Fagee

Claudette watched from her shop window as the abnormally tall man stared at the Halloween display of darkly colored roses and orange and black baby pumpkins, crouching in front of it with rapt interest. It seemed that the man had either just gotten off work or he came here on his break, seeing as the man was still in his navy jumpsuit, dark stains of what she assumed was oil splattered randomly around the garment. His hair wrapped in a loose bun, fringe and stubborn locks hang freely in front of his face, obscuring it from prying eyes. He’s been to the shop numerous times before, but never stayed for long and has only bought something a fraction of the amount of times he’s been there. Although recently the man hasn’t been coming as often. Busy for the holiday that was coming up soon, she assumed.

Claudette had missed the man. She’d always been a woman of routine, and the imposing stranger had unknowingly wormed himself into hers. Seeing the man again brought a small smile to her face. He chose the right time to show up too, considering she just got finished working with an unruly woman about a ridiculous order of out of season flowers. She guessed that now would be a good time as ever to finally greet the man. Maybe start up a conversation that’s not just, “Find everything ok,” and, “Have a nice day, sir!” 

It wasn’t usually in her nature to be so bold in introductions, but it seemed the man was worse at communication than she was, seeing as how her previous questions were usually answered with a stoic face and silence. 

Her calloused, bandaged hands pressed against the front counter to help her down the slight drop from her stool. She quickly dusted the dirt and stray leaves off of her apron before taking slow deliberate steps towards the man, almost like she was trying not to startle an animal. 

As she neared the man, his eyes shot up from the display and directly onto Claudette as she neared the large glass, his icy blue eyes dangerous and his stare, hard. The intimidating movement admittedly shocked her a bit, but she tried not to let it show. Offering up a warm smile and a small wave instead. His posture straightened as she passed the display and walked to the shop's front door to greet him properly. She stopped in the doorway, leaving it open just enough to shield her bottom half from the shocking autumn wind.

“Trying to stock up for Halloween this year? This array isn’t for sale since I need them for decoration, but I have plenty of extras in the shop I can let you take.” She chirped. 

As she expected, she was met with silence in return. His eyes never left her form nor did they reveal any emotion or acknowledgement that he had heard her, but she wasn’t about to let that ruin her offer of friendship. She shifted her stance and moved to open the front door wider. An invitation. 

“Would you like to see? At least just to hide from the cold.” Again she was met with silence, only this time the man finally shifted his gaze from her, to the inside of the shop, before subsequently taking the steps to walk through the doors. Claudette’s smile deepened at the small victory before she, too, walked back inside. 

Claudette stepped past the big man to help guide him to the festive flora towards the back of the small building. Her arms gave a triumphant “Ta-Da” motion when she finally stood in front of it. 

“Pick anything you like. I was lucky this time. Everything grew in perfectly and on time this year.” She finished with a smile, her hands clasped in front of her as she stepped back to give him an unhindered view of his options. 

The man stood awkwardly far from the large wagon that held the plants. He sized her up for a while in uncertainty, then eventually turned his stare down to the pumpkin display. He browsed at a distance for a couple of minutes, before stepping closer to kneel down and physically inspect the gourds. He picked up a rather large pumpkin, rotating it in his massive hands and tossing it up slightly to gauge its weight and inner contents, then finally replacing it for another. Repeating his procedure.

Claudette stood by patiently as he finally settled on three large pumpkins, and two baby pumpkins. He shifted his torso towards her and then reached into his pocket. Realizing the gesture, Claudette shook her head and gave him another bright smile. 

“No need to pay this time. Call it... a gift from a friend.” She watched as his mismatched eyes widened a bit. A minuscule amount for most people, but for him, that’s the most emotion Claudette has ever gotten from him. The reaction made her heart ache. She hoped it wasn’t a rare occurrence that someone showed the man a bit of kindness. She felt that everyone deserved some good in their life. 

The man eventually recovered from his shock then looked away for a moment in contemplation. He seemed to come to some sort of a conclusion as he looked to her again. His hands moved in a specific pattern. A gesture that was obviously meant to convey something.

The elaborate movements were lost on Claudette for a second. Confusion clear on her face as her head tilted in response. The man made the same movement again but slower.  

Oh.

It took her a second, but realization finally dawned on her. The man was using sign language. Suddenly the mans mysterious silence wasn’t so mysterious anymore to Claudette. She was glad she decided to learn ASL back when she was still in school. Her peers scorned her for deciding to take the class, but clearly all her efforts were rewarded. 

The man seemed to deflate slightly as he signed one more time before letting out a small breath and turning back to his pile of pumpkins. Her memory of her past teachings were hazy, but she was able to make out the gist of what the man was saying. 

“A witch. I’m gonna be a witch.” She answered. 

The man quickly turned back to her with that same, shocked look before it eventually melted back into his original stoic state. Although Claudette was definitely sure she’d seen the corners of his mouth lift up in a phantom of a smile and his cheeks get more colored.

Just as quick as he turned to look at her, he turned back to gather his pile of pumpkins, large hands holding the large bounty easily, and stood to walk out of the shop without another glance. 

Claudette smiled to herself as she watched his retreating figure, already thinking about their next interaction and what she could possibly say next. She didn’t even get the chance to ask for his name or anything else about the familiar stranger. Claudette let out a soft chuckle at her situation. She guessed she had to touch up on her sign language and ask him next time.