The Discreet Charm of our Butcher
With elections seemingly everywhere this year, we asked our butcher and his wife whom they were voting for in the French presidential run-off. Mrs. butcher went into a trance-like state and Mr. butcher went into his cooler. We pressed. “Oh, no,” she finally said, “we in commerce cannot say whom we support. That might upset some of our clients.”
“But we’re Americans. You can tell us because we can’t vote here.” She demurred once more. “Look, we’ll tell you whom we’re going to vote for in our elections.”
No deal. ”We are business people,” she said proudly. “We are forbidden to discuss politics in our business place.” Sort of a private Hatch Act that keeps shops from turning into brawls, I guess.
We shouldn’t have been too surprised. She is always the most discreet of human beings. When she saw an article about our book in a regional paper, she waited to mention it until we were the only customers in the store. “If we get a copy, would you sign it for us?”
When the book was in their hands, it was again a quiet little dance, as she ushered other customers out and then got the book out for our signatures.
Last week we had a chance to prove we had learned our lesson. She asked if we would be willing to donate a signed copy of the book to the local library of which she has been the treasure for many years. We agreed.
We packed the book in an opaque bag, and, after we had paid for our purchase, we quietly handed it to her with a “This is for you.”
She smiled the way you smile at children who have cleaned their rooms. “Our local readers thank you,” she said.