whitehothair

On March 17 at Ms. Vickie’s Flea Market in Cleveland, Tennessee, a lady wearing a St. Patrick’s Day hat walked up to a vendor’s table and found comfort for her aching feet for just $2.

God helps those who cannot help themselves and also those who can.

Jesus said, “What do you have? Let’s use that.”

Sitting on top of a hill at 2051 South Lee Highway, Ms. Vickie’s (msvickiesfleamarket@hotmail.com) is a neat and clean arrangement of storage booths and vendor tables. Ms. Vickie can be reached at 423-650-1879.

On that one day, vendors offered glassware; birdhouses; sports gear; Barbie dolls; a small flat-screen television set; a stroller; dream-catchers; clothing; socks; a baby bed mattress; a fanny pack; a Kate Smith cassette tape of inspirational favorites; teddy bears; a turquoise backpack and clear angel ornaments trimmed in gold-colored paint. You get the idea. There’s just about anything and everything.

“Everything on that rack is 50 cents,” a lady vendor said, encouraging folks to stop by her table.

One gentleman bought a hand-crocheted afghan for his sick wife at home and he spoke out about how much precious time someone had spent on crocheting that covering.

A woman who joyfully reported she’d lost 100 pounds bought a size 12 dress for $3 in flowing midnight blue and green with gold. She looked happy.

One vendor thoughtfully picked up a pink blouse that was about to fall to the ground. “I think it was there by imagination,” she said. “It was barely hangin’ on.” Don’t we know.

A blonde lady with long legs like the actress Melanie Griffith floated through the tables wearing a red satin blouse and slim black pants. How did she manage that? How did she look bold and shy at the same time? She looked gorgeous.

A small dog barked, people sashayed through the tables and booths and rainbow-colored streamers on a girl’s bicycle whispered in the breeze on that bright blue day at Ms. Vickie’s.

The sun was hot enough for sunburns and shades. For $1, you can buy soft drinks from a cooler packed with ice at Ms. Vickie’s. Nobody got perplexed. Vendors walked or talked or relaxed in fold-out chairs.

At first, the soft-spoken lady who got the soft beige shoes looked hesitant, but her husband or partner (maybe both) said, “Try them on” in a protective voice.

“Oh, yes,” the lady said. “That’s my size! The shoes feel good.”