Confessions of a Curious Bookseller(49)
I will say that I appreciated him purchasing The Adventures of Tom Sawyer but couldn’t help but see this as an attempt to case the place for more ideas he could steal from us. Though he is welcome, please watch him carefully. I don’t trust him and find it rather suiting that he came in dressed as a pirate.
Thank you all,
Fawn, Owner
P.S. Who left the giant bag of cat food by the front counter?
From: Angela Washington
Sent: Fri, Feb 1, 2019 at 9:12 PM
To: Fawn Birchill, Staff
Re: Thank you for dressing up
He stole more than ideas. I saw like five people go over to his store after the event.
—A
From: Fawn Birchill
Sent: Fri, Feb 1, 2019 at 10:09 PM
To: Staff
Re: Thank you for dressing up
Angela,
Basically what you are saying is that this entire day was nothing but a clever way for the Grumpy Mug to gain more customers. Fantastic. Thank you for letting me know.
Fawn, Owner
From: Sam Asimov
Sent: Fri, Feb 1, 2019 at 10:15 PM
To: Fawn Birchill, Staff
Re: Thank you for dressing up
Hi Fawn,
Mark left that bag. I think Kyle told him we feed the alley cats, and he was pretty moved by that so he brought some stuff over. I don’t think he wanted to make a big thing out of it, so he just left it by the front and asked that we use it.
Sam
From: Fawn Birchill
Sent: Fri, Feb 1, 2019 at 11:13 PM
To: Mark Nilsen
Subject: Cat food
Mark,
I didn’t realize or notice that you had left the giant bag of cat food by the front register. What a thoughtful thing to think of all the cats we feed. It kind of makes up for all the customers you stole from me today.
I’ve been feeding the alley cats for about twenty years, and the price of cat food has only skyrocketed. Every little bit helps, so the kitties and I thank you much.
Best,
Fawn
From: Florence Eakins
Sent: Sat, Feb 2, 2019 at 9:18 AM
To: Fawn Birchill
Re: Sorry
Hi Fawn,
Thanks for the email. Sorry it took me a while to reply. Life has been hectic here. I really do wish we could have gotten you that microwave. Maybe next Christmas and all Christmases following, we adults should just skip gifts?
Flo
February 2, 2019
I fear that I will need to let one of my staff go.
I fear that I have made a terrible mistake with the advertisements for the Mark Twain event. I am beginning to sell tickets, but I am unable to deposit the money in my account for fear that the estate won’t accept my offer. I did say the tickets were nonrefundable, but I am suffering from some unexpected bouts of guilt and regret. I need the money desperately, and what is fifteen dollars to one person? Surely with this influx of money, I may not have to fire one of my employees . . .
Jane just called me and asked that I come over to pick something up that she dropped. When I came in, I found her struggling and reaching for it with a cane. It was that box of Valentine’s chocolates, still unopened. So not only did I pick it up, but I opened it for her and she was very pleased. The chocolates looked fine even though it’s hard to tell how old they are. Those drugstore chocolates are incredibly resilient—ironically, perhaps more so than most relationships.
Anyway, I helped her back into her chair and as I started to move away, she gripped me by the arm and looked deep into my eyes. She said, “You poor, poor thing.”
“I’m not poor,” I said. “I’m fine. I’m wonderful.” I hoped she didn’t detect the catch in my voice. Her eyes were so kind, but I don’t appreciate being pitied, even if the person means well. Then she said the most extraordinary thing.
She looked around her small apartment and said, “I have so much. So many things I don’t use anymore. If certain things were to go missing from here, I probably wouldn’t even notice.” She put a chocolate in her mouth and continued to gaze around the room. “It’s so nice,” she said, “when you have reached the point where you can let things go.”
“Thank you, Jane,” I said. I think I knew what she meant.
“For what?” she said, her mouth packed with chocolate.
I have decided that I will do everything I can not to let any of my staff go. It frightens me to think that I could be alone in this drafty place with no one to speak to, for if one goes, the two remaining may band together and quit. And as much as I complain about them, I must admit that I not only enjoy their company but I need it. In all my years running this store, I’ve never had a staff of less than four, including myself, but none of them have stayed long. And each time they leave, it hurts because I get so attached and I can’t help but take it personally even though I know I shouldn’t. What am I doing wrong? I honestly want to know what I’m doing wrong.
From: Fawn Birchill
Sent: Sun, Feb 3, 2019 at 10:20 PM
To: Schuylkill Photo
Subject: Thank you!
Dear Schuylkill Photo,
Thank you for the enjoyable time at your photo studio and for the warm hospitality I received therein. The photos themselves were quite acceptable for what I needed; however, I was hoping that you could have done something about hiding my double chin. I know you will say, “What double chin?” And though it may be quite hard for others to notice, it stands out to me. Perhaps you can fix it with your computer program?