The flea market was getting busier. I scanned the aisle while being held in the cowboy’s hand. Getting the impression this was a very large flea market, indeed. As I was trying to determine the actual layout based on what I was able to gather by my glimpses thus far, I’d venture a guess and say the flea market was…
“I need three dollars,” his daughter spoke interrupting my calculations. “I just sold Sarah’s sequined purse for seven and she gave me this ten.”
Pulling us back out of his pocket, he handed me and two of my peers to her. Smelling the aroma of chocolate on her small, delicate hands I looked up to see a serious, yet freckled face girl of about thirteen. Handing me over to a young woman in her early twenties with a very professional ‘thank you’ I surmised she must help her father at the flea market quite a bit. She was a pro at customer service.
The extremely tan young woman had a rose tattooed on her right shoulder and a diamond nose piercing. She wore what appeared to be three different colored tank tops at once, cut off shorts, a turquoise cowboy hat and flip flops with a bright yellow flower on top of her tanned toes. A very bold, yet creative look, indeed. I’m happy to serve, but I also enjoy people watching when the chance presents itself. However, my people watching was cut short when she tossed us in the sequined purse, snapped it shut and flung it onto her shoulder.
As she walked the sequins clicked together making a soft tinkling sound. It was rather soothing and rhythmic as the small metal sequins swished back and forth with her stride. It was almost hypnotic when the soft tinkling suddenly stopped. Obviously, something had caught her eye. “Do you have toe rings?” she asked.
Toe rings! I know it’s my job to serve, but toe rings! Really? I was secretly hoping they would say no. But apparently they had some, or at least one, and she was either looking or trying it on because she put the purse I was in on a table and I inhaled the faint smell of ammonia. Must be a jewelry vendor, I thought. If memory serves, ammonia is supposed to be great for cleaning jewelry. Suddenly, I heard music and realized rose tattoo’s cell phone was ringing, but what was that song? I know I’ve heard it before…but what was it…it was on the tip of my tongue, but I just couldn’t reme…
“Yeah,” she said abruptly.
“Hey, babe.”
“No, I’m not at Rita’s yet. I stopped by the flea market.”
“Right now I’m looking a toe rings,” she said into the phone, then apparently to the vendor, “How much?”
“One dollar,” a muffled voice answered.
“Yeah, we’re supposed to go to the lake today. Unless Todd didn’t get his dad’s boat,” her voice trailed off as she listened. “Well, have you heard from Mel then? She was bringing Cindy and the…” She started talking rapidly about the day’s events that were supposed to be happening later that afternoon. Suddenly, she said, “Crap, where did I put those ones?”
“Man, that’s right,” she said as she opened the purse and blindly stuck her hand in searching for one of us. “Not me, not me, I don’t want to purchase a toe ring!” I said clinging to the inside lining of the purse. Sigh. Pulling me out I was handed over a jewelry case containing dozens of rings, watches and I even caught sight of small, decorative, silver spoons. A gentleman reached out his short, stubby hand and I could see he had on a white t-shirt and red suspenders. Yes, I had just purchased a toe ring. I will never speak of this again.
****
During a quite spell in the jewelers banking pouch, I reminisced about the events of the morning as another customer came up and purchased a charm bracelet. However, I remained in the pouch, which smelled of butterscotch candy. Finally, I was handed to a young man who had bought a novelty lighter with a bullet hole design. Just then a petite young girl in jeans and yellow t-shirt with a butterfly on it walked up.
“Wha’d ya git?” she said smiling.
“A lighter for Ben?” the young man answered as he put me and the lighter in his pocket. It wasn’t long till I learned they had just returned from their honeymoon at the beach and were looking for items to decorate their new apartment. I hadn’t been to the beach yet, but I was sure it was probably in my future to be of service to someone who would be spending some time there…perhaps on vacation. I would love to see the ocean and smell the salty air. I could only imagine the foliage of palms and oleander, vastly different from the pines and oak trees I had been catching glimpses of in my travels; and now cactus in Texas. My daydreaming was interrupted when I heard the young woman exclaim, “Oh look, Johnny! Wouldn’t this look good in the living room?” and I realized they had left the jeweler and walked further down the aisle.
