briefly contemplated buying a few items from the bargain display for my nieces and nephews, then decided it would be nicer to bring them along for the afternoon and let them choose their own inexpensive trinkets. My oldest nephew, Patrick, would probably think it was lame but perhaps I could persuade him to come to the gaming exhibition scheduled for later in the year. At one of the rotating card displays, I selected a pretty card for Sophie and walked over to the desk.
"Is that everything?" asked the cashier when I slid it towards him. He had large, brown spectacles, a flop of unruly hair and his shirt was so appallingly awful that I figured it was probably in style.
"Actually, I'm buying this for a friend who used to work here," I explained as I paid. "She had a terrible accident and I thought it would be nice to ask her former colleagues to sign it. Her name is Sophie Takahashi. You probably knew her as Sophie Gallo."
"Sophie? Oh, gosh, yes, she used to work right here in the gift shop!"
"You must be Brian?" I asked.
He nodded, smiling as he slid the card into a paper wrapper and handed me my change. "That's right. An accident, you say? That's terrible. What happened?"
"She fell from a second-floor balcony."
His jaw dropped. "How awful. Was she badly injured?"
I nodded. "Unfortunately, yes. She's been unconscious for a week. It would be great if she knew how many people were thinking of her when she wakes up. Would you please sign this card for her?"
"Of course! Let me find a pen... Poor Sophie! She was such a darling when she worked here. We all miss her."
"She left right after she got married, is that correct?"
"Right. I thought maybe she was a bit old-fashioned to quit just because she got married but she said no, that wasn't it at all. She said she just wanted a change," volunteered Brian. He frowned as he stared at me "I don’t remember you from the wedding…"
"I’m a new friend. Did Sophie work here very long?"
"A few months. Mostly in the gift shop but she gave tours in her spare time too. She knew so much about history and art. Truthfully, her talents were wasted in the gift shop but there isn't much chance of a promotion here. I said she could give talks along with the tours, but she said she was too shy for that." Brian shook his head. "I know Laeticia was pushing her to give a few talks. She thought Sophie would be a great asset and I agree."
"Laeticia? Is she the manager?"
"Yes, that's right."
"What did Laeticia want Sophie to give talks on?"
"Sophie knew a lot about art history. Ask her anything about the pre-Raphaelites or post-modernism and she could go on for hours. As for her knowledge about American art, well, Sophie was an encyclopedia! I told her she should apply for a job at one of the big museums in Boston but she always laughed. I really meant it though. She could have gone to any university and aced the classes but she said she was too old for that now, which was crazy because she's like, not that old at all! What should I write?"
"About?" I asked, frowning.
"On her card." Brian waited, his pen poised.
"Anything you like," I told him. "I'm sure she'll be pleased by whatever you write."
"Okay..." Brian tapped the pen against the desk, his eyes drifting off into a faraway look.
"It sounds like you two were good friends?"
Brian tilted his head from one side to the other. "We didn't really hang out beyond work but yeah, we got on pretty well. She's a sweetheart."
"You probably met her brother? Zach?"
Brian glanced up at me, pausing in his written message. "He came by a couple times," he said, looking down again as he resumed writing.
"I only met him a couple of days ago," I continued. "Not the friendliest guy."
"You can say that again." Brian folded the card and slipped it back into the paper bag before pushing it over to me. "I can't imagine how the same DNA could be divided so differently between two people. He always seemed pissed and she was always so sunny. He was rude and she was sweet. She always made an excuse for him, but I mean, every single time? C'mon, girl!"
"I'm sure," I said, nodding along. "He's a real character."
"That's a nice way of putting it. I thought Sophie was scared of him. Hey, how