The Book Shop - Chapter Two
Title: The Book Shop
Author: bsgroxmysox
Rating: K
Word Count: 1700
Summary: Since the decommissioning of the Battlestar Galactica, Laura Roslin's life has changed dramatically. Now it's time for her to move to a new town and make another change. Will the support from a familiar face and a new friend help her get back on her feet?
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters just borrowing them for a little fun
Thank you to the wonderful beta bsg_aussiegirl
*
Unfortunately, her first week of sales turned out to be dismal. Only a few people came into the shop, but none bought any books. She thought the only reason they came in was to brazenly stare at the new business owner in town.
Laura was now starting to question her decision of settling in a small town. The whispers and not so subtle staring in Caprica City had convinced her that a life of solitude in the small town of Realta Coast would be a better option, but if anything the whispers were louder here and the staring even more obvious. She was a stranger here; but a stranger everyone in the town had already seen on the news and read about in the newspapers.
The only person she had spoken to was the owner of the local bakery. She had struck up a tentative friendship with Emily Kowalski, having got off on the wrong foot the first time they had met.
Laura’s new routine saw her awake at five AM to walk the length of the seaside town. Her first morning there she had stopped in at the only place open at the time, the Kowalski Bakery, and began chatting with the owner as she set out fresh bread rolls.
The crackle of the wireless interrupted their conversation and Laura soon realised what was being broadcast.
“Oh no one needs to listen to the delusions of Gaius Baltar at six in the morning,” Laura drawled.
The change in Emily’s pleasant demeanour was drastic. Her smile vanished replaced by a deep, angry frown.
“I suppose it would be too much to ask for someone like you to understand what kind of comfort his words bring to people. How his words have become a beacon of hope for many of us who had given up on religion.”
Emily had returned to her work effectively ending her conversation with Laura. Too stunned to reply, Laura had simply taken her purchases and left without another word. She wasn’t sure exactly what it was that had happened in Emily’s life to make her seek comfort in the ramblings of, in Laura’s opinion, a madman, but she needed to respect the woman’s right to believe in whatever she wanted.
She returned to the shop every morning though, at first approaching their conversations with a bit more caution. By the end of the week, however, she felt she had made a friend and decided to broach the subject of her one and only customer with Emily.
“Have you ever heard of Bill Adama?”
Emily’s eyebrows rose in surprise. The two women were sitting at the table and chairs which sat in the corner of the bakery, sharing a cup of tea while Emily took a quick break before the school rush.
“Commander Adama? Yes, he lives in the small beach house about a ten minute walk from here. Do you know him?”
“He bought a book from me last week. He’s the only person to buy one actually.”
Emily gave her a sad smile and reached a hand across the table to pat Laura’s arm in comfort. “I am sorry I haven’t gotten to visit the shop yet, Laura. Being a single parent combined with the time I spend here at the bakery, I just haven’t had a chance.”
Laura smiled warmly. “That wasn’t a dig, Emily. I completely understand. I was just wondering if he lived around here. It’s an odd coincidence that we both ended up here.”
“Coincidence? How so?”
“My last act as Secretary of Education was to officially decommission a Battlestar which he was in command of. He retired soon afterwards. And now we’re both here in Realta Coast. It’s just funny is all.”
“Oh, it’s hilarious,” Emily replied dryly.
Laura guffawed with laughter. The woman’s dry wit was really quite charming once you got used to it.
“I better get going,” Laura said as yet another customer glared at her as they entered the bakery.
“I’ll try to make it in to see the shop this week. I can’t wait to see what you’ve done with the place,” Emily said as a farewell.
“Thanks, Emily. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
Emily called out just as Laura was about to exit: “They just need to get used to you, Laura. It won’t always be like this. Doctor Baltar says that you need to have an open mind so that others can have an open heart.”
Making her way back to the apartment, Laura did her best to ignore all references to Baltar, and take encouragement from the rest of Emily’s words.
*
The bell dinged for the fourth time today, but she didn’t even look up from the paperwork she was completing. The new customer could ‘browse’ for a moment.
For her second week of business, more and more people were venturing inside the shop. However, not all of them were even bothering to pretend interest in the books. Instead they were visiting to see her.
Let them stare, she thought. Probably the highlight of their day. Oh look, it’s the poor ex-Secretary of Education; pushed out of her job, forced to fight her battle with cancer in the most public and humiliating way. Is this their idea of entertainment? Well fra-
“Ahem.”