“Where?”
“Right beside the couch, on the side by the hallway,” she answered. “You know that big empty spot where we were going to put an end table? Well…if we got a coffee table instead and put this ficus tree there….what do you think?”
“Is that what that is?” he asked.
“Yes, it’s a silk ficus. And it’s in really good shape. Look how full it is. I could string some flowers through it. Or, maybe those little white lights. It will be beautiful!” she was saying, sounding thrilled with the fake tree already.
“Well, I don’t know about flowers,” Johnny was saying pretending to be stern, but I could hear the humor in his voice.
She giggled and said, “Just leave the decorating to me, buttercup.”
“Okay, but no frilly, fake flowers Jenny,” he said and they both laughed.
“I’ll try,” she answered through her giggles.
“How much for this fake, and to remain flowerless tree,” he asked the seller only to spur more giggles from Jenny.
“I’ll take seven dollar for it, sonny.” an older woman croaked. “It’s one of the good kind. Never needs watering.”
Jenny said, “We’ll take it. It will be perfect for our new living room.”
“Jes buy a house, did ya?” the old woman crooned.
“Nope. But we just got married and we’re decorating our new apartment; ‘til we can buy a house, of course.”
“Newlyweds, that’s wonderful dear.”
“Here you go, and thank you,” Johnny said handing me to the elderly woman whose hand smelled of the orange she was eating that I noticed beside the chair she had been sitting in under the canopy.
“Take some advice from and old woman who’s loved the same man for 45 years?” the old woman asked. I wasn’t sure if it was a rhetorical question, or she expected an answer. But it was Jenny who spoke first.
“Uh…alright, sure,” Jenny said with a slight bit of apprehension mixed with curiosity.
“Stay best of friends…works for me and that ol’ salty dog over there,” she said still holding me in her hand and pointing to a jolly looking fellow in a blue checker shirt and straw hat showing a young man a rusty garden tool. Jenny’s husband laughed and assured her they were the best of friends already and leaned over to kiss his bride on the cheek. A soft blush rose behind Jenny’s freckles as she put her hand on his arm and lovingly leaned in next to him.
“We will,” she agreed and then to her husband she said, “I love you, Johnny.”
With that he picked up the tree and they turned to leave just as the old woman said, “Harold, will you put this in your pouch dear. I don’t want to spend it. It’s good luck taking money from newlyweds.”
“Everything is good luck to you Mabel,” Harold said smiling.
“I married you didn’t I? It’s been good luck for you ever since you handsome devil,” Mabel said teasingly.
“Maybe it was good luck for you, sweetheart.”
Before he tucked me away in an envelope inside their money pouch I saw Harold pat his wife’s hand after he helped her back to her chair. That’s when I noticed she had braces on both her legs and I wondered if she’d had polio as a child.
From inside the money pouch I could only hear muffled noises and laughter the rest of the afternoon. But both Harold and Mabel seemed in great spirits as they tal
ked and laughed with their customers; treating them all as if they were friends. Obviously, they were regular vendors because a lot of people stopped by just to say hello to the couple. I was conflicted about being retired to the money pouch, and also grateful for the temporary retreat. It had been an extremely busy day already for me as I had help purchase so many items. As I began to recap the day’s events I dozed off.
Awakened to the sound of something heavy being dropped into the back of Harold’s pickup truck I realized the money pouch I was contained in must be on the front seat in the truck cab, because all the sounds were coming from behind me. Taking their time to load everything the elderly couple was still chatting with flea market patrons. What a happy couple they were, and so much in love after all these years. Grateful my life had crossed their path I couldn’t help but wonder what great adventure was in store for me.
****
Arriving at their home the money pouch was put in a safe in the closet. Temporarily disappointed, I was hoping it wouldn’t be a long stay as I was ready to be of service again. Being in the safe, however, I couldn’t hear anything going on in the house so I let my mind wander to Mary and hoped she was alright. I could only assume she was because I never heard any sirens that night at the county fair. Then I wondered if the waitress was enjoying her ‘new’ used car. That was definitely one of my most treasured memories…saving up for her car. And the little girl who gave me as an offering in church, what a wonderful set of values she was being taught. Just as I was recalling the young man who tossed me in the wash, I was jolted out of my daydreams when the safe was opened. A strong hand grabbed the pouch and I assumed it was Harold. I wondered what day of the week it was. Seemed I had spent a few days in the safe.
