The lines in the Pai-Loe Grocery was fairly long, so Karen Swanson welcomed the chance to gab with the tall woman in front of her, while they both waited to check out. It was the other woman who started the conversation. Just idle chat at first, the usual stuff about the weather and her grand-kids, that sort of thing. She seemed friendly enough, which encouraged the banter to continue.
The lady wasn't exactly what Karen would call "elderly", but she was definitely older, most likely in her sixties or early seventies. She was dressed very elegantly and spoke in a dignified, eloquent manner that gave the impression of wealth, and sophistication. Regardless of wealth or not, this woman was obviously well-educated and had a tasteful style about her. For whatever reason Karen was fascinated.
The friendly chat dissipated soon, however, once the woman (who introduced herself as Claire) noticed the necklace that Karen was wearing. It was a tiny rooster in 14 karat gold, with exceptional detail. Every feather, the beak, eyes, comb and wattle were carefully sculpted, and its legs were outstretched in a running pose. The plume of tail feathers followed like a banner. The elegant woman was intrigued by it, not only by the fine detail but by the fact that it seemed to be wearing a saddle. The very idea of a chicken wearing a saddle was just preposterous! Karen chuckled and explained that the pendant was a faithful replica of a real carousel figure, made in the early 20th century by the Allan Herschell company.
Karen then mentioned that she was one of the restorers of the local carousel, and how she couldn't wait for the finishing touches so it could finally open. At those words, the woman suddenly stiffened and her expression grew hard. Launching into a tirade eerily similar to that pastor at the Amazing Grace Church, she shook a scolding finger in Karen's face and said, "You know, that carousel has been a thorn in my side ever since work began on fixing it up! We don't need that awful old ugly thing, we have a perfectly fine swimming pool in this town that needs work badly! I learned to swim in that pool, it has historical value too, but no one sees that or cares. But that carousel...oh yeah, the town will pour millions into fixing that piece of junk up. Did you hear me, millions! They could have spent millions on the swimming pool instead of a carousel...it's disgusting!" With that, the woman huffed away to pay for her groceries.
Karen was left stunned. What in the world was wrong with some of the people here- first that pastor, and now this woman? Karen felt deflated. Worse than that, she felt humiliated and personally attacked by both of them, since she'd been a part of the whole process. She could feel the heat in her cheeks and knew they must be turning red. Up until recently most people she talked with were overwhelmingly positive about the carousel project, stating that the town was in need of some quality art and culture. Others just saw it as a fun venue to draw families. Both views were valid. Why would something that was meant to bring joy to people cause such hostility?
It was a question she had no answer to, at least not now. All she could do was get her groceries and get out of the store and back home. And then face the awful scenario of replaying this scene over and over again, regardless of how hard she would try to forget about it. She now had two negative experiences that she just couldn't get out of her mind.
(Author's Note- This chapter was inspired by a real life event. The elegant woman is real, and for the most part, so is her conversation with Karen. I used a bit of artistic license here, including her name, but most of it actually transpired between "Claire" and myself. But instead of waiting in a grocery store line, it happened while I was cashiering at my retail job. "Claire" was my customer and noticed a necklace I was wearing of a carousel sea-dragon (not a rooster) and that's how the whole thing started. I told her that I'm a volunteer operator on my city's beautiful restored antique carousel, and she flipped out on me just like in the scene above with Karen. The part about the swimming pool was 100% real life. Her words actually were, regarding my carousel, "It's disgusting!" It felt like a personal slap in the face, because not only do I operate the carousel, but I'm also involved with the annual maintenance and thorough cleaning of it as well, to help keep it looking beautiful, running smoothly and giving joy to all ages of people. But for some, a swimming pool is better I guess. *Shrugs* Well, this is my revenge, putting her in my story. LOL!)