some kinda crowd, tonight,” Cole said.
“Them Chicago boys outdid theirselves.”
“A good haul, huh ?”
“Yeah, buddy.” One of the men commented solemnly.
“Well, I guess we’ll see ya’ll inside.”
Cole guided Josie through a side door. Once inside, she stood for a second letting her eyes adjust to the dim lighting.
“Come on,” he urged. “All the good seats are just about taken.”
Surely he used the word “seats” loosely. There were some ancient folding chairs set up in the back. Some metal, some with wooden bottoms. Like Cole, most of the folks sitting up front had brought an assortment of lawn furniture. Others had put up handmade signs on a number of chairs that read “reserved.”
At the front of the room, there was the most awful tangle of what looked like the biggest garage sale she’d ever seen—times twenty.
“What is this place? A flea market?”
“No. It’s an auction house.”
“You’re kidding.”
Cole shook his head. “Here we go.” They stopped at a row near the front and he set their chairs up.
“Hi-dee, Cole.”
“Hey, Thelma Lou. Charlie.”
“How do,” Charlie said, then nodded at Josie.
“Hello,” Josie said. Thelma Lou? Good Lord, we’ve taken a wrong turn and landed in Mayberry.
“Oh, this here’s Josie Allen. Josie, this is Charlie and Thelma Lou.”
“How do you do,” Josie said.
“I do just fine, thanks,” the man named Charlie said.
“Looks like a good spread,” Cole commented, tipping his head toward the assembled junk.
“Oh sure,” Charlie agreed. “Better get at it before they start.”
“Yep,” Cole agreed.
Josie had no idea what they were talking about. Get at it?
Cole took the cooler from her, set it between the chairs, then grabbed her hand and said, “Come on.”
“Where are we going? I thought we were late.”
“We gotta get signed in and check everything out.”
“Oh. Okay.”
Charlie just shook his head. “First timer?”
“Yeah. But she’s a quick learner.” To Josie, he said, “Let’s go.”
He laced his fingers with hers and led her to the front of the room. A lady who sat behind a card table with a clipboard greeted them. “Hey, Cole. Ma’am.”
“Hey, Mary Jane.”
“You need one or two paddles?”
“Just one.”
“Are they for bidding?” Josie asked.
Cole nodded.
Mary Jane smiled. “First timer?”
“Yep.” Cole pulled out a credit card and handed it to Mary Jane.
Okay. Josie was getting tired of being talked about as if she weren’t there. She was also getting tired of the patronizing comments about her ignorance of how things worked.
“Hope you got plenty of money on this,” the lady chuckled around her cigarette, ash falling from the end, as she ran an imprint of Cole’s card.
Cole laughed, too. “Yep. I’m guessin’ she’ll be an old hand at it in no time flat.” He put his card back in his wallet and handed Josie the paddle. “Here you go.”
“Glad to have you, miss,” Mary Jane said. To Cole she said, “You better give her a limit.”
Had she actually winked at him?
“What was that about? Josie asked as they walked away.
“Oh, don’t think nothin’ of it. Just good-natured ribbing. It’s her way of welcoming you. You know, she wants you to feel like you fit in.”
“Are you saying I don’t fit in?”
“No, I just meant it’s your first time, and Mary Jane was joking around to make you feel welcome.”
Could have fooled her, but she’d keep an open mind. She was out of her element, after all. These people probably wouldn’t have any idea how to organize books using the Dewey Decimal System. Well, at least most of them.
“Man . . .” Josie said. They were standing in the middle of the world’s biggest garage sale, no doubt about it. Up close, it was almost claustrophobic. Things were stacked up everywhere. Absolutely everything imaginable.
“Don’t worry. There’s a method to it.”
“How could there possibly be?”
“Trust
“Them Chicago boys outdid theirselves.”
“A good haul, huh ?”
“Yeah, buddy.” One of the men commented solemnly.
“Well, I guess we’ll see ya’ll inside.”
Cole guided Josie through a side door. Once inside, she stood for a second letting her eyes adjust to the dim lighting.
“Come on,” he urged. “All the good seats are just about taken.”
Surely he used the word “seats” loosely. There were some ancient folding chairs set up in the back. Some metal, some with wooden bottoms. Like Cole, most of the folks sitting up front had brought an assortment of lawn furniture. Others had put up handmade signs on a number of chairs that read “reserved.”
At the front of the room, there was the most awful tangle of what looked like the biggest garage sale she’d ever seen—times twenty.
“What is this place? A flea market?”
“No. It’s an auction house.”
“You’re kidding.”
Cole shook his head. “Here we go.” They stopped at a row near the front and he set their chairs up.
“Hi-dee, Cole.”
“Hey, Thelma Lou. Charlie.”
“How do,” Charlie said, then nodded at Josie.
“Hello,” Josie said. Thelma Lou? Good Lord, we’ve taken a wrong turn and landed in Mayberry.
“Oh, this here’s Josie Allen. Josie, this is Charlie and Thelma Lou.”
“How do you do,” Josie said.
“I do just fine, thanks,” the man named Charlie said.
“Looks like a good spread,” Cole commented, tipping his head toward the assembled junk.
“Oh sure,” Charlie agreed. “Better get at it before they start.”
“Yep,” Cole agreed.
Josie had no idea what they were talking about. Get at it?
Cole took the cooler from her, set it between the chairs, then grabbed her hand and said, “Come on.”
“Where are we going? I thought we were late.”
“We gotta get signed in and check everything out.”
“Oh. Okay.”
Charlie just shook his head. “First timer?”
“Yeah. But she’s a quick learner.” To Josie, he said, “Let’s go.”
He laced his fingers with hers and led her to the front of the room. A lady who sat behind a card table with a clipboard greeted them. “Hey, Cole. Ma’am.”
“Hey, Mary Jane.”
“You need one or two paddles?”
“Just one.”
“Are they for bidding?” Josie asked.
Cole nodded.
Mary Jane smiled. “First timer?”
“Yep.” Cole pulled out a credit card and handed it to Mary Jane.
Okay. Josie was getting tired of being talked about as if she weren’t there. She was also getting tired of the patronizing comments about her ignorance of how things worked.
“Hope you got plenty of money on this,” the lady chuckled around her cigarette, ash falling from the end, as she ran an imprint of Cole’s card.
Cole laughed, too. “Yep. I’m guessin’ she’ll be an old hand at it in no time flat.” He put his card back in his wallet and handed Josie the paddle. “Here you go.”
“Glad to have you, miss,” Mary Jane said. To Cole she said, “You better give her a limit.”
Had she actually winked at him?
“What was that about? Josie asked as they walked away.
“Oh, don’t think nothin’ of it. Just good-natured ribbing. It’s her way of welcoming you. You know, she wants you to feel like you fit in.”
“Are you saying I don’t fit in?”
“No, I just meant it’s your first time, and Mary Jane was joking around to make you feel welcome.”
Could have fooled her, but she’d keep an open mind. She was out of her element, after all. These people probably wouldn’t have any idea how to organize books using the Dewey Decimal System. Well, at least most of them.
“Man . . .” Josie said. They were standing in the middle of the world’s biggest garage sale, no doubt about it. Up close, it was almost claustrophobic. Things were stacked up everywhere. Absolutely everything imaginable.
“Don’t worry. There’s a method to it.”
“How could there possibly be?”
“Trust
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