Plus ça change...

[Erik_Kowal]

Arnold and his wife Gemma were cleaning out their attic when Arnold came across a ticket from the local shoe repair shop. The date stamped on the ticket showed it was over eleven years old. They both laughed and tried to remember which of them might have forgotten to pick up a pair of shoes over a decade ago.

"Do you think the shoes will still be in the shop?" Arnold asked.

"Not very likely," Gemma replied.

"It's probably still worth a try," said Arnold, pocketing the ticket.

Later the same day, Arnold hopped into the car to drive to the supermarket for groceries. On his way he stopped off at the shoe repair shop. With a straight face, he handed his ticket to the man behind the counter.

With a face just as straight, the shoe repairer said, "Just a minute while I search for these." He disappeared into a dark corner at the back of the shop.

Two minutes later, he called out, "OK, I’ve found them!"

"No kidding?" Arnold called back. "That's terrific! Who would have thought they'd still be here after all this time!"

The shoe repairer came back to the counter empty-handed.

Smiling pleasantly, he told Arnold, "Ready Thursday.”