Envie- part 11

11 

Envie got settled at the shop and Gato was freed finally. She acted like she had been caged for more than 15 minutes and licked at Envie’s calf.
 
“Eww Gato, you know I hate when you act like a dog!” Envie said with exasperation. She turned on some Lacuna Coil to listen to while she pressed and hung her clothes for the week. Gato wove around her calves but controlled herself enough not to lick. By the time she had done up all her skirts and tops and had them hung it was almost 11 and time to open. It was time to cross the beaded curtain between her apartment and the shop. She always opened at 11 on Sundays and Mondays.
 
She pulled out a yellow legal pad from under the counter; she planned to do a little research on her tarot reading and try to analyze her life. She figured if she could examine things like a professional, she could sort out her next steps. Of course her stupid emotions and even her dreams would try to sway her to make themselves part of her equation. She guessed that was normal; very human of her.

She wondered about her father. What things could he have filled in for her? Should she search for this long lost father? She was positive he was still alive. Her mother, probably not; she was a wisp of a woman waiting to die Envie thought absently.
 
Maybe searching for her father wouldn’t solve anything; after all he hadn’t stayed in touch, had he?
 
The bell hanging on the door rang softly. It was a couple looking wide eyed and very tourist-like.
 
“Good day!” Envie called out cheerfully, coming around to the front of the desk/display case. “Make yourself at home. Can I make you each some coffee or tea?”
 
The man opted for a glass of water and the woman accepted tea. Envie went to the hotplate set up behind the counter to turn the kettle on. She eyed them quickly and slipped into the apartment to grab the paper cups and a gallon of spring water.
 
When all was prepared she let the couple know. They thanked her and came over to the counter. They asked her about the shop and how it was started. She told them about her grandmother and learned that they were visiting from New York. They bought candles, amulets and a few voodoo dolls ‘for their family and friends’. Not a bad turn since they spent $47.00. Now it was coming up on 1 pm and Envie thought she should get some lunch. She grabbed a Tupperware full of diced cantaloupe from the fridge. She would just run over to the Café.
 
She locked up with her Closed for Now sign up and went over to the Café. Gérard saw her walk in and waved with his index finger up.
 
She sat at an empty table. Entessa came over and took over the bar so Gérard could have lunch with Envie. Entessa was his day waitress, a pretty brown girl with long cornrows. She had been here about a year and a half since Miss Anna had to quit because of her arthritis getting too bad for her to work.
 
“What are we having today?” Envie asked with a grin.
 
“Crawfish Étouffée” he said with a smile…”Don’t worry- I didn’t touch it.”
 
“Thank goodness, because I love you Gérard, but if it’s not baking, you can’t do it.”
 
“Entessa cooked it as you well know!” he said raising an eyebrow.
 
Just then ‘Tessa came over with two hot plates of food and a few forks and knives. “What did you bring?” she asked Envie.
 
“Cantaloupe” Said Envie “I have a watermelon chilling for tomorrow.”
 
“Yum” ‘Tessa said.
 
“Come get some, because I brought a lot.” Envie told her.
 
“I’ll go get a dish” she said after putting the plates down on their table.
 
Entessa returned with an empty bowl for her cantaloupe and a large dish of spinach salad with red wine vinaigrette, along with salad plates.
 
After getting her fruit she bade them to have a good lunch and went back to the bar.
 
Envie helped herself to salad on her plate and began to eat.
 
“I was thinking about your cards” Gérard said, “and I think maybe you should buy a deck so you can do the spread again. Sometimes you have to base your opinion on more than one time.”
 
“I should do that. Omega sells them there. Thanks for that thought. I thought you’d just make fun of me about that but you’ve been really supportive.”
 
“Friends do that, Envie” he said with a serious look.
 
“Yes they do” she said with a smile.
 
“Anything special happening today?” Gérard asked.
 
“I’m going to stop by Omega’s after lunch to get a set of cards as a good friend suggested.” She said with a wink at him.
 
“Are you going to close early?”
 
“Not very early; maybe at 9 or so depending on if we have any real customers or if the storm scared them off.” Sometimes she closed as late as 12 if there were a lot of patrons shopping that day. Her joke sign said Open when I’m ready and Closed when I get tired. She had painted it herself and hung it on the front door. Her real sign said ‘Open 9-9 usually’ and the back of it said ‘Closed for now’. This wasn’t Heddy’s sign but because she sometimes stayed up later than her Grandmother she amended with a new sign after Heddy’s death. Of course if she knew that a certain group came for a visit at 8:30 am she would be sure to be ready and open for them.

It was harder to run the shop with only one person than with two. Hard to have a consult and still help the browsers. She usually saw consults before or after the shop opened or closed. Things were so much easier when she had Great Maw’s help.
 
“I may stop by to see your cards then.” He said grinning. “Teach me something!”
 
“I’d be learning too. Maybe I’ll pick up another book also.” Envie said.
“For now I have to get going so I can open again at 2 and try to make some money.”
 
“I hear that” said Gérard.
 
They stood and said their goodbyes and Envie gathered her Tupperware and purse and left a $5 on the table. Gérard gave her the exasperated look but kept his mouth shut. Envie didn’t like to sponge off anyone if she could avoid it, and Entessa was a hard worker if Gérard wouldn’t keep the money then she could.
 
Now off to Omega’s to get what she’d need. And hopefully some free advice to go with it…