Lula was frustrated. She had scoured the internet searching for a birthday present for her friend Austin, yet nothing she found was the right gift. He simply wasn’t interested in the latest technologies and trends. They were opposites in that regard, but despite Austin’s old (some might say hipster-esque) sensibilities the two of them always ended up at the same bar with their group of friends on the weekend. With time running out and technology failing her, Lula finally decided to check out someplace befitting Austin’s style: an antique store.
The business itself seemed to be antique. It was just a half block down the street from her apartment, but barely had a sign advertising its purpose. Lula had only just noticed it when she first moved in, its nondescript appearance never catching her attention as she walked past it every day. She had googled it trying to find out when they were open, but couldn’t find so much as a yelp review. So it was with plenty of other, better advertised stores saved on her phone when she set out from her building. Still, with the cold weather deterring any unnecessary travel, she decided to see if the place close by was actually still in business.
Much to her delight, the black door and faded windows of the store greeted her with an “open” sign, placed quietly in a low corner. With cold wind rushing in behind her, a small bell clanged as she stepped off the street. The store was actually a bit bigger than she would have guessed. Rows of shelving held all manner of old knick knacks, china plates, and books. The dim lighting was enough to reveal there were no other customers in house, and from the initial look of things, no employees either.
“Hello?” she called out uncertainly. Suddenly a small old man appeared from behind a shelf. He wore a faded green sweater, his frail and thin looking body looking like it needed every bit of help to keep him warm. He held a steaming cup of tea, the tag from the bag still hanging from the mug. He began stirring his brew as he looked towards the front, a little clanking of the spoon announcing his presence. “Come in out of the cold!” he cheerfully called to Lula. His small blue eyes met her own with a friendly and warm shine. White stubble lined his face, which had formed a pleasant smile.
“Hi there,” Lula announced as she began to take off her wool gloves. “I’m glad you are open today.” “We’re open most every day! At least to those who bother to look,” he said with a chuckle. “Just browsing, or can I help you find anything today?” Lula took a second before explaining her situation. The old man seemed to get a kick out of her description of Austin as an “old soul”. “Tell you what, I’ve got a box of old Vinyl albums in the back room. There might be something in there he would like.” Lula almost laughed as she remembered Austin proudly showing off his new purchase of a record player to their group in his apartment.
As the old man walked to the back room, Lula started to browse. She didn’t see how anyone could be interested in these old things. There was some fine china, she acknowledged, but most of it wasn’t for her at all. She liked new and useful, not old and nostalgic. Walking through the rows she sent a snap of an antique porcelain cat with the caption “Crazy cat lady starter pack” before moving towards the register counter to wait on the old owner.
She leaned against the counter and started browsing on her phone when out of the corner of her eye she noticed a row of dolls on the shelf behind the counter. She like every little girl had played with dolls growing up, but those had all eventually found their way into the attic. Now that she had something in front of her to compare them to, she couldn’t even recall what hers had looked like. She put down her phone and purse and looked at the shelf. They were strangely intriguing, despite their being not much special about them. To be honest, they looked a little out of place considering they were in good condition, even looking kind of new.
She looked toward the back, wondering where the old man had gone. It seemed those records were hidden pretty far in the back. Lula walked around the counter to get a closer look at these dolls. They were all girl dolls, with their features resembling children and babies. One had black hair and a Victorian style dress, its brown eyes staring out in front. The next one wore a diaper and a pink shirt, its blonde hair put into pig tails. The blue eyes were half closed behind realistic eyelashes. Lula thought that she would certainly have chosen this one, given that it would have looked the most like herself as a child.
She felt a strong desire suddenly to touch it, to feel its realistic rubber skin. She drew a painted nail towards it, inching closer to feel its cheek. SLAM! Lula spun around with a shock. The old man had dumped a box of records onto the counter behind her. She hadn’t even heard him come up from the back. “Oh I’m sorry to frighten you!” The old man say with remorse. “No it’s no problem!” Lula said with a laugh. “I was just looking at the…” she started to point behind her but then gave a little shake to her head. “So these are the records?” The old man had a curious little smile on his face as he looked at her.
“Ah, admiring my dolls are you?” With a slight blush Lula nodded in the affirmative. The old man walked around the counter to join her. “Yes, my customers always seem to find something…special when they come in here. There’s always something or another that intrigues them.” “No I don’t even know why I was looking at them, I don’t have any nieces…certainly no kids. So are there any 70s rock albums in here, by chance?”
The little old man didn’t look toward the record box, however. He kept his eyes fixed on Lula, seeming to study her a bit more. Her long, dirty blond hair pushed out from under her hat, and even under her jacket and clothes her attractive frame was obvious. She was taller than him, not hard to do, but still she was taller than the average girl. She gave a nervous chuckle then broke his eye contact, looking at the floor. The old man shifted towards the shelf. “I’ll bet,” he said as he reached toward the shelf, “that you were most interested in this one.”
Looking back up Lula was surprised to see he had picked up the little blonde baby doll. He held it out in front of her, open so that she could see it again. She stared at it, seemingly captivated by its eyes. With a low voice just above a whisper she said, “Yes.” The old man smiled before he offered it to her. “Go on, you can hold it.” Lula had no idea why she was so interested in the doll, but she wasn’t thinking about that. She just wanted to feel its skin. To touch the soft quality made diaper. She slowly gripped the doll, taking it for her own.
It felt strangely familiar, triggering deep memories almost, but no one in particular came to mind. Simply put, it was just a comfort. She held it close to her chest, not like one would hold a baby, but like a girl would hold her favorite doll. “Oh yes,” the owner stated softly. “I think that doll suits you well.” Lula barely heard him as she allowed a few moments to pass. Then she relaxed her grip before looking back up at him. “The…the um…” Lula struggled to remember why she was here. “Records?” the man asked gently. “Yes,” Lula said coming to her senses. “Do you have any ro-“ “I think I’ve got a couple of the bands your friend is sure to like.” With that, he pulled a few dusty originals out of the box.
As it turned out, the old man had a few of Austin’s favorites, and the prices on them were surprisingly very cheap! Lula officially had no idea how this shop was still in business, but she knew she was getting Austin a great deal. After purchasing them Lula put on her gloves and began marching to the door with the records in hand. She was halfway there before she stopped and remembered the doll pressed against her body by the crook of her arm. She turned around, taking the doll and offering it back towards the counter. “I’m so sorry, how much“ The old man simply put up his hands to her. “That one is yours. It’s been sitting on that shelf looking for an owner for far too long as it is. I hope it brings you plenty of joy.” Lula was a bit embarrassed, but she also couldn’t deny her fascination with the doll. With a bit of a blush and an awkward smile she turned around, the little bell clanging as she exited the shop.