Confessions of a Curious Bookseller(55)
All I can think about is having to do this all over again tomorrow: another crowd of disappointed rich people, another multitude of discounted books and refunds. I can’t help but hear my father’s nefarious laughter in the distance. I know I made a mess of things, but it is too late now. It’s too late. Maybe I should have asked for help, but that would have been harder than any of this. There isn’t a greater sense of loneliness than when you know you’re making a mistake and you still don’t ask for help. And then when it’s been made and everything falls apart, and you’re standing there in the ruins of your decisions, you either give up or you keep going. I have learned that I am the kind of leader that keeps going. In some instances, that must be an admirable quality, right?
I am very frightened that one of my guests made off with Butterscotch out of spite. Or perhaps they let him run out the front door? He has disappeared in the past, and I have found him tucked into the bookshelves or sleeping under the bed—but I have never held an event like this. He is not used to this kind of crowd. I will have to take some pills because I just cannot sleep tonight. This Tuesday I am supposed to go on a date with one of my contacts on Philly Love Finder, but I don’t know if I can with Butterscotch missing.
Money is once again a problem, but I think that goes without saying. Angela suggested getting a credit card, but after watching my father max out his credit cards, I fear that I may do the same. I have one credit card that I use to buy cat food and kitty litter, and I pay it off promptly every month. It has helped my credit, which is a positive thing, but never will I use it for anything so great as an event, the mortgage, or payroll. When I was very young, I witnessed my father dragging out my mother’s hutch, which was an heirloom from her family going back a few generations. He set it on the lawn, and it was gone in about ten minutes. I believe he got $500 for it, enough to put a small dent in his credit card debt. He then broke the lock on our front door and called the police. When Mother came home, he told her burglars came in and took the hutch and some of the cash he had out on the table. Little did he know, I was watching the entire thing from upstairs. When the cops asked me where I was, I told them I was upstairs sleeping and didn’t hear anything. Father said he was outside mowing. The story didn’t exactly add up, and the cops had a hard time buying that burglars would walk in on a sunny Saturday and steal an old hutch while the man of the house was home working in the backyard. However, my father has a flare for the theatrical, and he expertly turned red and embarrassed by the emasculation of having been robbed in broad daylight. If I had been more clever, I may have been able to use my knowledge as blackmail against him. I suppose I still could; however, he is harmless these days, like a crocodile that’s lost its teeth, and I am not such a terrible person as to do that to my father, as awful as he is and was.
From: Mark Nilsen
Sent: Sat, Feb 9, 2019 at 4:09 PM
To: Fawn Birchill
Subject: Thank you for the business!
Hi Fawn,
Just want to say thanks for all the customers you sent over to my store after your event. It was moving to see such an influx of people still willing to buy and donate after they had probably spent a lot at your place.
I am overwhelmed by the amount of money we made and by the number of books donated. What a great neighborhood we share.
I hope your event was as successful as mine.
Best wishes,
Mark
From: Fawn Birchill
Sent: Sat, Feb 9, 2019 at 7:54 PM
To: Mark Nilsen
Re: Thank you for the business!
Dear Mark,
Oh, the pleasure was all mine! Great events all around, for sure! I, too, am overwhelmed by the success we had over here. And now, I’m just super exhausted, ha ha!
And to think we have to do it all over again tonight! Must find coffee!!
Best wishes,
Fawn, Owner, The Curious Cat Book Emporium (a The Adventures of Tom Sawyer specialist store)
PSB Classifieds
Antique Wingback Chair in Good Shape ($400)
Bold, barely used, with a story to tell—take this chair home and live like royalty.
Original upholstery
Some wear on the feet
Orange with a green flower design
<LOCATED IN WEST PHILADELPHIA>
PSB Classifieds
Coffee Table for Sale! ($40)
Hey, Don Draper called. He wants his coffee table back!
From the 1950s. Only two coffee-stain rings! Classy yet modern. Live in style.
<LOCATED IN WEST PHILADELPHIA>
PSB Classifieds
VHS Tapes!! ($5 Each)
These rare tapes are going fast! All work just fine (I played all of them through to the end to make sure). Tapes include but are not limited to:
Storyteller Café—the complete set
The 700 Club (good quality!)
Rigoletto
Sister Act
Milton Berle, the Second Time Around
Fight Club
Touched by an Angel reruns (good quality!)
Richard Simmons’s Stretchin’ to the Classics, Tonin’ to the Oldies, Sit Tight, and more!
. . . and much, much, MUCH more!!!
<LOCATED IN WEST PHILADELPHIA>
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MISSING MY BELOVED CAT
Nine-year-old tan cat that sometimes answers to “Butterscotch” went missing February 8. He is sweet, kind, and usually bears the expression of a lost little lamb (even when not lost). He is declawed, so he will not scratch you if you pick him up. He wears a white flea collar. He really likes raw tuna, so if everyone who reads this puts a plate out tonight, one of you may draw him in. Call me if so.