She found my salon after one conversation at the flea market

My name is Tony. I am 35, Vietnamese, and work as a nail tech in Biloxi, Mississippi.

I met Sofia at a flea market on one of my rare Sundays off.

She was 32, Hispanic, and standing in front of an old table lamp that looked like it had been sitting in someone’s garage for twenty years.

She asked whether I thought it was worth buying.

I told her the lamp was either vintage or one bad wire away from starting a fire.

She laughed and asked me to help inspect it.

We spent a few minutes checking the cord and looking for damage. The lamp actually seemed fine, so she bought it.

After that, we walked through a few more booths together.

Sofia was easy to talk to. She asked what I did for work, and I told her I was a nail tech.

She seemed surprised, then said my hands made more sense now because my nails were cleaner than hers.

I mentioned the salon where I worked, but I did not give her a card or my phone number.

When we separated, I assumed that was the end of it.

A week later, Sofia walked into my salon.

At first, I thought it was a coincidence.

Then she asked for me by name.

She said she wanted a manicure, although her nails already looked good.

During the appointment, she admitted she had searched online until she found the salon.

I was surprised by how direct she was.

Most women I met expected the man to do all the chasing. Sofia had decided she wanted to see me again and did something about it.

She started booking with me every two weeks.

Sometimes she brought coffee. Once, she brought a picture of the lamp after cleaning it and putting it in her apartment.

My coworkers noticed that she stayed longer than necessary after every appointment.

They kept telling me she liked me.

I liked her too, but I was careful because she was my customer. I did not want to misunderstand friendliness and make her uncomfortable.

Sofia eventually became tired of waiting.

After one appointment, she asked whether I planned to invite her out or continue pretending I did not notice what she was doing.

I told her I had noticed.

I was simply trying to respect the line between customer and nail tech.

She said she understood, but she had not spent weeks finding my salon and booking appointments because she needed help choosing nail colors.

Then she asked me to dinner herself.

I said yes.

Our first date felt natural because we already knew so much about each other from her appointments.

Sofia later admitted she almost did not approach me at the flea market. She had only asked about the lamp because she thought I was attractive and needed an opening.

That made me laugh because I had believed the lamp started everything by accident.

We have been together for almost a year now.

Sofia still gets her nails done at my salon, but another tech usually takes her appointment. My coworkers say I work too slowly when she sits with me.

The old lamp is still in her apartment.

It works perfectly.

Sofia says it was the best thing she ever bought.

I tell her the lamp was not the important part.

She could have asked me about anything that day, and I still would have remembered her.