Roger and Stanley's Antiques

“Roger and Stanley’s Antiques”

It’s not every day you walk into your house to find your wife “with” the man from next door. But that’s exactly what TJ Sullivan found on the morning of February 22, 2021 when he arrived home early to Providence, RI from a business trip in Manassas, VA.

Should he really have been that surprised? Newly promoted as the regional sales manager at Gregory Rainer and Sons, TJ had been on travel a lot the past few years. He hadn’t expected the promotion, or the $20,000 pay increase that came with it, but he gladly took it. He felt he owed Mr. Rainer, and he threw himself into his new role. He spent less time at home and had stopped taking care of himself - he had started developing “issues” in the bedroom. In short, he was consumed by his work. Could he really be “that” mad at Molly for enjoying herself with the 26-year-old “stud” from next door? TJ didn’t know, but he did know Mr. Rainer’s slogan - “Don’t be a sucker; don’t get taken for a ride”. Mr. Rainer was a hard man, but said he only employed self-respecting, highly dignified, and “upright” people - or at least, that’s how Mr. Rainer began all his “pep talks”.

TJ and Molly tried to “talk it through” over the next few days, but TJ decided he wasn’t going to be a sucker. He filed for divorce. Explaining to 6-year-old Timmy and 4-year-old Chloe was difficult, but they got through it. It was unnecessary (and inappropriate) for Molly to confess to “kissing another man” - it left the kids even more bewildered. But such was life. The house was sold, and TJ found himself living in an apartment on the west side of Providence. Molly and the kids went to live with her parents. He would get the kids every other weekend (assuming he wasn’t working).

Ironically, work had eased up a little bit, and TJ found himself with more time on his hands. On Sunday morning - when he didn’t have the kids - he spent this time meandering through Providence. TJ would walk to Kennedy Plaza, where he’d pick up a bus to go to the East Side. He usually grabbed a coffee and a very big cookie from the Meeting Street Café, and then would return home. One brisk spring day, he stumbled across “Roger and Stanley’s Antiques” on North Cushing Road. TJ went into the store, which was packed with antique furniture. But on the wall were hosts of artifacts and treasures from various cultures - an ancient Viking mirror, Native American soul catchers, and Egyptian ankhs.

He came up to a very old bookcase, which was devoid of all books, except a small black book with a leather cover that was made hard and stiff over time. There was no title. Out of curiosity, he picked it up and opened it. The book was a notebook, but not like a Mead notebook with lines; it only had blank, faded pages. He leafed through it, flipping the pages to see if anyone had ever used this book. He stopped when he saw the pencil sketch of a woman. A voice spoke behind him, and he turned. It was an elderly man, perhaps in his 70s. The man was the proprietor. Apparently, there had been a big estate sale, and he had just acquired several antiques from it – including the bookcase. The notebook had come incidentally with the sale but was of little value to him. “It’s yours for free, if you promise to come back and buy some antiques”, the proprietor said as he smiled wryly and walked off to help one of the other customers.

The next Sunday was TJ’s turn with the kids. He had a blast, but in the back of his mind he was very keen to get back to Roger and Stanley’s. Afterall, he didn’t have much furniture - the kids had to sit on a few chairs, and there were no cabinets for them to store their books and toys. He needed some furniture, and maybe the antique store could fit this need (and the prices were right too!). The bookcase was his first purchase, but each Sunday – when he didn’t have his kids and when he wasn’t working - he’d buy other things. Every time he got home from those trips up to North Cushing Road, TJ would take out the little black notebook and reflect on the pencil sketch. Who was the woman? Who drew it? While looking at the sketch, he’d always think about Molly and be filled with mixed emotions - but mostly anger. He had started to think that if Gregory Rainer hadn’t worked him so hard, he might still be married. Afterall, Gregory Rainer was often an idiot boss (with 3 even bigger idiot sons). Who goes around saying things like, “Don’t be a sucker”?

