and I could not locate the quilting books that I had come to browse.
Certain I could find them
I wandered about,
chancing on gems
but not the books I sought.
Eventually I conceded
I would not find them unaided.
I approached a clerk
and asked.
She knew right away
and pointed across the store.
“I’ll show you”, she said
and began walking down the aisle.
Having seen the direction she had indicated
I told her I could now find them
and she need not walk so far.
She insisted
and told me as we walked
that her mother had once made quilts, but no longer.
Her mother was going blind.
I glanced at her
and she gave a small sad shrug.
It clearly pained her.
“I never learned to sew”, she said.
I wasn’t quite sure what to say.
When we reached the shelf
she gestured with a sweep of her arm.
and I thanked her for her help.
So many beautiful books.
I reached for one,
then noticed she was still standing there.
She looked as if she had something else to say.
I waited, watching her face.
She paused, and seemed about to speak,
but instead,
giving again her little shrug,
turned,
and walked away.