Page 52 of Winter Nights at the Bay Bookshop
‘I want them!’ He hurled the pen at me and it bounced off my arm to goodness knows where. Next moment he launched himself at me, pummelling my stomach. For a small child, he could certainly pack a punch. With a yelp, I leapt back and held the books protectively across my stomach but that didn’t deter him as he kicked at my shins too, yelling that he hated me. If it hadn’t been for his sister grabbing his arms and yanking him away, still kicking, I don’t know what I’d have done next. How do you defend yourself from a child attacking you without hurting them?
Next moment, the boy broke free from the girl and I feared another attack but he ran to a woman in a bright red puffer jacket who’d appeared by my side.
‘What’s going on?’ she demanded, wrapping her arms protectively round the boy as he glared at me.
‘Are these your children?’ I asked.
‘Yes. Why?’
‘They’ve been drawing in the books.’
‘And?’
‘And they’ve damaged them.’ I opened one out to show her. ‘I’m afraid I’ll need you to pay for them.’
‘They didn’t come in with pens. Where did they get them from?’
‘They took them from the stationery section.’
‘Then it serves you right for having pens next to children’s books. What did you expect?’
What did I expect?Not this situation, for sure. Red Jacket terrified me and I wanted to run away and cry but this was my shop and her children were in the wrong so I stood my ground.
‘They’re not kept in the children’s section and what I’d expect is for parents or carers to stay with their children to make sure nothing like this happens.’
‘You tell her, love,’ called one of the customers.
‘Those kids are feral,’ another one added.
While I appreciated the support, the second comment was extremely unhelpful in the circumstances. Red Jacket’s cheeks blazed the colour of her coat and her eyes flashed as she cast her gaze around the customers. I swear that, if she’d spotted who made the feral comment, she’d have decked them.
‘If you’d like to come to the till, I can offer you the books at a discount as a goodwill gesture.’
She turned back to me and looked me up and down, curling her lip.
‘I’m the only one making any gestures round here and here’s mine.’ She stuck her middle finger up at me, to gasps all round. ‘And you needn’t think I’m buying this from you, you stuck-up little bitch.’
She had a guidebook for Florida in her hand and she ripped the front cover off it before hurling it onto the floor. Grabbing each child by the arm, she stamped on the book before dragging the kids out of the shop.
All eyes were on me, shocked expressions all around, murmurs of disgust at the woman’s behaviour. Rude customers were sadly all too common in the retail industry and I’d been shouted at and sworn at before but this was a new low, making me feel angry and humiliated. Tears pricked my eyes, my throat burned and I was trembling from the shock. I desperately wanted to run downstairs, lock myself in the loo and bawl my eyes out but I couldn’t leave Flo and Alec on their own to pick up the pieces. I was the owner and I needed to be professional.
‘I’m really sorry about the disruption,’ I said, unable to stop the shake in my voice. ‘Please don’t let it spoil your day. We can give you a 20 per cent discount for any books you buy from the children’s section today to apologise.’
‘There’s no need to do that,’ someone said, but I didn’t catch who or I’d have given them a grateful smile.
‘Are you okay?’ The woman who’d alerted me to the problem was standing by my side, her eyebrows knitted with concern.
‘Not really, but thanks for letting me know when you did.’ I glanced down and did a quick count of the books in my arms. ‘It could have been more than nine books if you hadn’t.’
She crouched down and picked up the Florida guidebook and cover and added it to my collection.
‘More than ten,’ I whispered.
She placed a reassuring hand on my shoulder. ‘I don’t know how you managed to keep so calm.’
‘Me neither. I didn’t feel it. Thanks again.’
A young girl – in her early teens at a guess – passed me the two pens.
