I've been in to Bree before, of course. Da has taken me several times through the years. It's different when you go alone the first time, and you're carrying the burden of the family business on your shoulders. It's bigger and scarier, but I didn't let that stop me. I couldn't. Our customers have to get their deliveries and I had to introduce myself to them. It's been slow going sometimes. I got lost a few times looking for a few of them, but I found them all eventually. Everyone was real kind. Well, not everyone. Not kind. No one was unkind, I can say that much truthfully. Not unkind isn't the same as kind, afterall. Anyway, they're all still willing to keep getting deliveries from us. I assured them that they'd get the same goods as always, it'd just be me bringing them instead of Da.
I got Mister Butterbur to try the new mustard pickled eggs I convinced Ma we should make. They were spicy just like I thought they'd be. His eyes near popped out his face when he took the first bite. Scrambled for his ale, but he finished the first and ate the second one, too. And ordered a small crock of them right off. I heard they sold out that night and that's why he ordered a second, larger crock of them. Good thing we'd made up a lot in the hopes that they'd be well-liked. I think they probably help folks be thirstier and sell more of his fine stout. They're real easy and they don't take too long to pickle up. With all the hens around we should be able to keep up with the orders easy enough.
Da's not doing much better. He sleeps most the time, and when he's awake he worries about his deliveries. I keep telling him that it's going ok and I can manage it just fine. He calms down, but then forgets what I told him next time he wakes up. I think we're going to need to get someone in to keep an eye on him while Ma and I are working because he tries to get up and go to work. The worse part of this is how he's just not the same. It's scary. Ma's still not sure what illness he has, or if he'll ever get better. We'll just have to keep doing the best we can and hope for an improvement.
I brought the delivery to the Sizzling Turtle and got invited to tea! I knew this happened with Da a fair bit (Ma used to tease him he would have so much tea he'd not be hungry for supper, but he was always hungry for supper), but I was still surprised when it happened. I met some nice folks, Missus and Mister Barleycorn. She's from a place she says is hundreds of leagues away, called Rohan. I asked if it was near The Shire, which was the furthest away place I knew. She said it was a different direction from there. Her husband is from Bree, though he's travelled, too. They had a friend there with them, Mister Leoffrith of some place far away. I can't even recall if he had a family name. He's come a long way and is duty-bound to go back and report what he's found to his Thane (I think that's what they call the Shirrifs where he's from). It was really comfortable until that butcher Griff come in for some ale. He's got some funny ideas about marriage that made me real uncomfortable, so I went into the kitchen to check on the fermented cabbage and stayed until he left. I don't think anyone noticed, so there's that at least.
I met a Miss Haritha, too. She's real taken with Mister Leoffrith. Anyone with eyes could see that. Seems though Mister Leoffrith is taken with her, too, but he's got family duty to attend to. Maybe it's because I put my own marriage on the back burner that I see it in him, too. I don't know how things will turn out with them, but I hope she's patient with him. Or maybe I just hope that for me... maybe. Oh I don't know.
Miss Haritha works as a maid for a spice merchant but I didn't catch his name, so I couldn't find out more about what sorts of spices he brings in. All these folks who travel far and wide got me thinking about a way I might get more business. While Mister Leoffrith was talking about his plans, he mentioned how he has to hunt and cook up meats while he's traveling so he has enough to eat. It occurred to me that I could make all sorts of things he could take with him that'd be lighter and last longer and maybe... with all these folks who go traveling around, I could sell to them, too!
Da always talked about the outsiders like they was a bad thing, but I'm thinking they might not be all bad. Sure they're not from here, and they have real strange ways. Still, they eat. If they eat, then maybe there's some coins to be made from that. I talked to Mister Leoffrith about if he could bring unusual things like seeds and herbs back with him, sos I could see about different flavors and maybe make some foods that folks from far away might be hankering for. Or at least something like. And that along with special foods made just for traveling, it should much easier to make the rent for the plot, and do some repairs on the house that have been waiting.
