and they’ll order it for you so you can just pick it up there.”

“That’s probably fine, right?” I turned to Luna.

She nodded.

“Ah, you two look young, it may be hard to find a guy around your age if you’re looking to date.”

This reproduction is not approved by the author. Their chapter is posted on NovelPhoenix, where readers can support the writing.

Before I could say anything, Luna spoke up,

“No need,” She said, grabbing my hand and interlocking our fingers, “We’re already off the market.”

“Oh, my mistake. Apologies.” He said.

Pfft! Hehe, Luna is too adorable! I love her so much.

“Is there any other downsides?” I asked, “Or things we should know beforehand?”

“Hm…” He paused for a moment, “Not that I can think of. Ah! I just thought of one. Since we’re right by the everglades, sometimes you can see monsters flying in the distance. It can be scary seeing them, but usually, they don’t come close enough to attack.”

“Monsters? Alright, that’s good to know. Thank you! We’ll keep that in mind.” I said.

“You’re welcome.” He said.

“Then, I think we’ll get going. We’re going to look around the area, thank you so much for your time, Mr. Gerald!”

“Thank you for your time.” Luna said.

“I’m glad to be of help.” He said with a wrinkled smile, “If you’re hungry, I recommend visiting Spinster’s Arcade on Redwood Street, there’s this hot dog stand right next to it that serves delicious food. The owner’s a pretty nice guy too.”

“Oh! That’s perfect! Thank you for the info, we’ll definitely stop by. But, is he open even on Christmas?” I asked.

“I believe so.” He said, “He’s always open during the day.”

“Well, we’ll definitely stop by there to check it out. That arcade sounds fun too, are they also open?”

“That, I’m not too sure about.”

“Alright,” I nodded and Luna and I stood up, “Then, we’ll be heading off now. Thank you again, Mr. Gerald. Hopefully we’ll see you again.”

“Thank you as well for the conversation, Christmas time gets a little lonely nowadays.” He said with a sad smile, “If you do move, I hope you enjoy the city. It’s a nice place.”

“I hope so too.” I smiled, “Should we help you stand up?”

“That’d be wonderful.”

After Luna and I helped him to his feet, we headed back to the car.

“He was nice.” I commented.

“Yeah,” Luna nodded, “It doesn’t sound like a bad place to live so far.”

“Mhm, so, shall we head to that hot dog stand?”

Luna gulped and I started to laugh.

…

Just as Mr. Gerald has said, the roads weren’t busy at all. They were actually quite empty, so, it was a pretty comfortable drive.

Spinster’s Arcade looked like quite vibrant on the outside. It had large windows, allowing me to see the arcade cabinets inside. I didn’t recognize any at a glance—probably because the only time I’ve ever touched an arcade cabinet was when I was a child—but, they’re still outdated! Above the entrance was a large LED sign that read ‘Spinster’s’. Next to it was their logo—a spiderweb. Quite fitting honestly.

Surprisingly, it wasn’t closed. There were a couple other cars in the parking lot and I could see some people inside.

But, that wasn’t the main focus right now. We were hungry!

Just off the side of the building was a small cart with a man standing behind it, it had a small blue umbrella attached to it.

Luna pulled into a parking spot.

“We haven’t had hot dogs in a while.” I commented.

“They’re good for lunch, but, I prefer something more filling.” Luna said.

We got out of the car and walked towards the man, hand-in-hand. When he saw us, he perked up and gave us a friendly wave.

“Hello!” The man had an Italian accent and one of those friendly voices, “Would you two like hot dogs?”

“Hi!” I greeted him, “Yes! One second, let me read through the menu real quick.”

“Of course, of course.” He said.

“What’re you thinking?” I asked Luna.

There were tons of different kinds we could get. From a cheese dog to a chili dog with onions, there was even a mix and match. I read through the toppings list for a few moments.

“Maybe just the standard? I am interested in what this ‘Vinchini Sauce’ is though.” Luna replied.

“Ah! The vinchini sauce is my special homemade sauce, it’s really delicious! I recommend!” The man said with a smile, “I guarantee, it’s better than ketchup, mayo, and mustard combined!”

“Homemade, huh…Alright, I’ll give it a shot. Could I get four hot dogs, two with the vinchini sauce, one with melted cheese and onions, and one with ketchup and mustard.”

“Four dogs! Two vinchinis, one melted onion, and one traditional!” The man said, “Is that all?”

