This was published 2 years ago
Secondhand romance: Finding your match in the op shop aisles
By Danny Katz
Working in an op shop, I have a customer who’s quite a good sort. Is it foolhardy of me to ask him out for a drink? We are both mature in years and there’s no sign of a wedding ring.
L.M., Balaclava, VIC
You never know what treasures you’ll find at an op shop!Credit: Alamy
A: No wedding ring is not always a sign of singleness. I’m married, but I lost my wedding ring years ago and never got it replaced. So whenever my wife and I are out together, strangers must think she’s a married woman who’s having a fling with a studly, hot-bodded toy boy. Let people think what they think. Doesn’t bother me.
So maybe you should be looking for more op-shoppy signs of singleness. Have you spotted this customer buying crockery for one? Have you seen him thumbing through a secondhand copy of Somebody Hold Me: The Single Person’s Guide to Nurturing? Has he ever asked if you’ve got any face-sculpted pottery jugs for his Jugs with Mugs collection (or breast-sculpted pottery mugs for his Mugs with Jugs collection)?
Have you noticed any mature single man vibes when he chats with you? Does he smile flirtatiously while twirling a tuft of hair around his finger (if there’s none on his head, poking out of his shirt neck)?
It’s never foolhardy to ask a good sort out for a drink. The worst that can happen is he says no and you can say, “Oh, I just thought you were an op-shoppy type who might enjoy sitting down and discussing the kitsch-aesthetics of 1970s Pyrex cookware. But if you’re not interested, that’s fine”.
The best that can happen is he says yes and something beautiful develops. Maybe he’ll even join his crockery for one with your crockery for one and the two of you can enjoy a passionate evening of vintage, mismatched, slightly chipped crockery sets.
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