Overkill // Joseph Quinn

30

make sure to read the very very last part of this chapter for a little explanation for some things!!! (if ur interested)

also happy 4k!

There's been some sort of shift in Joseph since last night. We didn't address anything from the party or what Jo had said since then, but he hasn't acted weird or distant like I thought. It makes me think I overreacted and took everything too seriously about it, because right now he seems completely normal if not in the best mood I've seen him in.

We decided to go to George's house which isn't far from the shop he had on the street. I still wanted to drive there in case I wanted a lot more stuff than I planned, which I have a feeling will be the case. I'm excited to show him the ring which was from him.

"Ready?" Joseph asks while taking my hand into his and leading me to the door.

The house is really old-fashioned, which completely matches George's style of collectors items. All of his stuff was vintage so it makes sense that he lives in a home with the same qualities. It's surrounding by various plants and trees and pretty far away from other homes in the area. I soon notice a barn-type of structure a little behind the home that was surrounded by some of the things I saw at his shop. From old wooden signs with cute sayings to tables and other furnishing items. I'm guessing most of the stuff is in there.

"Oh, it's so good to see you! I'm glad you guys decided to come take a look at everything." George welcomes us into his home that did not disappoint. The decor was to die for and it was the perfect balance of clutter and organization. It reminds me a lot of my apartment but with more modern touches.

"It's part of my birthday present, actually. As well as this beautiful piece that came from you." I lift my hand to show George the ring and his eyes brighten with joy. His hand meets the point of his chest where his heart it and gleams over the ring.

"I was excited for him to give this to you, it belonged to a great ancestor of mine that made jewelry. I have many more pieces of jewelry if you're interested."

And so he led us to the barn that I was hoping to be the storage area. The inside seemed almost finished into another home but was crowded with stacked boxes and different objects from history. There's even a little workshop area that he explained was how he kept up with the quality of some of the jewelry and other delicate pieces. He showed us different areas of the space where he organized his collections by category.

"Here's the section I think you'll like most." He smiles big as he presents the cases on cases of jewelry he has. My eyes nearly bulge out of my head and my jaw drops.

"How long have you been collecting stuff like this. Seems like you have a whole life's worth of antiques." Joseph asks while skimming over the barn.

George takes a moment to look around the area at his work and sighs. "Man, since I could even remember. My parents did the same thing as me. Once my mother passed, my father didn't really have any use for the stuff they collected over the years. He passed it down to me when I wasn't interested, sold most of it."

We all end up taking a seat while George pretty much tells us his life story. Hearing history being lived out by someone right in front of me is always so fascinating. Hearing how different times were in different circumstances, and being able to hear personal stories about it.

"I ended up figuring out the beauty of collecting. I'd go to yard sales, thrifting stores, antique shops; about every place you can think of. When I met my wife, we shared the same interests in collecting. So we did it together. A lot of this stuff belonged to her at one point, but now I'm at the age where I don't have nobody to lend it down to." He explains deeper into his story and my heart begins to weigh more and more. That's why he's trying to sell and get rid of all this stuff. It's going to take a lot more than two people to wipe him out.