“Can I get two hot dogs with vinchini sauce and…Oh! You sell burgers too? Can I get a cheeseburger, no sauce.”

The man smiled brightly as if our orders had just made his day,

“Of course! Of course! It’ll be a minute. I cook them fresh!” He said. I wonder if English is his second language?

“Thank you!” I said.

The man started to place food on the grill in front of him.

“So, I haven’t seen you two before, are you just visiting?” He asked.

“For now, yes!” I nodded, “But, we’re planning on moving here soon. We’re mostly just exploring the area at the moment.”

“Oh! That’s wonderful news!” The man said, “Well, then, we might be seeing each other more often. Let me introduce myself, my name is Luca, it is wonderful to meet you.”

Luca had a bright smile, he seemed like a naturally happy guy. He was tall, probably around 185 cm. He had short brown hair and blue eyes. He had a stubble—or, as I like to call it, a 5 o’clock shadow. He wore a long-sleeved purple shirt with a white apron that had the name ‘Luca’ on it.

“I’m Stella! This is Luna!” I gestured to her, “Nice to meet you Mr. Luca!”

“Yes, yes, nice to meet you too!” He said, “I hope you have liked the area?”

“We have! It’s a very nice city, at least, we haven’t seen anything bad so far.”

“Wonderful, wonderful.”

The sound of the food sizzling on the grill sounded pleasant to the ears.

“How long have you run this stand?” I asked.

“How long? I’d say…Probably nine months now?” He said uncertainly, “I’m open every day.”

“That’s a while! Business is good?”

“Ahaha,” Luca gave one of those laughs that was clearly a denial, “It is very stagnant. But, it is something I love, so I do it.”

The hot dogs came off the grill one after another, I could tell he was quite skilled from how swiftly and confidently he moved his hands. He put each of the hot dogs in their own bun and smoothly added the toppings.

I glanced at Luna and saw her practically drooling over the food. To be fair, it does smell extremely delicious, even I couldn’t wait to dig in.

But, from the sounds of it, it doesn’t sound like business is booming? I wonder if that’s because of the location, or another issue?

“Pack to-go or in a boat?” He asked.

“In a boat is fine.” Luna replied, swallowing her drool.

Luca put two hot dogs per paper boat, he placed them on the counter of the stand. Eventually, the last thing left was my cheeseburger, which he was working on.

“So,” I started, “Do you always cook the hot dogs on the grill like this? I remember usually seeing them being boiled in water.”

“Ah! Yes, it is best flavor on the grill. Water is not bad, but, the fire gives it more depth. You see the grill marks? That means delicious!” He said with a smile, he placed the patty on a bun then wrapped it in parchment paper, “Everything should be super juicy and delicious!” He said.

I looked over at Luna and she was already biting into one of her hot dogs.

“How is it?” I asked.

“Mm!” She let out as a reply, continuing to eat.

Well, I guess that’s all I need to know. That’s a better review than any words were.

“Where do I pay?” I asked, “Is it card, cash, or points?” Though, I’m not too sure if points would work, unless he’s an awakener? But, I didn’t notice any mana being used in the food.

“Any of them is fine! Whatever you find convenient!” Luca said.

“Eh? You’re an awakener?” I asked. Did he really use a skill or trait? I didn’t notice anything!

“Yes! But, I cook the food like normal person.” He said, for some reason his voice sounded slightly sadder towards the end. But, I didn’t think about it too closely, I was hungry!

“I see, I see, well, I’ll just pay with card.”

“Great! Great! Then…” He tapped some machine and then placed it on the counter facing me, “Just tap here and you’re good. It is $21.29 before tax, $22.78 after!”

My brows raised slightly. $21 for 7 items of food? That’s like $3 per—and, that’s an amazing deal? Especially when it came to ordering from someone. But, that’s also why I’m confused, if his prices are this cheap, how’s he going to make a living?

“Why’s it so cheap?” I directly asked.

“Ah,” He scratched the back of his head, “Well, people need to eat.” He said with a smile.

Huh…Well, he knows what he’s doing, he’s even older than me. I assume he’s making some kind of profit at least.

I paid and then tipped him 50%. Seeing Luna eat so deliciously, made it well worth that.

“Oh!” He let out with a big smile, “Thank you very much!” He said.

“Mhm, thank you for the food.” I replied and bit into one of the hot dogs I ordered.

Delicious.