by Nancy Linenkugel
Contributor
On the day that I went with my friend, Brenda, to the antique show, she went in and out of every booth but I walked in the aisle between the booths. I had a notebook with me and had fun jotting down interesting items I saw being offered for sale. It was like reliving my childhood seeing items straight out of our homestead growing up and I intended to compare notes with my sister.
“Am I in trouble?”
Startled, I looked in the direction of the greeting. A middle-aged man was approaching me from behind a booth. “Am I in trouble?” he repeated. “People with notebooks make me nervous.”
Realizing that I possibly looked suspicious since I was walking along taking notes, I responded, “Oh, no. Not at all. You’re not in trouble as far as I know.”
“Are you from the tax office?” the man questioned again. “I pay my taxes. I charge tax on every sale. I have the records to prove it.”
“I believe you,” I responded. “I’m not from the tax office. I’m not from anything. I’m nobody.”
The man backed away and returned to his chair behind the booth but continued to eye me suspiciously. I rejoined Brenda in the aisle and half listened to her chatter on about some decorative plates she almost purchased. I was preoccupied with how I had handled that situation. I decided I could have handled it better.
What I said wasn’t true – I’m not a nobody. What would have been better to say was that I was nobody when it came to any business related to the antique operation that day. I was just a customer going along and enjoying the vista of antique fare all around. The booth owner encounters a myriad of individuals visiting his booth throughout the shows. Perhaps he had become suspicious over a lifetime of negative interactions with customers. Today I came along and likely added to those interactions. Be more careful and considerate next time.
[Sr. Nancy Linenkugel is a Sylvania Franciscan sister and chair of the department of Health Services Administration at Xavier University, Cincinnati, Ohio.]