Laura let out a surprised gasp and her head flew up to meet the blue eyes of her first and, as of yet, only customer.
“I didn’t mean to startle you again. I actually let the bell ring to give you some warning.”
“I heard it, I just figured you were one of the others coming to...” At his quizzical look Laura drifted off. “Never mind. What can I do for you, Commander?”
“Bill, remember?” He smiled as he teased her.
“Yes, of course. What can I do for you, Bill?”
She actually felt herself blush as his smile brightened when she said his name.
“I finished the book. It was very good.”
“Really?” she asked, amazed. From what she understood it was meant to be awful.
“Well, it’s no ‘Dark Day’ but I’ve always enjoyed Prima’s honest style of writing.”
“I’m ashamed to admit that’s one of the classics I’ve never read.”
His eyes widened in surprise. “Realta Coast’s newest book shop owner has never read ‘Dark Day’?”
He swiftly turned and moved through the shop, glancing briefly at shelves on the way. Soon Laura couldn’t see him anymore, but she could hear his footsteps as they ghosted across the wooden floor.
“I don’t see it beside the other Prima’s,” his voice called out from somewhere near the back of the shop.
Laura came out from behind the counter and moved towards his voice.
“The supplier was out of stock when I ordered everything. I can’t make another order until I sell more books.”
He turned toward her as she neared him. “The delivery is too expensive so I need to have a large order to make.”
“How many books have you sold so far?”
“One.”
His looked confused. “Surely the novelty of a new business has everyone in town buying something simply out of curiosity.”
“Seems the only thing people here are curious about is the owner of said new business. Anyone that’s brave enough to come in here just wants to see if it’s true that the disgraced politician has moved here.”
She turned away and moved back to her seat behind the counter.
“Laura, I didn’t mean to upset you. I was just--”
“It’s fine, Commander. Is there anything else I can help you with?”
For a moment she thought he was going to try to keep talking to her. Instead, she watched his eyes harden and his stance straighten. He pushed a pristine copy of ‘The Poems of Picon’ towards her. As soon as the transaction was complete, he left the store, the ding of the bell echoing loudly in the otherwise silent shop.
*
“You did what?”
“Emily, please...”
“No, wait...You’re telling me the only person, besides yours truly, in this town who has not only talked to you and been friendly--”
“Emily.”
“And, if you ask me, maybe indulged in a small bit of flirting as well--”
“Emily--”
“And you forced him out of your shop because he seemed upset that other people weren’t nice to you?”
“You’re making it sound worse than it was.”
“I don’t think I am, Laura.”
They were sitting in Emily’s shop, as had become their usual morning routine. Occasionally they stopped their conversation so Emily could serve a customer.
“He was being nice to you! And don’t forget he was your first customer.”
“Yes, well I’ve had three more since then.”
Emily smiled indulgently at her. She had brought the girls to the shop the day before and they all bought one book each. It had meant a lot to Laura. She knew that since the death of her husband Emily struggled financially. The income from the bakery only barely covered her mortgage payments.
“I’m not trying to preach to you, Laura but I think Commander Adama was trying to be nice to you. And you didn’t treat him very nicely.”
Laura sighed. She knew Emily was right. She had known the moment Bill had left the book shop. She was struggling with settling into the life in Realta Coast and she’d taken it out on him.
“You’re right.”
“As usual.”
Laura shot her an unimpressed glare which Emily simply laughed off.
“I better be going. Don’t want the queue of customers outside my door to think I’ve forgotten about them.”
Emily laughed and gathered up their empty tea cups. “Did you notice anything different today?” Emily asked as Laura was putting on her jacket.
“Different? No. Did you bake something new?”
Emily was always coming up with new pastry inventions. Apparently, for her daughter’s ninth birthday she had made her a cake in the shape of a doll. The little girl loved it so much she hadn’t even wanted to cut into it.
“No. Something different about my customers.”
Laura thought back on this morning. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened while Emily’s customers had purchased their items. Some had nodded at her as they passed and a few had greeted her. Now that she thought about it there was a vast improvement in how they had been reacting to her since her arrival.
“They were nice almost pleasant,” Laura whispered in astonishment. “Some even said Hello!”
“I told you things would change. You just need to give people time.”