“Come on, dear. We don’t want to be late for Colt’s grand opening,” Mabel said in earnest.
“I am sweet-kins, just don’t see why I have to wear a tie,” Harold said from somewhere behind me.
“Because it’ll make you handsome.”
“I’m already handsome.”
Mabel laughed, “And that’s why I married you, sugar.”
“Is that the only reason?” Harold asking teasing her.
“Yes, now get scooting!” Mabel said still laughing as I realized we were all going somewhere and it had to do with a grand opening. Of what, I wondered? And who was Colt? I supposed I’d find out soon enough, and sooner than I thought on the drive Mabel and her husband talked about Colt’s big day.
“Do you think Colt got everything ready?” Mabel asked her husband.
“If he didn’t, he’s as ready as he’s going to be. He opens for business in twenty minutes.”
What opens? Oh, my curiosity was getting the best of me and they weren’t talking about any details. It had to be a store of some sort. I just couldn’t wait till we arrived, which seemed to be happening because the car slowed down and came to a stop.
“Did you get the money pouch, Harold?”
“Right here, love.”
Just then daylight peeked in as Mabel unzipped the pouch and pulled me and some of my peers out. Whatever was happening I realized I was participating as she clasped me in a firm grip. Things were getting exciting as I paid close attention to everything I overheard. Unfortunately, I heard several voices at once as Harold and Mabel were greeted by a tall, handsome man in his mid-thirties. He had jet black, wavy hair which he wore combed to the left and just past the collar of his pressed white shirt in the back. The collar of his shirt was opened to expose a white gold chain.
“Colt didn’t wear a tie!” Harold said as soon as he hugged the younger man.
“You don’t need a tie gramps. Did Gigi make you wear it?” Colt was pretending to whisper to his grandfather. At least I knew now that they were related. I gathered they were, but, of course, I wasn’t sure until I heard the conversation.
“Well, I might as well leave it. It’d take me an hour to figure out how to take it off anyway,” Harold responded to the laughter of everyone.
“Come on, you handsome devil. Let’s go inside, I want to make the first purchase,” Mabel instructed her husband.
There was quite a crowd gathered and I could see from the front of the building it looked like a novelty store and diner all-in-one. What a creative idea! A shiny silver bus had been cut in half length wise and widened to make room for a store to be placed between the halves. How attention-grabbing. The entrance was in the bus part of the front and opened to a narrow foyer with shiny red and black décor. Harold, Mabel, Colt and several others were all walking in at once. There were two small children who I presumed belonged to Colt, and a beautiful, thirty-something redhead with an ivory complexion who carried one and held the hand of the other.
Mabel walked right up to the cash register and announced she wanted to make the first purchase.
“Gigi, you don’t have to do that,” Colt said to her, not very convincingly.
“Of course I do, I happen to have in my hot little hand money paid to us by newlyweds. And everyone knows that’s good luck, and better luck when you pass it on,” she said proudly.
“Well, alright. What’s your pleasure ma’am?”
“I’ll take one of those.”
I was trying to see what she asked for but she was holding me against the counter and I couldn’t get a clear view. This was exciting, the first purchase of the day in her great-grandson’s business.
“That’s two dollars and fifty-seven cents,” Colt said as the cash register rang up the total.
“Alright,” Mabel said as she handed me over the counter.
“Thanks Gigi, I appreciate it.”
“Well, we wanted to be your first customers. Now frame one of those George Washington’s for more good luck.”
Taking me out of his hand, he handed me to his daughter and said, “Do you think we should frame this Washington, Cheyenne?”
“Uh-huh,” said a small voice.
“Framed! Egads, would it hurt!”
THE END
Book two of this trilogy… “The Big Frame Up!” as Washington presides over Colt’s business is coming to you next! Find out what fascinating tidbits Washington learns about Colt’s customers just by hanging around.
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