The crone behind the counter inspected the object in her hands. “Mother-of-pearl face, silver hands, diamonds at twelve, three, six and nine o’clock, perfect working condition, silver base. A lovely watch, sir.”
“Thank you,” Dino replied, pulling his coat closer around him. It was drafty in here. “How much can I get for it?”
The crone considered it a moment. “I’ll give yeh one fifty.”
“One fifty!” Dino sputtered indignantly. “Two fifty, at least!”
The sales clerk laughed. “One seventy-five,” she offered.
Dino was determined to come out of top of this haggle. “Two thirty-five.”
“Two ten?”
“Deal.” They shook on it. The old woman pocketed the watch and opened the till. She counted the bills into Dino’s outstretched palm. He then nodded his thanks and left.
He passed a girl in the entryway who was wearing a helmet. Raising his eyebrows in question, he pulled up short when he got outside to find a woman leaning against a bike. She was a small thing, who looked familiar...
“Can I help you?” she demanded in an irritated tone. Nope, didn’t know her.
“Do you know where the jewellery store is around here?” he asked. She appeared to sigh, and pointed down the street. “Thanks,” he said, and hurried on his way.
The walk down the street was a chilly one, and he was glad when he finally jumped into the jewellery store. He spoke briefly to the clerk, who knew exactly what he was looking for, bought the chain and went back outside. He jumped into the car that waited for him there, and drove away. As he passed the woman with the bike, he couldn’t help but stare at her.
“Chero might’ve been jealous, had she been here,” the driver chuckled.
“She looks so familiar,” Dino replied, his eyebrows furrowing. The woman seemed to be looking at a girl who was walking towards the jewellery store. She tapped her fingers impatiently, then went into the pawn shop herself.
Dino was too far away to see what happened inside.
“Home, sir?”
“Yes, thank you,” Dino sighed, settling back in his seat and running his fingers through his hair. “Home, and call ahead and get someone to make me some tea and get me some Tylenol.”
The driver chuckled. “Of course, sir,” he said, calling the house and giving the orders. Dino just leaned forward in his chair and tried to breathe evenly. Soon, Chero would be at his house. Soon, he’d give her her gift, and she’d love it. It would go perfectly with her locket. And then they’d share a romantic dinner in front of the fire, and that’d be that. And Christmas was going to be perfect. It was going to be the best he’d ever had.
So why did something feel so off?
