Strange Attractions

Chapter 2

I sat down by the window and sunk into the chair. It was a deep shade of red, almost like a freshly spilled glass of merlot. Plush and luxurious, with tufted velvet cushions and a carved wooden frame. The tension eased slightly as I got comfy. Grace was a woman of many talents, but my favourite was her reupholstering abilities. She could transform shabby and unloved furniture into stunning pieces of art, and I was grateful to have some of her creations in the shop.

I took a sip of my tea as the window began to fog up. There wasn't much happening outside, but I found peace in the stillness. Sometimes, when my thoughts were racing too fast, I enjoyed sitting and just watching the quiet world outside. As I gazed around the shop, a smile spread across my face. We had everything from chakra candles to black obsidian facial rollers, and every last Wednesday of the month we had Sage a self-proclaimed clairvoyant offering readings.

I didn't necessarily believe or disbelieve in her abilities, but I was happy to give her a safe space to work in. However, I had never personally had a reading and didn't plan on getting one either - perhaps out of fear of the unknown or maybe because I already knew.

Our little shop held a special significance for us; it represented three generations of ownership on a small street in a tiny village. Against the disapproval of many, my grandmother had started this business and endured immense backlash to keep it going. Now, 40 years later, we were still here, barely hanging on. The reins had been passed down to me five years ago, and I had brought in Grace to help keep us afloat.

After exhausting all alternative finance options until the early hours of the morning, I realised we were out of solutions. We couldn't take out any more loans or get our refinancing proposal accepted. Despite pushing negative thoughts away, my heart sank. I took a deep breath and let the soothing scent of lavender calm me.

We had to come up with something, but what?

At this point, going into administration seemed like our best option. At least it would buy us some time while we figured things out and tried to avoid liquidation. I knew I needed to sit down with Grace and go over our options.

But as I sat lost in thought, the bell chimed, bringing me back to reality. Hordes of pensioners in anoraks and walking gear entered the shop. They behaved like uncontrollable toddlers touching everything with a curious fascination. I stood up and navigated through the crowd to reach the counter as Grace answered endless questions about our products.

A small plump woman with rosy cheeks approached me. I took in her appearance and decided she wouldn't look out of place on a Christmas's card depicting Mrs Claus.

"Girl, what is this?" she said abruptly.

"Hello, my name is Bella and that's a backflow incense burner that also has a light built-in".

"No, I don't know what that is. I wanted a paperweight. Why would I want a light shaped like a lotus flower? How ridiculous," she scowled as she twisted the incense burner in her hands.

"Well, I can explain it to you or you could just use it as a paperweight if you prefer".

"No, if you're selling paperweights, they should only be used as paperweights", she retorted.

I politely nodded and shifted my attention to someone else, thinking that her appearance did not match her demeanour at all. She seemed more like Krampus than Mrs Claus.

Grace and I were both struggling with this group of visitors who seemed to be expecting a souvenir shop. Despite being the same age as my grandmother, they did not share her open-mindedness.  They reminded me more of Mrs Godwin, who loved to complain about everything to anyone who would listen. Thankfully, the tour guide rounded up his flock for the journey home.

One sale, that was it and I was sure the poor man didn't really know what he was buying, but he assured me his granddaughter was into these new age things and would love it.

"Phew, that was hard work" I said looking just as relieved as Grace did.

"I never thought I'd have to explain multiple times that crystals won't keep cats out of the garden", Grace joked as we both laughed in exhaustion.

"We really need to sit down and figure out our next steps", Grace said with a nod.

We could no longer avoid the inevitable.