The grey sky did nothing to brighten the dull street as she
walked. Rundown shops tried to glitter
with old and worn Christmas decorations, some fared better than others, but the
huge glass balls hanging from droopy green garland and lights with burned out
bulbs told her that this might not lead her any closer to her goal. She needed that one gift that would show her
love and appreciation for her best friend, her lover, her husband.
Then she noticed there was one shop that wasn’t trying so
hard, the windows were decorated but they were simple and well maintained. The shop looked like it had been there
forever, but she didn’t recall ever seeing it before, even though she had
walked this street before, mostly during the day, and never in this type of
need.
The sign above the door read “The Window Shoppe”. What would her husband do with a window she
thought as she came even with the front door, but something pulled at her,
urged her to step inside, out of the bustle, out of the cold. Even for just a moment to get warm.
What she saw as she opened the door and let herself in was
even more surprising. The tinkle of a
bell on the door announced her arrival, but there were no pushy salesmen
rushing toward her trying to make that final sale to earn their Christmas bonus
or parents fighting over toys their children didn’t need. No, what she saw was windows lovingly mounted
on stands. Some had rocking chairs in
front of them like they were waiting for a grandmother to come and watch her
grandchildren play in the yard. Other
had porch swings, couches or comfy chairs.
No two looked the same.
An older man with a spray bottle and a towel was busy
cleaning several of the windows, turned at the sound of the bell over the door
and smiled. He welcomed her in with a
wave of his hand, “Feel free to look all you want” he said “Let me know if you
have any questions.” Then he turned and
went back to his work.
She thanked the man, and was about to turn and leave, “This
is not where I will find anything I need”, she said to herself. But as she turned something caught her
eye. Something from her memory stirred,
the chair looked so familiar. As she
moved forward the chair looked more and more inviting. “I have been on my feet all day”, she
thought, “I could sit for just a bit”.
The chair enfolded her almost like a hug.
To be continued
