Flora's Lot by Katie Fforde (best books under 200 pages TXT) 📗

‘Neverby myself before. I'm hopeless at it and I forgot to bring anything toeat or drink.'

‘Well,I could go and get you something, if you liked.’

‘No, it'sall right. I'll manage. It's really the chance to have a wander round that I'm missing.’

Floraglanced up and down the aisle of tables and spottedGeoffrey, deep in conversation with someone. Edie,miles away, appeared to have bought a tree. 'Well, if youlike, I could mind your stall while you have a look. Myfriends - oh, it's Geoffrey and Edie - they seem occupiedand wouldn't mind if I was here for a little while. Ofcourse, you don't really know me. You might not trust me.'

‘Ofcourse I trust you!' The young woman became enthusiastic. 'Would you mind? I find selling terribly difficult. I'm only here because there are a fewthings we must make space for, andif my friend had come with me, we'd have made a bit of money. Enough to buya bit more stuff with, anyway.'

‘Ithought the idea was to make space, not fill it.'

‘It is. It'sjust different space. Would you really mind my stall for a bit?'

‘Sure.'The saleswoman in Flora awoke. Amy would never sell anything as things were, she needed a bit more enthusiasm for the task. 'Would you mind if Iplayed with the things? I'd quitelike to test my selling ability. Iwant to know if I could ever have a stall at a car-boot sale myself.’

Amyshrugged. 'Help yourself. I've hardly sold anything so far.'

‘Yougo off then and I'll see if I can sell anything for you. What aboutprices?'

‘Oh,just get what you can for it. I'm hopeless about prices.' Amy hitched her bag over her shoulder and, looking farmore cheerful, set off into the crowd.

Flora setto work, using skills developed during a holiday job in Bond Street when she'dworked for a friendof her mother's.

She tookthe toys out of their plastic bags and grouped themtogether in a way that made them look as if they werealready being played with. She forced the Barbies to sitaround under a toy umbrella, with outsize cans of lemonadein their hands. A teddy bear she made read a book,miniature to a child, enormous for the teddy. A tea set wasset out with plastic cakes and hot dogs and a toy cartwas filled with two plastic apples. Everything was thewrong scale, but Flora still enjoyed herself.

Once thetoys were dealt with, she turned her attention to thehandbags. Under the dust, she discovered that acouple of them were very good makes. She found the napkinshe'd been given with her cup of tea and wiped themdown. Then she plumped them up and made a little display of them.Everything that was for sale was regrouped, rearranged and madeto look more appealing.

Her firstcustomer was Geoffrey. 'What are you doing here? I only left you alone for aminute.'

‘Thisis Amy's stall. From choir? She asked me to mind it while she had a cup of coffee and a look round. I thought it would be good practice for me,selling stuff.'

‘I have nodoubts about your selling abilities, dear. It's whether you know tat from qualitythat I'm concerned with.'

‘Oh,don't worry about that now. I've got plenty of time to learn all that stuff. You go and see if you can pick up some bargains while I look after thestall.’

She didn'twant any witnesses to her barrow-boy antics, that's if she had the nerve toperform them.

Floradecided to target the buyers rather than depend on what shewas selling to attract them. She spotted a fatherwith two little girls. He was obviously entertaining them while his wife got on with thingsat home.

Floracame out from behind her stall and said hello to the little girls. 'Do you likeBarbies?'

‘We have amillion Barbie dolls at home,' said the father, looking weary.

‘Buthave you got these Barbies?' Flora decided that flirting was allowedwhen she was doing it to help someone, andsmiled. 'They're extra special and an absolutebargain. Look, they're having a picnic,' she turned her attention to the girls again. 'Fifty pence each. The food is extra,' she added, glancing up at thefather with a sideways grin.

‘Oh, Daddy! Can we?'

‘It'sup to you. You've got your own money to spend.’

Florahanded over three Barbie dolls for one pound fiftypence, hoping she hadn't sold them far too cheaply. 'And doyou need the food as well? Look, you get all this too.'She shook the plastic bag that contained the more battered toy boxes and tinsof groceries. 'Twenty pence. Now, what about the picnic set?Then you could havea big party, with all your dolls.’

Having screwed every penny out of thetwo little girls, but given them, in heropinion, very good value for theirmoney, she turned her attention to their dad.

‘What abouta nice bag for your wife? This one is a very goodname. Not quite Prada, but getting there. You haveheard of Prada, have you? No? Obviously a serious-mindedperson, but let me assure you, your wife has heard of Prada, and a baglike this, while obviously not Prada, or it would be worthabout a million pounds. . . ‘

The wordspoured out of her. She smiled, she flirted, she madehim laugh, and by the time he'd gone away he was laden with plastic carriers oftoys, a handbag, and a set of Mr Men books. Although fairlysatisfied, Flora was disappointed that she hadn't managed toconvince him that a rabbit hutch was a pleasing garden ornament,even if you hadn't got, and didn't want, a rabbit.

She wasjust counting the money she'd made, hoping Amywouldn't be furious with her for selling so much so cheaply,when a man came up and asked about the rabbit hutch. 'How much for the hutch,love?'

‘Twenty pounds.'

‘I'll give you five.'

‘Fivepounds! Are you trying to rob me? Do you know how much they are new?' As Flora didn't know this herself, shewas rather hoping he'd tell her.

‘Idon't want a new rabbit hutch. It's only for my ferrets. Five pounds.All it's worth to me.'

‘Fifteen then.I'm practically giving it away.’

‘Sixpounds, that's my absolute top offer.'

‘Twelve. Cheap at twice the price.'

‘Ten.And I'm being robbed. I could keep them in an old crate for nothing.'

‘Butthen they'd escape. Ten pounds is fine. Thank you