The Yard Sale
“You’ve never been to a yard sale?” Mrs. Thompson’s eyebrows shot up.
It was a beautiful summer Sunday, and Charles felt the warmth on his back as he talked with Mrs. Thompson in the driveway.
He watched Sam and Kendra Nelson run up the front walkway and stop at the bin of toys.
“Actually, I haven’t.” Charles admitted.
The tables were set out in the driveway and some of the larger items spilled out onto the front lawn. Mr. Nelson was sifting through the bin of old records while keeping an eye on the kids, and Sheila, from Mrs. Adams’ homeroom, was browsing books in the bins near the garage.
“Feel free to look around then. I hope you find something you want.” Mrs. Thompson said, stepping aside. “Just ask me for a price if you find something you like.”
“There’s a lamp over here,” Anna called over from one of the tables. “Might be good for the side table in the Annex bedroom.”
Charles looked over and saw a green banker’s lamp that Anna was holding. He smiled a bit, but he rather liked the battleship light that he’d found at Finch’s. He and Todd had figured out how to rewire it with a switch and cord so they could plug it in. Anna thought it was tacky.
“That would go better in the Mansion I never use.” He laughed. Anna looked at him flatly.
“I still think you should get the lamp. It puts out a soft light. Not like that battleship light,” Anna said. “I practically need my sunglasses to read at night.”
“But Finch said it came from a World War Two battleship and has history.”
“He says everything in his shop has a story, even when it doesn’t.” Anna replied picking up a small mug and wrapping her hand around it. “Just my size,” she smiled.
“That’s how he sells so much stuff,” Todd said. “He sells the story, not the item.”
“I liked the story.” Charles looked at Anna slightly sheepishly.
“Of course you would,” she nodded. “But you still need a softer lamp in the bedroom.”
“Or you could just keep both on the side table.” Todd said.
Anna and Charles looked at him flatly.
Kelly saw the trio and waved as she walked by. “Hey guys!” She called. Charles vaguely knew that she was a fisherman’s daughter. Anna was sure that she was trying to date Charles and had said so a couple weeks back. Charles had shook his head to the idea. “Why’d any girl want to date me? I’m a boarding school dropout who chose public school,” he’d said at the time. Anna had strong opinions.
He browsed the tables slowly. There were plenty of things that were worth looking at. Much more that didn’t interest him at all, but then he saw it.
Charles picked up a porcelain chicken from one of the tables near the mailbox. He looked it over, and found it had a bottom tray. “A butter dish,” he said with a smile.
“Uh-oh.” Anna whispered to Todd. “He found something he likes.”
Todd chuckled and shook his head.
“May I ask how much this is?” Charles asked Mrs. Thompson.
“My, you’re polite.” Mrs. Thompson smiled. ” For you, dear? Fifty cents.”
She laughed and leaned in like she was telling him a secret. “If you were a tourist, I’d say ten dollars.”
Charles laughed and pulled out his wallet. Anna looked over as he opened it and saw the four one hundred dollar bills. Charles looked up, “Um, do you have change for a hundred?”
“I’ll get that.” Anna exhaled, mock-rolling her eyes. She pulled a handful of change from her pocket. “You don’t come to an East Bay yard sale with big bills, moneybags.” She smiled.
Charles put his wallet away.
Mel’s Over Easy
The “Reserved” card that Todd had written on an index card months ago was tucked behind the napkin dispenser, not sitting in its usual spot on top of it.
Anna and Todd had “claimed” the last booth at the back of the diner by the bathrooms years ago, and when Charles moved into the Observatory’s Annex on the west hill, the three of them met at this very booth on a Saturday in July.
“I was busy this morning.” Mel shrugged. “Line out the door.” She put coffee down.
“The usual?” She asked almost without stopping. The trio nodded.
“I can’t believe you purchased a butter dish,” Todd said. “What are you going to do with it?”
Anna turned to him with a deadpan look on her face. Charles smiled.
“I just like the chicken.” He said holding it up. “I guess I’ll put some butter into it.”
“You need to get butter first,” Anna said. “All you have is Bagels and Cream Cheese in your fridge. I looked this morning.”
“Might need to stop by Pier Street Market after this then,” Charles said.
“Hold on. I got this.” Mel beelined by with an order pad in one hand, swiping the chicken dish from Charles. “I’ll be right back.”
The trio watched her disappear into the kitchen. Todd’s mouth was kind of dropped open. Anna reached over and closed it for him.
A few minutes later, she came back with a tray held up and their order on it. In the center of the tray, Charles’s newly acquired butter dish sat.
“No chickens were harmed in the filling of this dish.” Mel unloaded the food, then set the chicken down on the table in front of Charles.
Charles lifted the top to see a mound of butter inside.
“Today’s Tawnyberry Farms hand-churned butter. Jacob dropped it off this morning.” Mel smiled. “I couldn’t stand to see the butter dish empty.”
“Thank you.” Charles said spreading some butter on a roll, but Mel was clear across the diner taking a tourist table’s order.