I dig through an anemic assortment of cassettes, hoping vaguely for a Neil Young or Leonard Cohen gem.
Good Will shopping is like any garage sale; fishing in shit for a priceless prize.
"Can I squeeze in?" asks a woman in her mid-to-late forties, smiling widely.
"Sure," I say, sounding apologetic and moving an inch or two to the side.
"I have one of these at home," she says.
"A tape player?"
"Yeah. It's a small apartment. It's hard, you know, in this economy."
"Yeah."
"What about you? You have a job?"
"Nope."
"It's a struggle nowadays."
I listen to her obvious observations, and politely pretend to care.
"Makes ya wonder what we're all supposed to do in this economy."
"Yep. I guess we'll have to find another way," I tell her.
"Well I'm just looking for my favorite," she says, "Guess who?" but before I can, her hand in her cleavage, reeling up an "I Love Michael Jackson" pendant.
"That's cool," I lie.
"I grew up on his music. You see the Janet show last month?"
"Uh-uh."
"It was amazing. I'm a modern girl, but I'm into the older stuff."
"Oh yeah?"
"I mean, I like new music too and everything, but I'm not really into the language. It's the way that I was brought up, you know? My mother would've smacked me if I used those kind of words."
"It is a bit unnecessary," I tell her, stealing a peek at the part of her freckled chest that's exposed.
A part of myself is repelled by the woman. The unappealing tan that she places on display and the way she speaks of money. These are obnoxious but can be overlooked. Her eyes are unusually bright for an adult. Her teeth are an aged, ivory white. Her face isn't ugly or even plain; it's emphatically appealing in a clownish kind of way. Thoughts of her entertaining children come to mind.
In a very real way, I think I need the attention. I've not been so ardently admired in a while.