Posted on 08/09/2014 4:11:00 PM PDT by lee martell
I was now ready to throw my broken down dresser into the rubbish where it should have been for the last two years. I looked on Craigslist for a few weeks and found what I sought nearby. There was a Walnut, six drawer Highboy, lightly stained now on a street corner, available for pickup. I located the street in Corte Madera, near Towne Centre Shopping Mall. I should have brought a rope with me, but wanted to get there quickly, as I only had 90 minutes to get this done before starting my evening job in Novato. I have a four door Honda Civic, old model. I have been impressed at how well this old car runs, Virtually problem free, just requiring basic maintenance. So, I load the six drawers inside my car, remove the large paper "For Free" sign and set the dress back on the sidewalk, somewhat concealed by bushes. I go to Rite Aid and spend $7. on twine. I return to what is now 'my' dresser and shove it on the roof of my car. After about 25 minutes, I'm confident that I have secured the furniture in place. I take off for the freeway with my prize hog tied to the roof.
I stay in the slow lane and drive without any sudden stops, starts or hairpin turns. Even though I'm occupying the 'slowpokes' lane, many cars behind me are stunned that I refuse to go above 65 mph. Most get frustrated and drive around, giving me one last angry blast of their horn as they leave me in the dust. Some other cars don't take the hint that, no, I'm not going to be driving at or above 70mph in the SLOW lane, sorry pal. I make certain to avoid any eye contact with these most stubborn people. I just want to reach my exit, I'm not at war today. Look to someone else for your 'Custer Last Stand' moment. I reach my exit, and feel victorious, now off the freeway and out of most danger. I put my left hand out of the window to feel around, and yes, the dresser is still there. It didn't blow off into traffic. Another plus, I did not get stopped by a traffic cop asking why I was moving furniture without a padded blanket.
I drive up to my apartment, and one of the landlords' sons comes out, volunteers to help me move the dresser up to the second floor. It's still something to get used to, needing help moving things at times. I'd prefer not being the 'old guy' who needs help, but you know, sometimes the offer of a helpful hand is just that, not a judgement. With my bad ankle, I do need more help with kind of job, more than I did, say, three years ago. I get the new piece of furniture inside of my apartment. I spend the next few hours sifting through all the stuffs in my old dresser. What to keep, what to dispose of?
I decide to keep most of the handwritten letters from family and some friends. The majority of these letters were written before the dawn of the internet, when written correspondence was far more common and even expected. I now understand I am in the minority of people, in that I still like to write and mail letters, but nowadays, only to those who will actually read and respond to the letters, preferably with another letter. I have so many old Christmas Cards and Birthday Cards in old dresser. I have Father's Day and other cards I brought for people, but never got around to dropping in the box. I make the decision to keep one Christmas Card, and one Birthday Card to me from each immediate family member. I throw the rest away. They don't need to know it. Those thrown away cards have done their jobs, they passed the good will of others onto me. Time to move on, making new collections. I still have my High School graduation cap, with the green and white Tassle. I have a large zip up pencil case full of sepia toned wallet sized graduation photos from my Class of '74. Each student's photo has a dedication to me or a funny quip written on the back. I'm keeping those too. They can never be replaced. I have an old report card from 1971 ,showing my c+ in Biology and my A in two dimensional design. Those I'm keeping.
The older we get the more memories we have.
I don’t remember when I started posting to freerepublic. Well before the Lewinsky scandal. I’ve had different user names, as I have lost passwords and laptops.
But this is the oddest post I’ve seen. Even though I kind of enjoyed it.
Felt old, felt mortal, didn’t you?
You’ve been posting for quite a while. I’m glad you found some enjoyment from my ‘moving experience’.
From the first part of the title, I thought you were getting a new fashion designer.
LOL!
That’s a well written short short story.
Ya gotta keep a sense of humor these days.
http://kdvr.com/2014/03/01/cdot-i-25-reopens-after-104-car-pileup/
Supposedly caused by someone driving too slow with a dresser on top of the car.
http://kdvr.com/2014/03/01/cdot-i-25-reopens-after-104-car-pileup/
Supposedly caused by someone driving too slow with a dresser on top of the car.
That wasn’t me!/
LOL!
Lovely. Thank you. It was very enjoyable to read.
Though I’d have probably kept the cards.
Nice little short story. I enjoyed reading it.
Thanks. I had fun writing it all down. The best part is I didn’t need to make anything up.
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