Holding back tears Della said, “You’ve got the pharmacy to fall back on. I’ve got nothing. Let’s give it a few more weeks. If it doesn’t get better by the end of August we’ll bail out. Okay?”
Long silence.
“Yeah, okay. But only until the end of August.”
On Saturday a folding A-frame sign on the other side of the street from Preferred Puff Cannabis announced the hardware store was closing in a week.
Della walked into the shop to talk to the owner.
“Oh, me and my wife are getting old, and I’m not in great shape,” said Brian, a husky man in his seventies. “We’ve run this place for over thirty years, and it’s time to retire.”
In June the former hardware store across the street from Puff was being renovated.
“Who’s moving into this place?” Della asked a man in blue overalls unloading a van by the former hardware store.
“I don’t know exactly,” he said, stretching. “I think it’s a café. I’m just the delivery guy. Ask that lady.”
A short woman in safety shoes, a checkered dress and a yellow hard hat was taking photos inside the hollowed-out store. The shop was twice the size of Della’s.
“Hello,” Della yelled through the open door. “Can I ask you a question?”
The woman walked over smiling. “Yes, can I help you?”
“I work in a nearby shop and was wondering what kind of business is going in here.”
“Oh, ‘Flash, Fun and Mellow Buds’ we’re calling it. Good name, eh? I’ll be selling the best marijuana.”
“Oh.”
“You should drop by when we open. Where did you say you worked?”
Della didn’t answer. Head bowed, she returned to Puff.
