No Warranties Expressed or Implied

By Dennis Wedge

This is our story of our life for ten years in Our Thrift Antique Shop in Southern California. It deals with the lives and deaths of several customers, who mainly became family. The stories are true and heartfelt. It shows how life can change in an instant. We're all faced with diversities and challenges. There are no guarantees with life, we all must keep trying. Theirs is a circle of life, in reality most of us are the same. Just playing different roles. We feel people will relate to these stories. Blessings find you in the strangest places. Maybe even a junk store.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Oct 27, 2009
• ISBN: 9781450001922

Dennis Wedge

We’ve been together going on 20 years. It’s been a rollercoaster ride. We’ve had our ups and downs. All and all most days we’re very happy together. We both agree that we are soulmates.

Book preview

Copyright © 2009 by Dennis Wedge and Diane Wedge.

ISBN:        Softcover         978-1-4415-9324-5

                 Ebook               978-1-4500-0192-2

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

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Contents

Chapter 1: The Life of Little Willie

Chapter 2: Dudley the Carney

Chapter 3: Steve the Towtruck driver

Chapter 4: Silvia and Ray Hernandez

Chapter 5: Mary from the Hood

Chapter 6: Beautiful Stephanie

Chapter 7: Big Red (Karen)

Chapter 8: Randy and Mary

Chapter 9: The story of Mable

Chapter 10: Otis

Chapter 11: The Next Phase

Chapter 12: Mr. Lester Matthews, Running out of Options

Chapter 13: The story of Neal, What will it take to get a sale?

Chapter 14: The Third Phase All good things must come to an end

For here we have no continuing City,

but we seek one to come.

***Hebrews 13 : 14

All of the stories in this book are true,

all the names have been changed

any resemblance to the name is,

purely coincidental.

Introduction

T HIS IS THE start of my book, 10 years in one place, the life of a junk store. It really irratates my wife Diane when I call it a junk store. All the people we got to meet, and know, my wife and myself. The storys are real some of the names have been changed to keep everybody safe. First alittle about the author my name is Dennis, my wife is Diane the Wedge’s from Riverside, Calif 92509. Rubidoux to be exact, another name for the area, was Bell Town. We were in are late 30’s, when we opened our store, it was located at 2960 Rubidoux Boulivard, the main street in our town. We Purchased all the things, that we put in the Thrift, Antique Shop, from Mini-Storage Auctions also from Estate sale’s. We usually had great items, most of the time, we would have some really nice things. It would surprize people. Some people would come in almost every day, to see what was new. It was a small place so it seemed like it was always packed in there. We had approxiamatly 2000 square foot. It was broken up into three rooms. Outside we had Six parking place’s in front. We would put things out front so people could see it when they drove by. Almost every parking space, would be filled with furniture. It alway’s looked like we had lot of stuff. It was alot of work! It took us over a hour to Open in the morning. It was longer in the afternoon to Close. Six day’s a week from 8am to 6pm, we spent alot of time there.

The story’s I will tell you are not in order, some are starting from the first year we opened, some could be from year eight or nine. Diane and I had been married, for almost 10 years when we opened the store. She ran the front of the store. When a person would come in she would always greet them in a way to make them feel comfortable. Her goal was to make them feel at home. No matter what they looked like. Her feelings were, a Book can never be judged by it cover. She had learned that from past experiences. Most of the time it was True. I would be in the back, where I would be unloading the truck or cleaning things. I was also a good salesman. Trying to stay busy, but people were always coming and going, we were in a Strip Mall. We had a restaurant on one side of us and an Autoshop on the other. The Blue Diamond Restaurant and S & M Auto Repair. The name of our Shop was BEST DEAL THRIFT & ANTIQUES.

Chapter 1

The Life of Little Willie

W ILLIE CAME INTO this world under tough circumstances his dad was a 60 year old Loser. His mom a 19 year old crack addict, whore. They had met one night at some bar and spent the next few month together and little Willie was concieved. Little Willie wasn’t brought into this world with love & happiness and all the great things usually go along with having a baby. But instead he was brought into this world with sadness, anger and discontent. They didn’t seem to want Little Willie at all! But he didn’t know that. He went on with the life he had been dealt and made the best out of it.

His Dad was fighting alot of demons. He was a drug user and a drunk and didn’t work. He was a junker he would haul metal to the scrap yard for money, or do what ever he could to make money. But at 60 years old he couldn’t do much. The drug’s and booze had took it’s toll and made it harder on his old body. The mom and big Willie weren’t together for long just long enough. Little Willie was left with his Dad. Who couldn’t take care of him very well, but seemed to try his best.

About that time little Willie came into our life, he was almost 3 years old. He had a rough ride for being so small. He came into our Thrift store and seeing all that stuff in one spot. Who knows what he must of thought?. He loved it, he would have a great time. He would find something like a toy and bring it to me. I would send him to go ask Diane the price. He was so cute he would try to act so big for such a little guy. After awhile you could tell little Willie was the happiest when at our store. Big Willie would tell me how little Willie would look forward to coming to the store. He loved Diane she would make over him and give him little toy’s and things. Even my lunch or a soda. We we’re taken by him, he had the run of the place. He added spice to our life. As the months went by we got closer to little Willie.

One day it was summer time, and big Willie was coming off a Three day drunk, he stopped by my Thrift Shop. Big Willie spots this old cook stove I had, up for sale. He wanted it. I was there trying to sell merchandise, I needed the money, I made him a deal on that stove. We were getting ready to load the stove. All of the sudden he stops abruptly. He says "I’m going to The Blue Diamond restaurant to get a bowl of soup and a sandwich, for little Willie. We we’re unaware Little Willie was in the truck. Big Willie left the key’s in the truck. The windows rolled up, to where there was just a small crack on top of the window. It must’ve been 100 degrees outside, he left the truck running.

Big Willie comes back with his food. I was done loading the stove. He starts freaking out, he says, I left little Willie in the truck. So he would’nt get in our way. I forgot to tell you guys." While Big Willie was at the restaurant little Willie had locked the doors to the truck. The truck had no air conditioning, it was early August extremely hot outside. It had to be twice as warm inside that old truck. It had to have been about 25 to minutes, no air, window slightly cracked. Little Willie looked very distraught. I then felt bad, stupid, when I loaded the stove on the truck I failed to look. Why didn’t I see Little Willie, was up In the front of the truck.

Willie saw the door locked and continues to get worse, really stressed out. He was sincerely panicking. I aided in getting the truck door open, I kept talking to Little Willie. When we did get him out. I could tell he was worried [ Little Willie]. He was Hot and sweating, shaking, I looked in his eye’s. Little Willie had a scared look. I’d never seen a look in a little boys eye’s like that. So it really touched my heart, in the next few month’s Little