The Return of The Queen

As it turns out The Queen of Sob Stories is a very regular customer in the pawn shop. She keeps bringing in lots of random items she wants to just get rid of. Unfortunately, she does not a sob story every time she comes in, but she still retains her crown due to the quality of her former lies. There have been several items we have had to turn away--a package of those disposable floss things, two unopened denture brushes, plates and tea cups she got from her "dead grandmother's" house (this could be another one of her lies--there is no telling with her), and two broken guitars. On the other hand, we did buy a 70 pound punching bag from her. I made polite conversation while I was ringing her up and told her how I could have really used one when I was a teenager. Two days later, The Queen came back into the shop with more items to sell, but she also had the chain from which you were supposed to hang the punching bag she sold us. She told me she "searched high and low" for me, obviously thinking I had said that I still wanted a punching bag (which I do, but didn't vocalize, as there is no room in my apartment for that). It was a very kind gesture, but she's still crazy, and, apparently, doesn't listen too well.

Today, a man asked me if we had any swiveling television stands for sale. We did not, but I told him it might be possible for us to order him one from a catalogue. As it turns out, it wasn't, and when I told him so, he went off asking about whether or not we could "broker" for him, find him one on Ebay, purchase it, and then sell it to him. Besides the fact that we would never do that, it is something that is clearly not the most economically sound method of getting something because we would then have to mark up the stand in order to sell it to him for a profit on our part. I skipped explaining the financial downfall of this and just gave him the simple answer "No, we can't do that. I'm sorry." He kept muttering to himself and wasn't making too much sense, but then he left and all was well . . . for a short while. After work, I went to a grocery store and began shopping. I was in the produce section and walked off from my cart for a moment. When I went back to get my cart, I saw the strange man who had asked about our Ebay brokering abilities--and he was walking off with my cart! I called out to him and he realized the mistake. I'm not sure if he recognized me from the pawn shop because he didn't say anything, but he kept looking at me and smiling as he went back to his cart and pushed it away. I'm sure it was an accident, but a little part of me likes to think he was seeking revenge for our refusal to "broker" for him.