Claire's Tea Shop by Lori Wolf-Heffner

Author:Lori Wolf-Heffner [Wolf-Heffner, Lori]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Head in the Ground Publishing

“I need to buy some tea as a gift,” Mr. Shoemaker said.

“What’s the occasion?” Claire asked.

“I will be traveling to Romania soon to visit my family.”

“You have family in Romania? How lovely.” Mr. Shoemaker rarely said much, and Claire often found herself trying to figure out the details of his life, including his name, which didn’t match his accent. She enjoyed trying to guess what her customers’ lives were like. Certainly not in any intrusive way! It was just pure curiosity. So, Mr. Shoemaker—despite the last name—was probably from Romania. “Cousins? What do they like? I will definitely have a tea for them.”

Mr. Shoemaker gazed at the floor. “My wife and children.”

Claire’s cheeks burned. She had not expected that answer. “Mr. Shoemaker, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked—”

The elderly gentleman shook his head. “I don’t talk much about them. When I saw what was happening in Europe in the Thirties… I had already seen war once.” He paused as if lost in thought. He shivered. “It almost killed me. I couldn’t face it again. I begged my wife to join me, with our children, but she wouldn’t. She wanted to stay home. All we have now are letters and photos, and a phone call at Christmas.”

Letters and photos and an annual phone call? To his wife and children? For the last thirty years? Claire’s heart ached for him. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Shoemaker. I didn’t know.”

He shrugged and waved her apology away.

Claire regained her composure. She needed to lift Mr. Shoemaker’s spirits, even if for a moment. “I can certainly help you find something.” She read across the names of dozens of tea tins and lifted down an exquisite Assam black tea with floral scents. She opened the tin and let Mr. Shoemaker inhale the aroma.

For the first time since he had patronized her shop, Mr. Shoemaker’s sadness lifted. “Eva loves her garden. Yes, this is perfect. I’ll take two tins, please.”

As Claire retrieved two tins from her storage room, she realized she needed to do more for Mr. Shoemaker than sell him tea. She grabbed a third tin.

“Oh, no, just two, please,” he said. “If I take too much, the border patrol at the airport in Romania will think it’s important and will steal it all.”

Claire had heard such stories about Communist countries. It didn’t surprise her. But she tried to put his worries to rest. “This third one is a gift for you. That way, whenever you receive a letter from Mrs. Shoemaker, you can make yourself the same tea she drinks. When your tin is empty, come back and I’ll fill it again.”

Mr. Shoemaker shook his head. “I can’t accept such a gift…”

“I insist. You’ve been coming here since I first opened. Consider this not as a gift then, but as my way of saying thank you.”

His eyes lit up. He paid for the tea for his wife and said a quiet thank you to Claire. As he walked out the door, he clutched all three tins of tea to his heart.

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