She traded it all for a silver kiss.
That’s mom for you, though. She’s an emotional buyer. If you tried to sell her a dented thimble on the basis of usefulness, she’d smile politely and give her coins to the next guy over at the Lemonade Stand in the Yard.
Even if she needed it.
She doesn’t need a thimble though — let alone a dented one– but she wouldn’t tell you that.
No, she says “I’ll think about it.”
She won’t, of course.
10 minutes later, when sipping on her lemonade over ice, she won’t even remember seeing a thimble today at the Pawn Shop in the Living Room.
That’s Rule 1 of Sales: The customer always lies.
It’s okay. That’s their part in the sales dance.
They “only have a nickel”. They “have to ask their husband”. They “already have one”. They’ll “think about it”.
Yeah, mom. Sure you will.
Little Brother’s Lemonade Stand in the Yard wasn’t going to win today, so you smile a smile imbued with nostalgia.
You ask casually if she’s ever seen Peter Pan.
Of course she has.
You remind her of the scene where Wendy tells Peter that she’s going to give him a kiss, but instead gives him a thimble.
She leans closer and examines the thimble– her eyes alight with memories. She is no longer looking at a dented, outdated piece of metal. No. Now it is precious. It is legend. It is a symbol of the most innocent of kisses and the most cherished of memories.
It’s silver in the light, you say, as you lay it carefully down on a small square of velvet, turning it side to side to catch the light. This is no ordinary thimble to be tossed in a drawer next to a worn red hoodie. This is a silver kiss.
You show her the dent because that’s Rule 2 of Sales.
A good salesperson never lies. Honesty is our part of the dance.
The dent is important. It’s what happens to innocent kisses, childhood, and memories. They’re dented over time.
That’s normal wear, you explain. The structure is sound though — a kiss is always a kiss.
She looks at the coins in her hand, and longingly glances at the Lemonade Stand in the Yard.
You could explain that lemonade will be here tomorrow, but this thimble is one-of-a-kind. You could explain that lemonade is a moment, but a silver kiss is an heirloom. You don’t need to, though.
You see the want on her face.
She knows.
Rule 3 of Sales? Whoever speaks first, loses.
Victory.
You stay silent and she breaks first, showing you the contents of her hand.
“I have 13 cents.”
You ponder it. You’d take 3 cents for the thimble, of course. You found it outside by the trashcan, and spit-shined it only moments before, but Rule 4 of Sales is to make sure the customer always feels like they made a great deal.
Okay, you say reluctantly.
You wrap it up for her, and remind her how happy she’ll be to own such a lovely silver kiss forever. She made the right decision.
“Thank you”, she says, “You were wonderful.”
Rule 5 of Sales says the customer is always right so you thank her, and smile.
She didn’t want or need a dented thimble, but she is happy– thrilled, even– to have traded everything for a silver kiss.
It was a wonderful sale.
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This is my first entry written for the YeahWrite Challenge. I’m not sure if I understood all the rules precisely, so if you decide to partake in the challenge, I suggest reading instead of following in my footsteps. Still, I encourage you to link up! It looks awesome!
