Bystander

"That's where the problem lies." Dr. Canes said seriously.

"A lot of the old folks around here wanted to stay in the business for years to come, passing down the business to their children. However, I heard that there have been cases of these good old folks being harassed." Dr. Canes added.

Mia was listening attentively could not help but ask, "Who would do such a thing?"

"That is currently the problem. The people do not know who is behind the harassment. The most problematic thing is the customers would rather go to pop-up business trucks near their schools which diverts them to our route. You do know that 70% of their customers are made up of the elementary and high school students passing by in the afternoon. At first, it was not obviously affecting their sales that much, but once the popularity of their products started to spread out and become well-known, the competition became harsher for the old folks here."

"That is indeed a big problem especially for the food stalls." Mia agreed with the doctor.

"These are all conjectures. There is no proof or evidence at the moment. My business had not been affected unlike the others, that is why they are trying to petition to the city government to make a move on those pop-up trucks that have been going around the schools. Unfortunately, it seems the city government does not plan on doing anything, stating that their business was not illegal to begin with." Dr. Canes said.

"That is really suspicious how they prefer to support outside business compared to the local stalls that have been in this community for a long time," Mia said while she pondered about the matter.

"Some folks decided to close their stalls for the time being. Especially the food stalls that have been affected the most. Their sales were not enough to cover their investment. Sigh." Dr. Canes breathed out a sigh. He was also disappointed with the city government not doing anything with the matter. Worse yet, they decided to not to act at all.

Sfx *Cling Clang Cling Clang*

The sound of the door chimes ringing resounded in the room. A customer entered which stopped their discussion. Mia did not need to be told of what she needed to do, she stood up and greeted the customer who entered, but in the end, her eyes widened in surprise seeing the somewhat familiar face in front of her.

"Good Morning. How may I help you today?" Mia said while trying to maintain her smile.

However, the woman who entered ignored Mia and continued heading towards the Doctor.

"Brian"

She called out the Doctor's name as she walked towards him.

The doctor, Brian looked up at the person who was approaching him in surprise. On the other hand, Mia was left there standing while looking at the whole situation like a bystander.

"What are you doing here Celine?" Brian said with a bit of coldness with his tone. His eyes showed a hint of displeasure while staring at the woman. This was the first time Mia had ever seen the doctor with those kinds of eyes. The previous warmth and kindness that was always shown on his face was long gone.

But no matter how much of the Doctor's cold attitude was directed on the woman named Celine, it did not deter her from approaching Brian.

"You don't answer my calls or even go home. There is no other place to look for aside from your shop." Celine tried explaining. Her tone was apologetic and her eyes were only set on one person.

Mia almost forgot about the existence of this woman because she hasn't seen her for a while. The past events with William and the shopping district had made her mind pre-occupied. She continued looking and listening at their situation.

It seems the doctor was avoiding her. But the woman was determined to continue pursuing the Doctor.

"For what reason?" She asked herself while observing the two. The shop was devoid of customers aside from them, no one else was inside. This was becoming awkward for Mia as she was the only bystander in the room. She was torn between leaving or listening in their conversation.

Original novel by Chuchuwachuwa