On one July morning, while he was “reflecting”, he noticed the pencil sketch of the woman had rubbed off onto the adjacent page. The smudge almost looked like a Rorschach inkblot. In TJ’s mind, it looked like the beginnings of a face. It inspired something in TJ. TJ went to get a pencil and began to sketch. As he drew, he felt as if his emotions were going into the pages of the paper. TJ really enjoyed sketching - and so it became part of his new ritual: go to Roger and Stanley’s, look at the picture in the notebook, and draw. Soon, instead of just drawing on Sunday, he started his sketching on Friday night. On more than one occasion, Molly had to call him on Saturday morning to ask, “Are you coming to get the kids?”.

On August 20th, TJ found himself examining the inside part of the cover. Embedded into the cover, he noticed a string of numbers: 2-28-31-44-18x3. He took note; maybe he’d ask the proprietor if it was related to who manufactured the notebook. It occurred to him that this was the same format as a Powerball number - and hey, why not just give that a try? Life had been rough the past year, and it might be fun to see if the “universe” (or god or “whatever”) was sending him a message. The next time he was at the gas station, he bought a lottery ticket with those numbers. He put it in his notebook; and fantasized about the great things he could do if he won, like quit his job and tell Gregory Rainer his real opinion of the man. Or maybe (just maybe) he could “get” a new girlfriend (as if they were for sale) from Johnson and Wales University or Providence College that he could parade around in front of Molly the next time he went to pick the kids up. Naturally, as he was thinking those thoughts, he was also drawing. After several hours, he smiled. His sketch was done. He had changed that original “Rorschach inkblot” into something - beautiful? He felt a deep coldness go through him; what would he do now that his sketch was finished? Then, a deep sense of warmth filled him. TJ felt complete. He closed his eyes.

5 weeks later, Mr. Gregory Rainer was in his office when he received a call. It was Molly Sullivan (what did she want anyway!). Molly told Greg that TJ hadn’t been to pick the kids up or responsive to phone calls in weeks. His landlord had no idea where he was. Molly thought that Greg knew. But Greg was just as clueless and was concerned. Greg told Molly that TJ was a hard worker, but he had been making business trips and taking time off without giving proper notice. Usually this was a few days - maybe a week here and there. Greg had meant to confront TJ about this, and 5 weeks was simply outrageous.

In February 2022, Caroline Smith found herself walking down Hope Street. She passed Cushing Street, and then Bowen. She turned left at North Cushing Road. It was one of those small streets that you can pass by every day, but never really notice. Caroline was curious. She was getting bored with life. Although she was very (very) aware that boredom was a first world, “privileged” problem, she was still bored. She wanted new adventures. She turned left onto North Cushing Road, and noticed the big sign: “Roger and Stanley’s Antiques”. What a find! She went in. The store was filled with antique furniture and the walls were covered with other delights. She wondered if some of these artifacts were really “real” or imitations. She kept moving through the store until she reached a big bookcase. It was completely empty, except for a very vintage leather-bound black notebook on one of the shelves. She picked it up and opened it. A small piece of paper fell out. She bent down and picked it up - it was a lottery ticket. What was a lottery ticket doing in this book? Looking up to see if the proprietor was watching, she slipped it into her pocket. Afterall, it probably wasn’t a winning ticket - and if it was, did the proprietor deserve it? He had this great business, and she knew she would do something good with the money - but would he? She always wanted to win the lottery to make the “Caroline Smith Charitable Adventures Organization: A place where Charity and Adventure Meet” (but should she include her middle initial “E”, or exclude it? - she often wondered). Anyways, it was probably not a winning ticket (why would a winning ticket be in the notebook). She stood back up and paged through the notebook. The pages were completely empty. All except one, that is. It was a picture of a man. He looked young, but angry, and maybe sad. There was a certain realism to the picture that engrossed her, but before she could get too wrapped up, she was interrupted by the proprietor. “Excuse me, ma’am, this vintage notebook was part of an estate sale. It has very little value to us here, but its yours to keep, if you promise to come back.”