(22/5/2015) Pete Dawson is a middle-aged, married man with three children and has been an East London pawnbroker for a vast majority of his working life. He runs with his less than enthusiastic partner, Phil. His life, since his children have grown up is predictable and quite often mundane. His two eldest children Melissa and the elusive Simon have little time for him as they are leading their own busy, but different lives. His youngest daughter Leanne, who returns from an extended vacation to Australia, is his favourite because at least she’s interested in her Dad. His wife, Kathy has grown a little weary of him as he has of her. Life is not bad for him at all, but he finds himself just plodding along without very much in the way of a diversion from the norm and finds himself becoming agitated and annoyed with things beyond his control. What keeps Pete entertained and occasionally frustrated are the regular and often peculiar interactions with his customers. He decides to write a diary in an attempt to make sense or even to justify why he does what he does and in some way to prove to himself that however bad he thinks his life is, he only has to listen to how some of his customers behave to realise that not everything is wrong in his world. Although he is not looking for a reason to make his life a little more `interesting’, the opportunity comes about in time as his young work colleague Sabrina becomes an object of his affection. It is a feeling which is clearly mutual. For a person who for some considerable time has been just part of the furniture at work, she begins to project hidden depths and Pete begins to wonder if he’s becoming slightly obsessed with her. Although the storyline is purely fictional, most of the incidents and interactions with customers within the shop are factual and have actually happened to the author.
