Page 26 of Why Cheese?
“I know. Dishes.”
They look miserable but take Roq’s word as law. All except for Cam who dabs the sides of his lips with a napkin while the other two shuffle off to Roq’s side. “I think I’ll pass for the eve.”
“Excuse me?” Roq freezes in his tracks and stares over his shoulder. Slowly, his eyes narrow. “Why?” he asks like he already knows the reason.
“After our long sleep, I deserve a constitution about the city. And who better to show me than our benevolent new lady?” Cam crooks out his elbow toward me, but I’m paralyzed by the rage vapors radiating from Roq.
“That’s…a terrible idea.”
“What of it? I’ll be out of your blue hair for a night. A turn I thought you’d enjoy.”
“What if you don’t return before dawn? What if you’re separated from us? Again.”
Cam snickers coldly. “You mean what if I leave?”
A hard gasp cuts through the glare and Brie bites his thumbnail. Cheddy rushes forward and drapes his arms over both Cam and Roq. “Hey. Come on. There’s no reason to go bringing up the past when our future’s so bright.”
Wrinkling his nose, Cam stares at Cheddy. “What precisely do you think will happen in this rosy future?”
“We rebuild the store. Sell lots of cheese. And live happily ever after,” Cheddy declares. “Right?” He turns back to Roq who groans and massages his forehead.
“What are you talking about?” I press, but Cheddy’s gone quiet.
“Yes, Roq. Whatever are your plans? I’d quite like to know,” Cam asks.
Roq begins to buff his glasses, keeping himself in profile so no one can read him. “Since when have you cared about my plans, Bare?”
That nickname or the state of Cam’s chest causes him to pull in a sharp breath. He lunges forward and clamps a hand to my arm. “We shall be leaving. Chedward, Brie…if you wish to remove yourselves from the ever-suffocating gas from that man’s mouth, please join us.”
Cheddy makes a step forward, but Roq raises a hand to stop him. Brie’s halfway to the basement, but he keeps looking back at us while he goes to town on his hangnail. Cam shakes his head. “I would never expect anything more from you two.” He tries to drag me toward the front door, but I’ve locked my legs.
“Wait,” I cry out.
“Don’t tell me you’re trapped in his thrall too?” Cam doesn’t let go of my arm, but he pauses.
I focus on Roq. For the first time since he ordered me to leave, I meet him eye to eye. “What are they talking about? I thought we were gonna sell your extra cheese and then…”
How stupid are you, Vi?If he wasn’t going to make more he wouldn’t have asked for all that cheese-making stuff. Duh.
“I’m an idiot,” I groan.
“No,” Cam insists. “He is the fool. You’re merely sucked into the whirlpool of his madness, as are we all. Forever twisting and twirling to your delusion of—”
“Enough!” Roq thunders. “I did not lie to you…” He pauses at Cam then looks to me. “Violette. The cheese we are producing is to accompany the cheddar stock. I doubt many would come here seeking only hard cheese. They may be disappointed to not find fresh mozzarella or a nice brie.”
He walks away to focus on one of the photographs on the big wall. This one has just my uncle when he was standing in front of the shop. Probably on its opening day. “All of our cheese is for you to sell. I ask for nothing, we ask for nothing in exchange for our labor except your silence. Do you believe me?” Roq swivels his head to peer at me and so do three others.
Only Cam’s shaking his head while Brie and Cheddy both shrug in acceptance. It doesn’t really matter if they try to stay. I’m selling this place. I have to.
But another question grows more urgent by the day. “How long?”
Roq blinks in surprise. “Excuse me?”
“How long is it going to take for you to open this store and sell off all of your cheese?”
“Well, I haven’t moved stock in many years. It’s difficult to estimate the buying patterns of the modern citizen, but, at a guess—”
“Three months,” Cam interrupts. Roq glares at him, but he smiles. “That’s what you were going to say, isn’t it?”
