Page 52 of My Rock Star Neighbor
“Ouch,” Nick says.“I didn’t realize you face rejection in your mini endeavors.”
“All creative pursuits need a thick skin,” I say.The puppy she put down seems cute to me.I pat his fur and place him next to the other little dogs.
Nick glances at me, seeming to appreciate that I get it.
Luckily, that customer seems to be the odd one out, and our table is soon swamped.
“Surprise, surprise,” a voice says.One I recognize.I look up to see Deputy Commissioner Ward with two folded Fresh Direct bags under his arm.Those bags are huge when open.He must be planning to buy so much.He really is into the miniature scene.
“I didn’t expect to see you here selling,” he says.
“I like making my little felted animals, so I might as well make some extra income,” I say.
“Do you have an Etsy store?”he asks.
“No.I only participate in this show because then I can plan stock for it.My schedule is not that predictable, and I’d be afraid I couldn’t fulfill Etsy orders on time if I suddenly had to pursue a story.”
Nick handles another customer while I focus on Ward.
“You take your reporter career quite seriously,” he says.
“Of course.”Did I give him the impression I didn’t?
He narrows his eyes and stares down at my table as if absolutely gripped by my display.“This squirrel.It will be perfect for my park scene.I must have it.”
That’s quite a strong statement.
“Do you take cash?”He pulls out his wallet.
“Of course.”I fill out a receipt with the sales tax and hand it to him.He hands me the cash, and Nick stores it in our little metal cashbox.
“I can’t convince you to take requests?”Ward asks.
“Not usually,” I say.“But I have a mailing list, where sometimes I email my subscribers to see if anyone has any requests—when I’m not that busy at work.”I point to the sheet of paper on a clipboard.He writes his name and email address there.
“Is there something you want right now?”I ask.
“No, but when I’m in the middle of creating a scene, I have so many different needs,” he says.“Are you buying anything?”
“I bought this teddy bear.”I don’t share that I bought a cat too.He can’t use a bear for a street scene, but what if he saysI must have your cat?
“So far, I’ve only bought this microphone stand and boom stand for Deputy Commissioner Galliano.He’s always promoting his daughter Ophelia, so I thought he’d like it,” he says.
Interesting.Could Galliano be the right one after all?
Nick wraps the squirrel in tissue paper, places it in a box, and hands it over to Ward.
“I’m off,” Ward says.“Wish me luck.I have a long list of what I need for my next scenes.”
“Good luck!”
As he disappears into the crowd, Nick teases me, “Do you want to follow him?”
I smile but then say, “Do you think I’ll get some insights based on his purchases?”
Nick shrugs.“Probably not.But interesting that he paid in cash.”
“Right.Who pays in cash nowadays?Unless he’s receiving a lot of cash that he needs to get rid of.”He paid with a $100 bill.I stare at Nick.
