The Humble Wares

The Humble Wares: Pt. 2

"We need to celebrate," Mr. Nestor said with joy. I had been arguing with that stubborn man for nearly an hour over what to do with the money I gave him. Oh, sorry, the money he 'earned.'

"No, with all due respect, Mr. Nestor, I really think we need to invest that money into valuable items we can turn for a profit. It needs to go back into the business. The shop could use some repairs," I said. I think he still had the high from getting so much coin in bulk. Last night, the night after that old man robbed me, Mr. Nestor stayed up just musing over what he could buy. I heard him from my room.

My room. I was still getting used to that idea.

Mr. Nestor looked up at me from the coin on the counter. "Listen here, young lady. With all due respect yourself, I think I've been in this business longer than you have."

I wanted to be nasty, to tell him that he only owned this business for a few days. But that might remind him of his mother, so I dared not go that route. I wanted to present a compromise to split the money between leisure and practicality. Still, it wasn't my business to suggest. It just wasn't my business. But it was my money, anyway, he only didn't realize it. He was my investment.

With a deep sigh, I said, "okay, okay. I'm just worried, is all." The people that threatened him the other day said they'd be back but never said when. Mr. Nestor hadn't brought them up since, and it infuriated me. How could he be so nonchalant about it?

"No need to worry about me. Now, I wouldn't normally ever close up shop, but why don't we go and get you some new clothes? That backpack of yours can't possibly hold many outfits."

It was hard to be upset with Mr. Nestor. He might have been naive, but he had a good heart. "I have a change of clothes in there, Mr. Nestor. That's enough for me." In truth, I wanted to go outside and wander, explore my new surroundings, scope out potential hot-spots, and plan routes. I was out of the orphanage and wanted to get my life started.

I had invested nearly all of my money into making sure Mr. Nestor didn't lose my new home. If those people killed him or took hold of the residence, I would be either out on the street or back with those disgusting children.

Mr. Nestor shook his head. "A single change of clothes won't do. We should make it quick, though. Even though the market is in sight of the shop, I don't want to miss the customers I would get."

A smile crept across my freckled cheeks as he gave me an excuse to be by myself. "Well, I could go alone. I may be young, but I'm capable and safe. And like you said, the market is in sight."

Mr. Nestor went up to the window and put a hand on the glass. It was cloudy out, and each ray of sunshine fought to be seen. But even the dimness outside was bright compared to the gloomy interior of The Humble Wares. "Fine," he said. He went to the coin box and picked a couple drachmae out. "Wait, how about this?" He smiled a devious smile. "How about two drachmae, and you answer a question of mine?"

"Huh? Um... I guess so." I wasn't used to anyone asking me anything, so this caught me off guard.

His eyes were intense, and I remember being afraid of whatever the question would be. While he usually had a playful smile on, and laugh lines on his eyes, his lips were straight in that moment. "How did you end up in the orphanage?"

I knew that question was coming at some point. I mean, how far could I go really before he asked me questions about my past? "It's not important...," I said and shifted my gaze somewhere else. When I looked back, he was still holding the coins up and away and waiting for an answer. I sighed. The hardest part was deciding on telling him the truth. "Okay. I ran away from my parents when I was nine or so. I wanted to go north and see if I could see an Erdos."