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There are a few hard and fast rules in most antique shops, probably the most well know of which being ‘You break, you buy.’ It was one of those rules Arthur followed devoutly, which is precisely why he never spoke to the pretty young clerk in the little corner shop. Quite frankly, she looked like she was made of a special sort of glass, a trinket from the collection of Queen Victoria. He would never purposefully say something cruel to her, but somehow wrong things always tumbled from his mouth; whatever formed in his brain somewhere along the line to his throat, his words twisted into some sort of monstrous waterfall of failure.
However, not touching did not preclude not looking. That was something he could do very well, angling himself in a specific way while looking at a teapot while glancing at her indirectly. It almost felt like some sort of perverted game, watching her talk to another customer out of the corner of his eye, imagining what he would say to her in response. "Yes, we found that teapot in a quaint little village near Bern, isn't it lovely?" "Well, how charming. Would you want to use it in a tea party with me?"
He was never very good at finding proper responses. To be quite honest, he wasn't fond of the teapot she placing back on the bureau after the old biddy was distracted by some other shiny object, but he could put up with it if she liked it so much. Certainly, though, not for Sunday tea. It wasn't proper enough for that.
Perhaps because he was watching it only so vaguely, Arthur was able to notice that the teapot was just slightly off of the dresser--the fragile little clerk, distracted by the old biddy's questions about some hat or other, let go of it a little too soon. Fortunately, he was close enough to reach out a hand to catch and steady it, pulling it back up and placing it back on the bureau. The girl had barely enough to gasp before he saved the teapot, and she smiled at him with a sort of gratitude Arthur thought had been lost with the old Victor radio console hidden in the corner of the shop.
He couldn't help but wonder--you break, you buy was simple enough to understand, but what if it was the other way around? What sort of consequence would result for saving? He wasn't entirely certain, but really, if he imagined just right, then he could see that teapot in his home, being used for a nice outdoor tea. It was the sort of thin that was nice enough to show guests, but not the sort of thing that would be missed if by happenstance if the table was knocked over by the family dog. Of course, she would miss it, but Arthur was sure that he could find something better to amuse her in no time. It'd be the advantage of helping run a little antique shop with his little clerk wife, of course.
However, not touching did not preclude not looking. That was something he could do very well, angling himself in a specific way while looking at a teapot while glancing at her indirectly. It almost felt like some sort of perverted game, watching her talk to another customer out of the corner of his eye, imagining what he would say to her in response. "Yes, we found that teapot in a quaint little village near Bern, isn't it lovely?" "Well, how charming. Would you want to use it in a tea party with me?"
He was never very good at finding proper responses. To be quite honest, he wasn't fond of the teapot she placing back on the bureau after the old biddy was distracted by some other shiny object, but he could put up with it if she liked it so much. Certainly, though, not for Sunday tea. It wasn't proper enough for that.
Perhaps because he was watching it only so vaguely, Arthur was able to notice that the teapot was just slightly off of the dresser--the fragile little clerk, distracted by the old biddy's questions about some hat or other, let go of it a little too soon. Fortunately, he was close enough to reach out a hand to catch and steady it, pulling it back up and placing it back on the bureau. The girl had barely enough to gasp before he saved the teapot, and she smiled at him with a sort of gratitude Arthur thought had been lost with the old Victor radio console hidden in the corner of the shop.
He couldn't help but wonder--you break, you buy was simple enough to understand, but what if it was the other way around? What sort of consequence would result for saving? He wasn't entirely certain, but really, if he imagined just right, then he could see that teapot in his home, being used for a nice outdoor tea. It was the sort of thin that was nice enough to show guests, but not the sort of thing that would be missed if by happenstance if the table was knocked over by the family dog. Of course, she would miss it, but Arthur was sure that he could find something better to amuse her in no time. It'd be the advantage of helping run a little antique shop with his little clerk wife, of course.