*
Next Chapter >
< Previous Chapter
Author: bsgroxmysox
Rating: K
Word Count: 1700
Summary: Since the decommissioning of the Battlestar Galactica, Laura Roslin's life has changed dramatically. Now it's time for her to move to a new town and make another change. Will the support from a familiar face and a new friend help her get back on her feet?
Disclaimer: I don't own these characters just borrowing them for a little fun
Thank you to the wonderful beta bsg_aussiegirl
*
Unfortunately, her first week of sales turned out to be dismal. Only a few people came into the shop, but none bought any books. She thought the only reason they came in was to brazenly stare at the new business owner in town.
Laura was now starting to question her decision of settling in a small town. The whispers and not so subtle staring in Caprica City had convinced her that a life of solitude in the small town of Realta Coast would be a better option, but if anything the whispers were louder here and the staring even more obvious. She was a stranger here; but a stranger everyone in the town had already seen on the news and read about in the newspapers.
The only person she had spoken to was the owner of the local bakery. She had struck up a tentative friendship with Emily Kowalski, having got off on the wrong foot the first time they had met.
Laura’s new routine saw her awake at five AM to walk the length of the seaside town. Her first morning there she had stopped in at the only place open at the time, the Kowalski Bakery, and began chatting with the owner as she set out fresh bread rolls.
The crackle of the wireless interrupted their conversation and Laura soon realised what was being broadcast.
“Oh no one needs to listen to the delusions of Gaius Baltar at six in the morning,” Laura drawled.
The change in Emily’s pleasant demeanour was drastic. Her smile vanished replaced by a deep, angry frown.
“I suppose it would be too much to ask for someone like you to understand what kind of comfort his words bring to people. How his words have become a beacon of hope for many of us who had given up on religion.”
Emily had returned to her work effectively ending her conversation with Laura. Too stunned to reply, Laura had simply taken her purchases and left without another word. She wasn’t sure exactly what it was that had happened in Emily’s life to make her seek comfort in the ramblings of, in Laura’s opinion, a madman, but she needed to respect the woman’s right to believe in whatever she wanted.
She returned to the shop every morning though, at first approaching their conversations with a bit more caution. By the end of the week, however, she felt she had made a friend and decided to broach the subject of her one and only customer with Emily.
“Have you ever heard of Bill Adama?”
Emily’s eyebrows rose in surprise. The two women were sitting at the table and chairs which sat in the corner of the bakery, sharing a cup of tea while Emily took a quick break before the school rush.
“Commander Adama? Yes, he lives in the small beach house about a ten minute walk from here. Do you know him?”
“He bought a book from me last week. He’s the only person to buy one actually.”
Emily gave her a sad smile and reached a hand across the table to pat Laura’s arm in comfort. “I am sorry I haven’t gotten to visit the shop yet, Laura. Being a single parent combined with the time I spend here at the bakery, I just haven’t had a chance.”
Laura smiled warmly. “That wasn’t a dig, Emily. I completely understand. I was just wondering if he lived around here. It’s an odd coincidence that we both ended up here.”
“Coincidence? How so?”
“My last act as Secretary of Education was to officially decommission a Battlestar which he was in command of. He retired soon afterwards. And now we’re both here in Realta Coast. It’s just funny is all.”
“Oh, it’s hilarious,” Emily replied dryly.
Laura guffawed with laughter. The woman’s dry wit was really quite charming once you got used to it.
“I better get going,” Laura said as yet another customer glared at her as they entered the bakery.
“I’ll try to make it in to see the shop this week. I can’t wait to see what you’ve done with the place,” Emily said as a farewell.
“Thanks, Emily. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
Emily called out just as Laura was about to exit: “They just need to get used to you, Laura. It won’t always be like this. Doctor Baltar says that you need to have an open mind so that others can have an open heart.”
Making her way back to the apartment, Laura did her best to ignore all references to Baltar, and take encouragement from the rest of Emily’s words.
*
The bell dinged for the fourth time today, but she didn’t even look up from the paperwork she was completing. The new customer could ‘browse’ for a moment.
For her second week of business, more and more people were venturing inside the shop. However, not all of them were even bothering to pretend interest in the books. Instead they were visiting to see her.
Let them stare, she thought. Probably the highlight of their day. Oh look, it’s the poor ex-Secretary of Education; pushed out of her job, forced to fight her battle with cancer in the most public and humiliating way. Is this their idea of entertainment? Well fra-
“Ahem.”
