Books, bacon and eggs.

A Book club has been started in Elwood.
It was started by Louise and she tells me the first meeting went well
it was held in a local cafe and there was
lots of wine and bonding over books.
She say's it even got a bit rowdy!
How fun!

Another potential member came into the store today,
She is someone who always makes me smile
In a way I can't really explain..
There are all types of transaction smiles in the store
but sometimes there is a smile that belongs only to me
and isn't necessarily shared.

So I will write down the transaction I had today with the
potential book club member,
I write it in order to pass on the type of smile
I cant rally explain..

X enters the store, She is in her 70's and has toffee
coloured hair.
She lives on her own as her sister passed away recently
and they used to live together.
She has a new flat
and is has nice new carpet and she is very happy there.
She comes in after catching the bus on an outing.
X likes to take outings.

"Oh hello"
"Hello, what a beautiful, Oh-"
( this is a high pitched noise
that is always followed
by a short little laugh,
like an 'um' but an 'oh' that laughs instead of pauses.)

"Oh-just beautiful!
Now where are your eggs?
I got some lovely big ones the other day,
you know when they are lovely and big?
Oh-" Her B's are pronounced hard.
"..Now let me pay for them first and I'll tell you
how I do my eggs, it's French I think, yea, the French way."

"...Right now how much are they, Oh-lovely!
Ok now let me tell you what I do, I get a small pan,"
her hands make the size of the pan just above the counter,
as if the counter is her stove top.

"Oh- I've got lots of small pans, Oh-
I pop the bacon, now I get lovely bacon
from the butcher down the road, right then,
I cover the pan with the bacon." Her hands show me the pan
being covered with the lovely bacon.

"..then I cook the bacon on one side, its the french way,
and I have two eggs waiting in cups, and then when I turn the bacon
over and..." her hands cover the small pan again with the lovely bacon.

"..and I pour each egg, yes, each egg, I can fit two in the pan,
on top of the bacon, can you see?" she says, keeping her hands
in the shape of a circle.

" I have a small lid, made of glass, so I can see whats going on,
and I pop the lid on and while the bacon and the eggs cook together I get my
toast ready, Oh-."
" Here take this bread sample for your toast." I say passing
her some whole meal sourdough in a bag.

"Oh- thank you, yes I will, now when the eggs cook up
with the lid on you see, just on top of the bacon, oh-
the french way, yes the french way. "

"....Now I take the lid off
and then I pour the whole lot on the toast. Oh-
Oh- just that easy. Oh I enjoy it I do! Yes, its just lovely.
Oh- You should try it.." She says gathering her things together
and pushing at the door.

" Yes I will" I tell her,"except I am a vegetarian
so I will try it with perhaps some potato?"

"Oh- Oh- Yes do, if you're in to that kind of thing,
and let me know how you get on."

We smile at each other and out the door she heads, stopping
to read the notices in the window.
Back in she comes.
"Oh- a Book club!
Now what's that book club?" Her B's are pronounced hard.
"Is it on during the day? because I do like to read I do
I read lots of lovely books..
and I need things to do during the days..."

And then she leaves and I smile to myself.