The butcher was situated right behind the row of restaurants in Garaat’s commercial district. In order to get there, under the light of the setting sun, Anima had to walk the so-called “road of temptation”, named for the incredible aroma of freshly cooked food and the allure of beautiful women inviting passersby into nearby pubs that made detours incredibly difficult to resist. In fact, as if to demonstrate just how few and far between those able to conquer the road of temptation were, the crowd around him thinned out at an alarming rate as he walked.
Anima’s resolution was unshakable, though. He had places to go and things to do, and no worldly desire would stop him from reaching his goal. He also had the best food he’d ever eaten and the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen waiting for him at home. The women calling out to potential customers were beautiful, but they couldn’t hold a candle to Luina.
After walking the road of temptation for a couple of minutes, he hung a right at the intersection where most foodstuff shops were located—an area quite busy with people buying ingredients for dinner. He made a beeline to the butcher, who had dozens of salted hams, bacon strips, and sausages hanging on display.
“Welcome, Anima! What can I get for you today?”
A heavyset man—the owner of the shop—peeked out from behind the curtain of meat. His mouth curled into a smile beneath his mustache, and his friendly tone reverberated through the building. As Luina had been buying meat from him ever since she was a little girl, and as the two of them had visited the area together countless times after getting married, he, like most other shop owners in Garaat, knew the both of them by name.
“I’d like this, please.”
Anima pointed at the rope sausages, each one long enough for around ten thick sausages.
“Just the one?” the man asked as he began coiling one up.
“Umm... Make it three, please.”
“Comin’ right up!”
He figured three ropes would be perfect. While it may have looked like a lot from an outside perspective, for a family of five, that meant each person would get about six sausages. Given that they ate sausage every day, they had enough to last a week.
At first he’d thought that it would have been better to buy more, as the more he bought the longer it would last, but he’d remembered something. By purchasing only a week’s worth, they would run out of milk at around the time they finished the sausages. Once that happened, they could simply purchase more of both at the same time and have them fresh.
While Anima was arranging his next shopping trip, the butcher finished coiling up his sausages, which Anima paid for and put into his basket.
“How’s Luina doing, by the way?” the man asked just as Anima was about to turn and head out. It wasn’t a surprising question, as he looked after Luina like his own daughter.
The news of her pregnancy had spread through the town like wildfire after she’d told the woman at the fruit stall about it. Just about every food seller knew about it, including the butcher. Anima appreciated that everyone was so concerned about her health, so he answered with a warm smile.
“She’s doing well.”
“Ahhh, that’s good. Great, even. Here, hold on a minute!” He grabbed a whole ham and handed it to Anima. “This is for Luina!”
“How much is it?”
“C’mon, now, I don’t need money. Luina’s like a daughter to me. Just have her come around one of these days to show that she’s doing well—that’s more than payment enough. Oh, and maybe you could let me hold the little one after they’re born. That’d make me the happiest man in the whole town!”
“Thank you,” Anima said, accepting the generous gift. “I’ll make sure to give it to her.”
“Good! Have her scarf it all down; this ham’ll bring her good health for the winter!”
“Maybe you should think twice before having her eat the whole damn thing,” a well-built lady chimed in. She was the owner of the fruit stall.
“Huh?” The butcher furrowed his thick eyebrows. “Are you tryin’ to say there’s something wrong with my ham?”
“Don’t be silly; I know perfectly well how delicious your cuts are.” The butcher’s scowl immediately became a smile. “Thing is, I don’t know about stuffing a pregnant woman fulla ham that’s saltier than the ocean. You should give my sweetie some of my apples instead!”
The woman pushed a basket full of apples into Anima’s hands.
“You’ve given her enough apples to last a lifetime! And giving her food that’ll rot’s only gonna upset her stomach!”
“An apple a day keeps the doctor away!”
“Eat enough meat and know no defeat!”