Kindness for Everyone Else Art and Cassie had spotted the roadside sign at the same time.
"AMAZING FLEA MARKET - WE HAVE JUST WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR!!!" Cassie laughed.
"Well, 'amazing' AND three exclamation points.
We really have to go there.
" Art laughed too.
"Yes, obviously.
" He steered the car in the direction that the sign indicated.
As they walked around together, enjoying both the weather and the "amazing" displays, they began to slide into an increasingly familiar pattern.
They'd started to be casually critical and intolerant of each other, even while they remained their usual kind and generous selves with other people.
The first hit was at a table upon which was spread an "amazing" collection of old license plates.
Art's comment on first seeing the table was, "Whoa! How cool! Look, Cassie, some of these look like they must have come off the first Model Ts!" Cassie smiled encouragingly at the guy behind the table who was clearly proud of his collection and eager to share his passion.
She said, "You've clearly put your heart into collecting these.
" As they walked away and were out of earshot of the license plate guy, Cassie hissed to Art, "I cannot believe that you would find that kind of trash 'cool', Art.
It's just garbage he's collected off the side of the road.
" She sniffed and walked ahead of Art to show her displeasure.
The next hit happened when Cassie stopped at a table exhibiting ceramics.
She was oohing and aahing over some pots that to Art's eye looked like something their 6 year old might have made at camp.
Art was his usual warm and friendly self with the ceramics artist, telling her how much he enjoyed her work and thanking her for sharing it publicly.
Cassie left the table clutching a pot she'd fallen in love with, despite or because of its amorphous shape.
Art waited til they were far enough away not to be overheard and then said, "Do not even think of putting that hideous ceramic failure in our house.
Your taste has sunk to a new low, reminiscent in fact of your mother's.
" Cassie, holding her new treasure close, was stung to tears.
When they'd first met Art had been so accepting of her offbeat tastes.
He'd told her that he loved how she saw things differently from other people.
Now he seemed to insult her (and her mother!) so casually.
As she saw him relate to people at the flea market, it was clear that he only behaved this harshly with her.
A few minutes later he asked her if she'd like a chilled lemonade.
He seemed oblivious to the hurt that he'd caused her only a short time before.
She nodded to the offer of lemonade and followed him to the drink stand.
So that he could free his hands to pay, he asked her to hold his bag.
As she took it she saw that it contained two very old, very dented license plates from Illinois, where he'd been born.
She was about to tell him how stupid that purchase was and how he'd better keep those trashy things in the garage.
As she opened her mouth to speak, her gaze traveled from the license plates to her new ceramic pot.
Her mouth closed.
Suddenly aware that she was about to be as harsh with Art as she felt that he'd been with her, she was stopped in her tracks.
When she and Art had first gotten together she'd been touched by his sentimental nature.
When had she started to be irritable about it? And worse, when had she become unkind about it? The old guy with the license plate table had evoked only her kind recognition of his passion for collecting old license plates.
With her husband she skipped right over kind and went to critical.
She was still wounded by his nastiness about her new pot.
It was easy at that moment for her to see how her words to him would have stung him just as much.
When Art turned back to her with the lemonade, Cassie was smiling warmly and her first words, after "thank you", were, "Hey, I see you scored Illinois plates.
Cool! Where should we hang them?" Art, who'd been expecting to get blasted for buying them, stopped with the lemonade midway between them.
He regained his momentum, smiled back and said, "How about over your new pot?" He handed her the lemonade and put his arm around her waist.
"We'll pick somewhere special.
"