Page 5 of Right Place, Right Time
‘Er, no! Rock ’n’ roll, baby!’
‘Oh … yes, of course.’
Adam’s eyes narrow. ‘Do you like music?’
‘Yes. Who doesn’t?’
‘What sort?’
I really hate small talk. I just want to get to more of the lovely things this house contains. But I know it has to be done. Building a rapport with the client is essential to negotiating a good price.
‘Erm, eighties and nineties music mostly.’
Adam nods. ‘Vintage – makes sense. Any particular artists?’
‘No, not really.’
Adam pulls a face.
‘Why, what does it matter?’
Adam looks wounded. ‘The fact you’ve even asked that tells me so much about you as a person.’
Don’t bite. Don’t bite!That’s what he wants. I’ve only known him for about forty minutes, but I can tell Adam enjoys winding people up for his own amusement.
‘I’m guessing you like rock music?’ I answer as politely as I can.
‘I don’tlikerock music – Iliverock music!’ he says without a hint of irony.
‘Indeed. Music is your job and your passion, I get it. I feel the same about antiques.’
Adam grins now.
‘And why isthatfunny?’ I ask calmly, but I’m beginning to feel myself getting riled up.You’re biting, Eve, I warn myself. Be careful!Adam shrugs. ‘I would hardly compare the two.’
‘I would,’ I say, standing my ground this time when it comes to my own passion. I look him straight in the eye. ‘I think they are bothverysimilar, actually.’
‘Go on.’ Adam looks intrigued. ‘You need to explain now you’ve put that statement out there.’
‘Right then, I will,’ I reply defiantly. I think for a moment. ‘As you’ve probably guessed by now, I adore all things vintage and antique. Like I said a few minutes ago, I also love discovering items from the past and finding out that particular item’s backstory. Every object has a story, from who it’s belonged to, to the houses it’s lived in. I love discovering what that story is, sharing it with others, and then eventually placing that item in a new home so it can begin a new story with a new family.’
‘That’s actually quite poetic,’ Adam says, looking surprised.
‘Whereas you clearly love music,’ I continue. ‘From the look of you and your T-shirt, I’d say you have a particular love of classic eighties rock music. Although you’re just a bit young to remember it when it actually happened, so you dress like you were there instead. So in the same way as I love items from the past, you love music from the past. We’ve both chosen to work with our passion in life, and we’d both probably quite like to go back and witness past history too – but for very different reasons. So, although it’s not the same by any means, our passion is actually very similar.’
Adam stares at me. Then he grins.
‘That is very astute of you,’ he says. ‘And scarily accurate too. I work as a roadie for a band. Actually, quite a lot of bands, depending on who is touring at the time.’
‘Do you enjoy it?’
‘Yeah, I do. I’m probably getting a bit old for it now, to be honest.’
‘Forty isn’t old.’
‘In music it is – unless you’re the Rolling Stones, of course, and then I’d be a baby.’
I smile at him.
