Overheard at Chipperfield's ... Part XXIX ...

The door opened and one of the regulars who had been on an extended break from town stepped into the store.

"Norm," called Ross as he looked up from behind the counter, "How are things?"

"It's a dog eat dog world out there, and I'm wearing Milk Bone underwear," offered the regular as he strode around the counter and began greeting a number of people sitting at tables in the shop, "My regular if you please Sammy," he offered.

"Coming right up," said Ross with a laugh, "I hope Chipperfield's Own with Cream will do ... it seems the beer tap is ... well ... gone !!"

"Sounds fine to me, my good man," offered the regular as he leaned on the counter.

"So, how was the trip?" asked Ross as he prepared the coffee.

"Good," replied the regular, "but as nice as it is to have a break, it is always nice to get home again."

"I'll say," added Kriss, as she came up from the back room carrying a load of Chipperdoodle biscotti, "Good to see you home? Been back long?"

The regular glanced at his watch, "oh about an hour or so ..."

"It took you an hour to get here," Kriss pushed out her lower lip and offered her best pout, "I thought you missed us ..."

"I did, but I thought I should check in at home first," offered the regular with a laugh as he took the coffee Ross had prepared and took a long sip, "Ah, that's what I missed ..."

Ross and Kriss both smiled.

"So, notice anything new?" asked Ross, looking like an excited school boy.

"New hair cut?" asked the regular as he took another drink of coffee.

"No," answered Ross, his right hand flying up to his hair to check whether something was amiss, "something else ..." Ross was clearly distracted now, and was checking out his reflection in the mirror across the room.

"Cool, a Juke Box," answered the regular as he looked around the room, "that's new ..."

Ross then launched into a short explanation of how he had come to acquire it, and all the work he had put in late one night doing up all the labels for the play list.

"What happened to the Stay-cation idea?" asked the regular.

"Shhhhhhh," Ross put a finger to his lips and looked around the store nervously, "Don't mention the Stay-cations for a while, Bonnie thinks I've abandoned that idea ..."

"Okay," said the regular, "mum's the word ..." he found a selection and dropped in a quarter ...

He finished his coffee sitting at a table listening to Creedance Clearwater Revival belting out "Bad Moon Rising" ... it was good to be home and good to be among friends ...