"I'm sorry, I don't have change," I said as I handed the girl a 50 Euro note.
"That's ok, I have," said the girl. She took the note from me and put it in a cash box. Then adjusting her glasses, she picked up a calculator.
Several seconds passed.
"The change is 42 Euros," I said.
The girl nearly dropped the calculator. "I'm sorry," she said, "I can make candles but I don't know how to use calculators."
I felt such a brute. I softened my tone. "Here, let me show you."
I took the calculator from her, keyed in the numbers and turned the calculator back towards her so she could see the answer. She whispered, "Thank you" and proceeded to pull out my change from the cash box.
I was on a mission and in a hurry. I had a tickets to see Gloria Steinem back in Bantry at 12 noon that day but had dashed over to Skibbereen in search of earrings. And not just any old earrings. Elaine, who attended the Travel Writing workshop with me at the West Cork Literary Festival, wore gorgeous, hand-made earrings everyday and on the last day she had ones made of blue glass. I couldn't take my eyes off them. When I asked where she got them, she said "Skibbereen Farmers' Market, the best market in the world."
So here I was on Saturday morning at Skibb Market where there were loads of earrings but not the ones I wanted. Of course, that's the whole point of Farmer's markets: the stall holders are artisans making unique, one of a kind products and therefore no two products are going to be the same even if made by the same person. Maybe the blue-glass-earring maker was sick that day.
My mother bought a fairy door painted on a stone. It's adorable and I'm sorry I didn't get one myself. I did get homeopathic drops which the label tells me 'feeds the third eye and fuels creativity.' It's delicious.
So no blue glass earrings. But I have my candle. The scent is Vanilla Sugar and it smells divine. It's gentle aroma is like the girl who made it: sweet and non-toxic. I see it as a reminder to take the world easy and be patient.
"That's ok, I have," said the girl. She took the note from me and put it in a cash box. Then adjusting her glasses, she picked up a calculator.
Several seconds passed.
"The change is 42 Euros," I said.
The girl nearly dropped the calculator. "I'm sorry," she said, "I can make candles but I don't know how to use calculators."
I felt such a brute. I softened my tone. "Here, let me show you."
I took the calculator from her, keyed in the numbers and turned the calculator back towards her so she could see the answer. She whispered, "Thank you" and proceeded to pull out my change from the cash box.
I was on a mission and in a hurry. I had a tickets to see Gloria Steinem back in Bantry at 12 noon that day but had dashed over to Skibbereen in search of earrings. And not just any old earrings. Elaine, who attended the Travel Writing workshop with me at the West Cork Literary Festival, wore gorgeous, hand-made earrings everyday and on the last day she had ones made of blue glass. I couldn't take my eyes off them. When I asked where she got them, she said "Skibbereen Farmers' Market, the best market in the world."
So here I was on Saturday morning at Skibb Market where there were loads of earrings but not the ones I wanted. Of course, that's the whole point of Farmer's markets: the stall holders are artisans making unique, one of a kind products and therefore no two products are going to be the same even if made by the same person. Maybe the blue-glass-earring maker was sick that day.
My mother bought a fairy door painted on a stone. It's adorable and I'm sorry I didn't get one myself. I did get homeopathic drops which the label tells me 'feeds the third eye and fuels creativity.' It's delicious.
So no blue glass earrings. But I have my candle. The scent is Vanilla Sugar and it smells divine. It's gentle aroma is like the girl who made it: sweet and non-toxic. I see it as a reminder to take the world easy and be patient.
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