Mr. Minser owned the only general store in town. He was friends with many of the farm estates, from whom he bought wheat, corn, chicken, and beef. They would often come to give him deals and do business with him. The only people who purchased from his store were the estate's servants, except for Mr. D, the man who sold him the beef and chicken. Mr. D had 15 children, one of whom was 18 and accompanied his father almost everywhere. There was only one large wheat estate nearby, as well as other large estates in the area. Any other nearby estate was at least two hundred miles away.
On a busy day, four businessmen entered his shop. They were the men from whom he had borrowed a loan one year ago in order to purchase a much-needed supply of corn and wheat. However, he was still unable to pay back the loan.
"Look," said one of them, seeming half-asleep, "you need to pay your loan."
Suddenly, there was a shout as someone tried to enter the shop, but the crowd of chatting people inside the doorway prevented them.
It happened to be his sister with her four little kids with their pocket money who liked to buy candy. His sister simply grabbed an apron, smiled, and said, "Busy day, huh," before going into the back of the store.
I want four candies said the youngest timing up to the counter and putting down his money.
Ok just wait one minute he replied.
Just then mister d entered I have got a parasol for you plus I need my riffle you cleaned he said.
Mr. Minser nodded and said, "Sure, let me get those for you." He quickly went to the back of the store to grab the parasol and rifle for Mr. D. As he handed them over, Mr. D said, "Thanks, and don't forget to pay me for the beef." Mr. Minser nodded again and replied, "I'll make sure to include it in my next payment."
After taking care of Mr. D's request, Mr. Minser turned back to the little boy at the counter and said, "Now, how many candies did you want?" The boy smiled and said, "Four, please!"
Mr. Minser quickly grabbed four candies from the shelf and placed them on the counter. The little boy handed over his money, and Mr. Minser took it with a smile. He then handed the candies to the boy, saying, "Here you go, enjoy!"
As the boy happily left with his candies, Mr. Minser returned to the businessmen who were still waiting. He looked at them and said, "I understand that I need to pay back the loan, but business has been slow, and I haven't been able to gather enough funds yet. I promise I'll make the payment as soon as I can."
The businessmen exchanged glances but didn't say much. One of them finally replied, "Alright, but don't delay it any longer. We've been patient enough."
Mr. Minser nodded, understanding their concerns. He knew he needed to find a way to generate more business and pay back the loan soon. As the day continued, he hoped for more customers to come through his doors, enabling him to slowly clear his debt and continue running his beloved general store in town.