“I know, I get that you’re mad, but I need this.”
Justin rolled his eyes and rubbed the back of his neck as he listened to his publicist carry on. The whole point of the trip was so he could get away with his girl and not have anyone to bother him. The one time he picks up his phone without looking…
“No I’m not coming back. You gave me these few days off and this is how I’m spending them. Now I have to get back.” He didn’t bother saying goodbye as he snapped his phone shut. He shut his eyes and tilted his head back as he took a few breaths. He was angry and upset and didn’t want to walk back to Alex like that. He was about to turn around when he felt her hand rub the base of his neck; it had always calmed him down.
“Bad phone call?”
“Just the evil person that is my publicist telling me to get my ass home, that’s all.” He turned to see her biting her lip and she only did that when she was nervous or trying to make a decision.
“Maybe we should go home.”
He grabbed her hand and started walking down the small street passing shops as they went. “No. We came here to relax and be with each other and there is nowhere I want to be except with you and this sleepy little town. Okay?”
She nodded and leaned into him as he placed a light kiss on her forehead. He spotted a small antique store coming up and guided her toward the door of the shop. “Come on let’s see what kind of trouble we can get into in here.” That elicited a smile from her and he grinned, happy that he successfully got a good reaction from her. Antique stores seemed to be their quirky little thing; they always found cool trinkets in them. As he wandered around a small furniture area he remembered the first time they went to an antique shop.
“No. No way. I am not going to look at random stuff used from other people.”
“Oh come on, it’ll be fun, you never know what you’ll find. You might find something you like. Besides everything in there has a history; it has a story.”
He sighed and couldn’t resist the pout that had formed on Alex’s face. “Ten minutes. Then we’re out.”
She let out a small squeal and gave him a quick peck as she pulled him into the quiet atmosphere. An elderly couple behind the counter greeted them and he politely responded after Alex as she began to wander off. As eh made his way around the small boutique he looked at all the knick knacks and grinned when he saw Alex chatting animatedly with the elderly woman from the store. As he rounded the corner he stopped in front of the Grandfather clock. He sighed as he stared at the face and the corners of his lips tugged upwards in a small smile as his mind transported him back to Memphis.
“That Grandfather clock stood in my fathers hallway and then mine for years.”
Justin looked up at the elderly man who had wandered over to him. “It’s just like the one in my grandparents’ house back home, the face is the same.”
“And where is home young man?”
“Memphis, Tennessee sir.” See, he hadn’t lost his manners like his mom mercilessly reminded him.
The man pondered that for a minute before speaking. “My father bought that when he bought his first house back in 1905. Then the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco hit, where they lived at the time, and most of the possessions he had worked so hard to buy for him and my mother were destroyed, except for a few and this clock. They brought it when the moved to Napa. It stood in his hallway until he passed on and then it remained in my own house.”
Justin stared at the clock in amazement at the history behind it. “Why are you selling it if it has so much meaning to you?”
The old man smiled in sadness. “I had to move into a considerably smaller home and there’s no room for it and I don’t have children who appreciate it. Whenever I pass on I don’t want it going to some person who won’t appreciate it.”
Justin nodded, still staring at the clock, and contemplated the man’s words. “I’d love to have it if you would allow me.”
The old man smiled at the young gentleman in front of him. Knowing it would go to someone who truly understood the history and meaning he nodded and Justin could see the emotion in the man’s eyes. “And if you don’t ship, if you know of someone I could call about it that would be great.”
Ever since that day he loved antique shops. He liked to imagine where the pieces came from and what their history held. It
was something only Alex knew he did; if anyone else knew they would call him soft. That clock stood in his own hallway at his house and was something he treated with an astounding amount of care that only himself and Alex understood.
“You look deep in thought.”
He turned to see Alex holding an old doll almost as big as an infant. “Girl that’s a big doll.”
She smiled and held it up so he could take a closer look. “My mom has one exactly like it from her childhood that she used to play with. I used to play with it too. She’s a little ratty but her hair just needs to be brushed and she just needs a little TLC.”
“She’s all sticky.”
Alex laughed and bumped his hip as they walked toward the back. “That’s because she’s old. Nothing a little corn starch won’t fix.”
“Corn starch? On a doll?” What the hell was she talking about?
“It’s a trick I learned from my mom. Did you find anything?”
He shook his head as she led him over towards the corner. “No I zoned out for a few minutes. Did you find anything else?”
She nodded. “I found a set of cups and saucers to add to my collection and a cool record player.”
His face lit up at that one. “Oooh, show me show me.”
She led him over to the corner where the record player was hidden. “There are also a whole bunch of records there too.” She pointed toward a crate that was sitting on the floor next to the table. “I’m going to go pay for this stuff or we’ll be here all day.” She smiled and playfully poked him in the side before walking up toward the front.
He watched her walk toward the front then turned back to the crate already eyeing two records he wanted. He couldn’t wait until dinner tomorrow night.
Author's Chapter Notes:
Only one more after this. I know it's short, sorry!
Chapter End Notes:
Feedback is always good!
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