A Four Letter Word You Should Know
It's not what you're thinking.
When you work in a gift store you have this bird’s eye or panoramic view of how a shopper sees and feels about their shopping experience. I have written before about my experiences working in a gift shop. I had so many stories I wrote twice. It’s a good thing I happen to like people a lot. I like seeing them happy to shop. I also like hearing their stories. When you work in a museum store (like I do now) you will definitely hear stories. Museums push inner buttons and stir up long held memories. So who better than the shopkeeper to share your experience. I also think I have a sign on my forehead that says “you’re safe to talk”.
Jana and Paul* walked in on Saturday filled with wonder in their countenances. They were just so happy to be on their trip and to see the museum. They narrated their journeys from the mundane to the sublime as they shopped, from the statuette to the teddy bear.
They were “purchasing-machines”. We chatted about nothing really, then Jana and Paul went along on their journey.
On Sunday morning bright and early Jana and Paul returned. Jana was wearing her museum dangly earrings, her museum shirt and museum jacket and Paul went straight for the book he’d been thinking of since he’d left the day before. Again they narrated and chatted as they browsed. A tiger dressed as an aviator with glasses and scarf was picked up and cuddled and would surely be going home. Another statuette purchased among a variety of memorabilia.
I don’t know how the conversation began, (I rarely remember how I get into these moments… must be that sign on my forehead)… OH! I do remember! I asked them where they were from.
“Ft. Worth.”
And that’s how it began. Because I grew up in Ft. Worth. So we talked about high schools. Talking about high schools led Jana down the rabbit hole of bumping into old high school classmates. There was a particular one that had made an impression on Jana, for this woman, I’ll call her Sybil, was the popular girl … the one who “bullied” her.
Jana relayed how Sybil was well-to-do and had all the friends. Sybil wasn’t very nice to Jana in high school.
Sybil, as Jana reflected pointedly, wasn’t looking too great these days. Sybil shared unsolicited information about living on the street because she’d “gotten into heroin”.
I could see on Jana’s face the expression of a long-awaited recompense. Jana began to tell me she’d received her degree in forensic psychology of which she was enormously proud.
I suppose I should share with you that Jana and Paul were simple, humble folk. There really wasn’t a shred of “well-heeled” sophistication about them. I could see into the past Jana’s adolescent gawkiness and Paul’s shyness, perhaps that he’d grown out of little more now, but then also, still, his quietude and lack of the charisma that the cool jocks had. It’s actually what I liked about them. They were kind. They were unadorned. She was quirky. He was humble. They were happy.
They were who they were.
Back to Jana and her bachelors.
Jana was now on route to obtaining her PhD. She told me her big sister wanted one, too, but didn’t think she could afford it. Jana encouraged her and now they are racing each other to the finish line. (For “now this is personal!” her sister teased.)
Paul shared that they get “two trips” (he held up two fingers) “to Arizona” because of Jana’s studies. I shared how much I liked Arizona when I visited, and we all commiserated about the heat there.
Some people never leave their front porch or think they’ll never get the chance. Arizona is a mighty jump for some. Oh, how I loved Paul and Jana for their travels and dreams.
Jana acted out a mini play for me when she spoke of poor Sybil, who clearly hadn’t gone the way of bachelors, PhD’s and museum jaunts. Jana unwittingly relayed her inner wounds from high school trauma.
Then Paul said something that stopped me….