Another day at the store:

You know people hide things at the store. Well they do at mine anyway. Perhaps its because of the fact that its an antiques and book store or maybe because its a cool and somewhat mysterious place.  Mostly its books that are hidden.  I guess they plan on coming back and they don't want that $4.00 book to be gone when they get back.  I kind of understand that, hell I've done it.  But more often, they never come back. Thereby, I don't get the sale from some other customer. Books, and I have a lot of them, are one thing.  Its the other things that I get puzzled over. You know, if you'd just ask me, I'll gladly hold back an item for a day or so.   I will not do what one gent requested, who asked me to hold a Maxfield Parrish print for him until next year, AND this was in the spring.  Yeah that was funny, but back to hiding things.

I've found plates, cups and saucers, figurines, letter openers and other smalls tucked away.  I think that some people have other motives, motives that are, shall we say, not  honest.  When they do come back, I think they expect a "five finger discount."Some hidden objects I love / hate to find are   drawer pulls, decanter stoppers, furniture keys and once, when I carried music CD's and tapes, a whole little collection of someone's favorite titles. These types of things that are hidden or that later disappear, are terribly expensive to loose or replace. Keys and eye glasses are another thing that gets left behind.  But as a rule they only last for the day, then someone comes racing in or crawls in with a hang dog look on their faces, asking for mislaid keys or eye wear.

Now, here is the nasty list.  I find lots of used tissues dropped behind books and stuffed into planters.  Once I found an unused but open condom in a vase. What were they planning?  Lots of cigarette butts. Being I have a lot of paper that is scary!  I assume that the actual consumption of said smoke took place in the bathroom.   But if dad or grandma can't kick the habit, even though everyone thinks they did, why not flush it or damp it and put in the trash can.  Damn, don't just grind it out and toss it into some paper.  I once found a syringe under a chest of drawers.  Its little cap was on but it had been used.  I assume that it was from a diabetic person, but the thoughts of it being stuck in a stranger was, shall we say, creepy.

Years and years ago I was a drop center for a young couple. She would leave a note in a book, way back in the book rooms. I just happened to find it one afternoon in a book of, you guessed it, poetry.  Later he would come and pick it up and leave one in its place. I never could figure out who it was.  But it was very Romeo and Juliet like wasn't it?  I guess that it didn't work out as the letters stopped coming. I never bothered the letters when I saw them and enjoyed reading them. They were gushy and sweet, with the flavor of innocent youth. Hey, they were left in my store, so I felt I could do what I wanted!