The thriftshop

The woman

The man took his time. He studied the people passing by like they were som kind of lab rats. He looked and looked and the tea went slowly colder. He met his cup with his lips and sipped a bit of the cold and sludgy tea.
"Oh, why didn't you say anything" the man said surprised. "The tea is cold" he whispered like it was some kind of secret. No answer was given. The man sat his half full cup next to the full one on the serving tray.
"I'm truly sorry, I thought I warmed up the water" he said. "I think I'm loosing my mind" he laughed as he went back to what he called a kitchen. His hands was tired and wrinkly, but at the same time they looked strong and powerful.

He took the two cups with him to the toilet and poured out the rests of the tea. He took them with him back to the kitchen and placed them on one of shelf's. The shelf's was homemade. It was easy to tell. They were painted with the same colour as on the walls but these was not fully covered.

While the man kept on sorting the books by their colors, the bell on top of the door started plinging. A lovely lady came in. She hold a wallet and wore a dark blue dress with a with a white collar of lace around the neck. The dress almost shuffled in the floor as she walked in, but because of the heels on her black shoes, it fluttered a few centimeters above the dirty floor.

"Good afternoon" she said quiet, but it was enough to get the man's attention. "I was looking for some gloves" she looked around with a smile trying to hide her skeptical facial expression. "Do you have some?" she questioned after a short and polite break. The old man went mute. He studied the beautiful dress she wore. "Do you?" she repeated. "I do not think I have anyone exhibited, let me check, uhhh" the man rushed to the kitchen and started to look through all the boxes

The man shuffled around with a crooked back. "Do you know where the gloves are?" the man shouted in the direction of the table he drank his tea. No answer. The lovely woman turned around. "Sorry sir, did you talk to me?" she answered the man. "no, no, no" he murmured to him self. The woman looked questionable when she walked to a map hanging on the wall. "Is this a map over the pacific ocean?" she asked the man with a more confident voice. "I don't know" he answered without even looking at the map.

"Here!" the man shouted. "Here are the gloves" he picked up a box and ran to the woman. 

"Thank you my dare" the woman whispered with a kind og soft voice. The man backed back slowly to show respect for the woman after the woman took the box in her hand and went to a table. 

She spilled the gloves next to a candle on a narrow table. The candle lightened all the gloves up and highlighted all the scratches in the table. The woman sat her purse on the end of the table. The purse was made of white dotted fabric and was very worn, almost broken. 

The man went to the table to sit down. He was exhausted of trying to find the box with gloves. He sat down on a stool and looked down in the floor trying to catch his breath. He looked back up on the lovely woman searching for some good gloves. 

"I think the white one would look great on her" the man said as he looked over at one of the chairs. The woman turned her head without moving the rest of her body. "Oh, so your checking me up now, aye?" the woman laughed and went back searching for gloves. The man chuckled. "No my lady" the man replied after a small laugh. "I was only talking to my friend" he said with a smile hanging again from the laughter. The woman stopped and looked suspiciously over at the man sitting there alone. Without really thinking over the sentence, the woman turned back to the gloves before her eyes met him. "Please, call me miss" the woman said with glimpse in the eye. The man looked surprised over at the woman standing with her back in his direction. He started studying her, like he did with the people on the street. He opened his mouth, ready to say something. "These look nice" the woman interrupted. "How much do they cost" she asked as she opened up her white dotted wallet. "Here, take this". The man stretched his hand towards her and it fell three pounds in his hand. The man's face glowed up in excitement and he shook her hand in happiness. 

"Thank you miss" the man cried. The woman raised an eyebrow "what do say about a cup of tea?" the woman said to the man. The happiness of the man changed into something minded. His eyes moved back to the floor.  "On my bill - of course" the woman continued trying to find his glance.