“Old or new?” He picked up a receipt book to note down the purchase.
“We would prefer old, but they’re far too expensive. New it would have to be merely because of the quantity we’re looking for.”
“Such a shame really because I would have preferred old to match the style of the café.” Lena walked over and joined them at the counter. “Would you like me to start wrapping and boxing the dinner service?”
“What, wrap? Oh yes. Hang on.” He scurried out the back of the shop and came back with an empty cardboard box in his hand a wad of white butchers paper, thrusting them in Lena’s direction. “I’ve got more out back.” He turned to Sofia. “Now, what… I mean how many chairs did you say you were after?”
“Actually, that’s Lena’s department. What do you think, bella, will about forty do for now?” She ignored the coughing fit coming from the man behind the counter.
For a start, yes. “Yes, that would be fine. It’s just the price, Mama, that scares me.” She glanced again at the old chairs hanging from the ceiling and cast her gaze around the shop. There had to be almost that many here and she didn’t mind odd chairs so long as they were all old. These are what I want. They’d be perfect.
“Well, now. I can put you onto new chairs from the wholesaler, let me get you a price.” He dragged an old tattered book from under the counter and licked his thumb before opening it. After a few moments he turned it toward Sofia and stabbed the page with his finger. “That what you’re after?”
Lena put down the plate she was wrapping and walked over, leaning on her hand on her mother’s shoulder as she glanced at the chair he was showing them. They were ugly and looked uncomfortable. “I guess that would do the job. How much?” No way were they going in the restaurant.
He took a stub of pencil from behind his ear and a small notebook from beside the register and jotted down some figures. After crossing out the lot and starting again he turned the page around to show them. “Sixty five dollars each if you take forty of them.”
Not going to work. “That’s a bit more than I wanted to pay.” Lena looked him in the eye.
“Don’t go thinking I can drop the price, girly, I don’t make much on the damned things anyway. My profit is only on stuff in this shop here.” He slapped the notebook on his counter. “Don’t know why people even want this bloody mass produced stuff anyway. No character, none at all.”
Now you’re thinking my way. “I totally agree. Sad thing is, you’d probably want too much for your chairs.” Let me leave that one with you. Lena looked above her head at the chairs before she walked back to the dinner set and kept wrapping, leaving her words to hang in the air.
The old man coughed and rubbed his hand over his whiskered chin. “Forty you say?”
Got ya. “That’s right.” Lena kept packing.
“You’re going to be the death of me, you know that? How about I sell you them for, say fifty-five dollars each?”
“Would you deliver them for that?” Sofia smiled at him. “I mean to say, a businessman like you who does such a great trade in house lots must have a truck available to him.”
“You drive a hard bargain lady.” He held out his hand. “Done. But can you wait til tomorrow for them?”
“I think that will be quite acceptable.” Sofia held out her credit card.
“No, Mama, I want to pay for those myself. Please.” They’re in the budget, just.
“No, bella, it is our treat. I will hear no more about it. Mr. Rivers.”
“Call me Jack.” He took her card and quickly swiped it before Lena could make Sofia take it back.
“Mr. Rivers is such a gentlemen, isn’t he? Let me write down our address so you know where to come tomorrow.” She took a pen from the old chipped cup by the register and a strip of paper from underneath it and wrote down the address of the dairy.
He glanced over at Lena wrapping the china. “You can leave the dinner setting. I’ll bring that tomorrow with the chairs if you want.”
May as well give in gracefully. What a great start though. “Thanks Mr. Rivers, I appreciate it. You’ll have to drop by once the café is open for a meal, on the house of course.” Lena placed the wrapped plate in the box and left the rest for the shopkeeper.
“Well now, that’s mighty kind of you. Don’t mind if I do.” He blushed under the grey whiskers and Lena held out her hand to shake his.
He was a sweetie under all the gruff bluster. “Thanks so much for all your help.” She slipped her hand through her mother’s arm and walked her out of the store. Once they were on the sidewalk, Lena turned on her. Now to sort out the money side of things. “That was so not what I wanted to happen, Mama. I was going to pay for it all.”
Sofia brushed her protests aside. “Please don’t make a fuss, bella. It is what we wanted to do. Don’t go upsetting your father by complaining to him either. Just take it in the spirit it was given and enjoy what is your future.” She patted Lena’s cheek before giving her a resounding hug. “Now I need coffee, your shout.”
Why are my parents so good to me? “Thank you, Mama, very, very much. Let’s go and see Gail then.”
When they were seated with coffee and Lena’s mud cake, Gail came over with a mug of coffee for herself and sat down, leaving the counter with one of her girls in charge. “So,