Laura let out a surprised gasp and her head flew up to meet the blue eyes of her first and, as of yet, only customer.
“I didn’t mean to startle you again. I actually let the bell ring to give you some warning.”
“I heard it, I just figured you were one of the others coming to...” At his quizzical look Laura drifted off. “Never mind. What can I do for you, Commander?”
“Bill, remember?” He smiled as he teased her.
“Yes, of course. What can I do for you, Bill?”
She actually felt herself blush as his smile brightened when she said his name.
“I finished the book. It was very good.”
“Really?” she asked, amazed. From what she understood it was meant to be awful.
“Well, it’s no ‘Dark Day’ but I’ve always enjoyed Prima’s honest style of writing.”
“I’m ashamed to admit that’s one of the classics I’ve never read.”
His eyes widened in surprise. “Realta Coast’s newest book shop owner has never read ‘Dark Day’?”
He swiftly turned and moved through the shop, glancing briefly at shelves on the way. Soon Laura couldn’t see him anymore, but she could hear his footsteps as they ghosted across the wooden floor.
“I don’t see it beside the other Prima’s,” his voice called out from somewhere near the back of the shop.
Laura came out from behind the counter and moved towards his voice.
“The supplier was out of stock when I ordered everything. I can’t make another order until I sell more books.”
He turned toward her as she neared him. “The delivery is too expensive so I need to have a large order to make.”
“How many books have you sold so far?”
“One.”
His looked confused. “Surely the novelty of a new business has everyone in town buying something simply out of curiosity.”
“Seems the only thing people here are curious about is the owner of said new business. Anyone that’s brave enough to come in here just wants to see if it’s true that the disgraced politician has moved here.”
She turned away and moved back to her seat behind the counter.
“Laura, I didn’t mean to upset you. I was just--”
“It’s fine, Commander. Is there anything else I can help you with?”
For a moment she thought he was going to try to keep talking to her. Instead, she watched his eyes harden and his stance straighten. He pushed a pristine copy of ‘The Poems of Picon’ towards her. As soon as the transaction was complete, he left the store, the ding of the bell echoing loudly in the otherwise silent shop.
*
“You did what?”
“Emily, please...”
“No, wait...You’re telling me the only person, besides yours truly, in this town who has not only talked to you and been friendly--”
“Emily.”
“And, if you ask me, maybe indulged in a small bit of flirting as well--”
“Emily--”
“And you forced him out of your shop because he seemed upset that other people weren’t nice to you?”
“You’re making it sound worse than it was.”
“I don’t think I am, Laura.”
They were sitting in Emily’s shop, as had become their usual morning routine. Occasionally they stopped their conversation so Emily could serve a customer.
“He was being nice to you! And don’t forget he was your first customer.”
“Yes, well I’ve had three more since then.”
Emily smiled indulgently at her. She had brought the girls to the shop the day before and they all bought one book each. It had meant a lot to Laura. She knew that since the death of her husband Emily struggled financially. The income from the bakery only barely covered her mortgage payments.
“I’m not trying to preach to you, Laura but I think Commander Adama was trying to be nice to you. And you didn’t treat him very nicely.”
Laura sighed. She knew Emily was right. She had known the moment Bill had left the book shop. She was struggling with settling into the life in Realta Coast and she’d taken it out on him.
“You’re right.”
“As usual.”
Laura shot her an unimpressed glare which Emily simply laughed off.
“I better be going. Don’t want the queue of customers outside my door to think I’ve forgotten about them.”
Emily laughed and gathered up their empty tea cups. “Did you notice anything different today?” Emily asked as Laura was putting on her jacket.
“Different? No. Did you bake something new?”
Emily was always coming up with new pastry inventions. Apparently, for her daughter’s ninth birthday she had made her a cake in the shape of a doll. The little girl loved it so much she hadn’t even wanted to cut into it.
“No. Something different about my customers.”
Laura thought back on this morning. Nothing out of the ordinary had happened while Emily’s customers had purchased their items. Some had nodded at her as they passed and a few had greeted her. Now that she thought about it there was a vast improvement in how they had been reacting to her since her arrival.
“They were nice almost pleasant,” Laura whispered in astonishment. “Some even said Hello!”
“I told you things would change. You just need to give people time.”
*
Next Chapter >
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