Pawnshops and Carousels
AvalonReeseFanFics
A/N: And here is chapter 5 and I'm on time! So I'm pretty proud of myself. Next chapter is going to be a flash back that should make all of you go d'awww. So don't forget to leave a review and I'll see you guys next Sunday.
Chapter 5
I can only hear screaming. The door is shut and all I can hear is unintelligible screaming.
It's mostly Ashley but I can also hear the boom of Seth's voice too.
I know they're arguing about the earrings. I know that Ashely was a little… well… abrupt with the customer, but I also know that Seth butt in without us asking… when he knew that Ashley hated that.
It was like he was purposely antagonizing his sister.
Of course, I had to intervene! You had Sabrina right beside you!
Or… at least… that kind of sounds like what he just said. But I don't know why Seth would be screaming that at his sister… so I must have miss heard him.
But people are looking at me and the sales floor looks slammed so I figure… I figure I can help out while they're yelling at each other. Just until they're done.
I'm out on the floor for two seconds before an older man comes up to the counter. I smile warmly at him as he drops a box to the counter.
"Can you help me?" he asks in a wheezing voice.
"I can sure try. What do you have today?"
"A music box."
The music box in question is an elegant pastel carousel with golden trims and perfect porcelain horses. He turns the knob and it starts playing a familiar tune. The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. My eyes go wide, my heart palpitates. I can never turn down the Nutcracker or carousels, and this has both.
"Wow… how much are you thinking?"
"About six hundred."
I pick it up carefully and look it over. It doesn't seem that old, but it's older than me. There's a few chips but nothing too big. It's definitely not worth six hundred though.
"Mmm… well… I can't help you out with six hundred," I say to him. "Would fifty help you out in anyway?"
"No, I… my wife… she needs to go into long term care and… I… I need help paying the bills."
Oh. My heart. Okay, calm yourself Sabrina, it's probably just a sob story. Les is always telling the others not to buy the story at face value, that applies to me too.
"Well… uh… I guess we can make it 100, if that's better?"
Did I just go up too high? Gosh I wish Seth were here… or Les… or even Ashley, they were all so good at negotiating.
The man shakes his head. "No, sorry, the lowest I'll go is 450."
I wince. I'm smart enough to know that there's no way I'll get away with giving him that much.
"I'm sorry. Really. The highest I'll go is 150. Cash right now," I add just like Les would.
The man shakes his head. 150 is not enough I know it isn't but if I go any higher then that Les will kill me… Seth would kill me… and Ashley would sit there smiling as it happened.
"I guess we got a deal."
Whoa wait…. we do? I try to contain my joy as I write up the ticket and take it over to the window for him. And then that leaves me with the carousel. Just in time for the Gold family argument to be done.
Seth and Les are on me immediately and I grin up at both Seth and Les but their faces do not wear the same happiness as mine.
"Whatchu got there, Reenie?" Les asks. I haven't had the heart to ask him not to call me that, besides how could I look Les in the eye and tell him that it hurt me to hear that nickname uttered by people who weren't considered my family anymore? I ignore the way Seth's mouth twitches with the desire to say something about it and show them what I have, but as soon as they see it they are no longer smiling at me. In fact the looks are not positive ones. Les looks angry and Seth looks horrified. And now I'm second guessing myself.
"It's… it's a music box."
"How much did you buy that for?" Seth asks me.
"Well… he was asking six hundred…" "Oh god!" "But I got it down to 150."
"150?!" Les shouts. "For that?!"
I clutch the carousel a little closer to my chest. Oh dear this was not good.
"I thought it was… pretty… and the song's unique… it's in pretty good condition and you guys… you guys buy unsellable stuff for stupid sentimental reasons all the time!" I cry.
"But we own the store!" Les shouts but Seth's eyes have narrowed at me.
"Sentimental… Sabrina… why did you buy that?"
"Because… it's… it's a carousel."
For a moment I delude myself into believing that Seth wouldn't remember the significance of a carousel, but it's only one second before the realization dawns on his face and he's looking at me in a completely different way. It's a look of pity and I look away from it. God I should have just stayed in the back.
Seth: Our first kiss was on the Brigg's Family Carousel. Sabrina and I were cozied up in the swan chariot and I just swooped in to kiss her and she let me. It was everything a first kiss with your true love was supposed to be. I saw fireworks, she saw stars and we couldn't stop kissing each other for the rest of the ride. Seeing her there, holding that music box carousel in her hands I'm suddenly taken back to that blustery fall day where a sixteen-year-old me kissed a girl and set myself on a course of love, romance, and eventual heartbreak.
I realize the second she tells me she bought the music box because it was a carousel that it means the same to her as it does to me. And I know that no matter what happens today, I'm going to make sure she doesn't have to pay my dad for that music box.
I finally tear my eyes off of the carousel and turn to my dad. "It's got a unique song, it's a good size, and it's mostly intact… I mean a few chips but nothing too big or noticeable. I'm more than 100% positive we can sell that for a profit," I tell him.
I feel Sabrina's eyes on me but I don't dare look at her. Les is no longer looking at her either. "You think you can sell that? And for a profit?"
For Christ sake I just said that. "Yes. Easily. No problem."
"Oh yeah, why don't you bet on it?" Ashley asks appearing out of nowhere. Why the hell is she chiming in now? She wasn't a part of this conversation before.
"Bet on it?" I echo but my dad has perked up. "Yeah! Let's bet on it."
"Ugh. Fine. If I sell it by the end of today you owe me 50 if I don't sell it…" "Ashley get's your office!" "Shut up Ash! If I don't I'll buy it off of you for 200."
"Whoa… no… if you don't sell it, I'll buy it!" Sabrina cries. "It's my fault after all."
Fault. Her fault. No, it wasn't, it was dad's for putting her out on the floor in the first place. I wasn't going to let her loose money on it.
"I'll buy it," I repeat sternly to my father before I turn to her and pin her with a stern glare that doesn't affect her at all. "If I don't sell it and you still want to buy it off of me, then we can negotiate something."
She scowls at me, no doubt thinking that I'll bargain for something outrageous… or something she doesn't want to do. Like go on another date with me. Ohhh… yes… now I really don't want to sell this carousel.
My dad takes the bet. We shake on it. But when I go to take the carousel from Sabrina she won't let go.
"Sabrina… give me the carousel," I order but she shakes her head. "Sabrina…"
"No, I did this. I messed up. I should pay for it."
My eyebrows raise up in surprise. I'm not going to let my girl do that. Even if she isn't my girl right now… or ever again at this rate. But I know my girl's faces. She's not going to back down.
"Okay, how about we make a deal, okay?" I ask. Her eyes narrow at me. I used to out negotiate her all the time, and as a result she doesn't trust me when I say certain things… like how about we make a deal. "Here's what we'll do. If I don't sell it, we'll go half."
"No."
"Sabrina… I'm not gonna let you pay 200 for that thing."
She tucks it a little closer to her chest and says: "But I like it. I really wouldn't mind."
She likes it, huh? I shake my head at her. "Give me the music box, Sabrina, that's an order."
Reluctantly she hands it over to me but before I can even put it on display she cries: "Wait… can I listen to the song just one more time?"
I hand it back to her and then watch as her eyes light up as she winds it up. See… now we have a problem… because I don't want to sell it anymore. I want to buy it.