The morning after Christmas was glorious. There was a light dusting of snow covering almost everything in the alley, giving the normally grimy place a pure and pristine appearance. Heat from the vent off the dry cleaners kept Albert's and Marianne's shelter free of snow, but their cardboard roof had become saturated from the melting snow and they had to carefully climb out from under it and lean it against the wall to dry. Looking upward, they could see a small sliver of clear sky between the buildings so when they gathered and hid their things they didn't have to worry about more snow or rain.
It was early, but the bustle out in the street was getting louder so Albert got Marianne to hurry getting ready for their excursion to the thrift shop. After visiting the storm drain for their morning toilet break, they finished the last of their cold pizza for breakfast and headed out with their fully loaded wagon. Near the street Albert peeked around the corner and confirmed the dry cleaners hadn't opened yet, so they quickly sneaked past.
"I don't know why we have to be so secret about this, the clothes were all in the dumpster," Marianne complained.
"I've been thinking about it," Albert replied, "and I figure either these clothes are like from a lost and found... like clothes people just dropped off and either forgot about or just left or maybe a pissed off employee or delivery truck driver decided to knock off early and just dump the clothes there. If these are lost and found items then there is no problem, but if someone dumped these without permission, we could get accused of something. That's why I wanted to sneak past so early."
"Okay, I see your point," she said and then snuggling against him she continued, "but after last night I still needed some more rest."
Albert just smiled and pulled the wagon across the street. The thrift shop was only a few blocks away so they'd be early, but Albert knew of an alleyway where they could sit waiting for the store to open. Pulling the wagon with his right hand, he reached out his other hand and took Marianne's. They walked the rest of the way to the thrift shop hand in hand, with Marianne one step behind Albert using her free hand to keep the clothes from spilling.
After a little over an hour wait, they followed the store owner into the shop as he unlocked the door. They stood patiently, leaning on the tall stack of clothes to keep them from falling onto the floor. The shop owner disappeared into the back for several minutes and when he reappeared he carried his cash drawer. Keeping his eyes firmly on Albert and Marianne he pushed the drawer into his cash register and then turned to the couple.
"What can I do you for?" he asked. He was very thin, too thin, as if he had been sick and as he spoke a sound rattled in his chest. Both Albert and Marianne could hear a strange liquid gurgling as he breathed.
Stepping forward Albert said, "We'd like to sell these clothes."
"Well, that's quite a lot," the store owner mumbled. "It's gonna take a while, you might want to go get some breakfastβ¦"
"No, we'll wait here," Albert said firmly.