Chaise Lounge

My Grandma Thelma had a yellow chaise lounge. Maybe it was really more of the shade termed "maize". My mom used the maize color a lot in her wild-life oil-paintings(probably most during her  big cat phase). She always sold those paintings fairly quickly. Anyhow,Grandma's lounge sure reminded me of rows of sweet, tender "maize" or corn. It's yellow textured rows kept my lithe fingers occupied and I even liked the low hum my fingers emitted when I ran them over the rows fast enough during the Sunday afternoons we frequented grandma Goodwin's house.  I still dream of her house some nights. She passed away over five years ago, and Grandpa Goodwin passed away over eight years ago. Whenever I see a chaise lounge I think of Grandma and when I smell cigar smoke , it is my Grandpa Frank's slick white hair and impeccably buttoned shirt that come first to my mind.
I was running today and passed a garage sale with a chaise lounge out front. Usually the item closest to the curb, also happens to be the family's most beloved . I saw the lady of the house place the chaise closest to the curb and knew this must be one of her favorite pieces she was having to give  up. I stopped and talked to her. "Oh, a chaise lounge!" I exclaimed, "I love chaise lounges! What a lovely piece!"
 "Oh, yes!" she said, "It is one of my favorite places to read."
"Are you guys moving?" I queried.
"No," she said. "We just combined two families and we have furniture coming out of our ears."
"I have been waiting for a reading chaise," I said. " My grandma had one and my brothers and sisters used to fight over it when we went over to her house. I almost bought one a few months ago, but thought I would wait and keep looking."
"Yes, we had one growing up too and we spent so much time on it that I bought one for my kids thinking they would love one .This one cost me $450 in Texas and we loved it so much there that I had it shipped for $500 to Vegas. it's almost like a family member. I know it is weird, but I want it to go to a good home if I can't keep it!"
"Well, every time I sit on it I will think of my Grandma. I'm afraid my kids will fight for it and my dogs too, but it will certainly be used by a family. Do you think you can hold it while I go wake up my husband?"
"Sure! Hurry back!"
On my way home to drag Dave out of bed, I started thinking about stuff. Last night, I was looking at blinds with Dave at Lowe's Improvement Center. This may seem like a mundane, run-of-the mill activity, but let me tell you HOW MUCH I ENJOYED a mundane, run-of-the mill activity! I called my mom from the middle of Lowe's and said, "Mom, guess what I am doing? I am looking at blinds!!!!!"
She said, "Really, and how do you feel about that?"
I told her, "Just peachy! I am really enjoying looking at plain, boring blinds! I might look at curtain rods too!"
She giggled and I think she winked at me through the phone ;)
Just  months ago, I had been looking for window shades and blinds and had had to leave Lowe's.  My sixteen-year old was very ill at that time.  We thought we going to have to go back East to do "zap" treatments, I called it. (It was really electro-convulsive therapy to bring her back to reality.) At that point in my life I thought, "I don't give a damn about my window shades!!! I don't give a damn about my dishes or my unmatched silver ware. I was having a hard time remembering when I had washed my hair last.  I marched out to the car and left Dave standing in the middle of Lowe's.  Here it was just a few months later and not only had I looked at blinds and curtain rods, but a chaise lounge to boot!
I rushed through the front door and caught Dave in his underwear on a Saturday morning.
"I found a chaise lounge," I said.
"A what???" he asked.
"Remember that ugly yellow couch thing at my grandma's house that was so comfortable? I found something like it. Except this is cuter! It's at a garage sale and it needs a good home. Come quick before someone else steals it. The lady said she would put some junk on it so no one else would get it , but we gotta hurry."
"Alright,alright, but I have to get some pants on or she might turn me into the cops."
When we turned the curb to the lady's house there were two guys in nice pants and sunglasses sitting on our chaise!
"Oh great," I told Dave. "Maybe you took too long getting dressed. You should have just come in your underwear."
He laughed and said, "She won't sell it, that thing is for you and you know it."
Sure enough, I found her and she said she had saved it just for me even though those "fancy pants" had offered her more $.
Before we loaded it up and took it home, I found out the nice lady's name was "Tia", the name of my sister. Tia,  likes to run too! Not only did I find a chaise lounge, but a nice friend who bears the unique name of my sister.
All in all, it's been a good couple of days. I found blinds, curtains, a chaise and a friend. I told my mom that my real worry, all those months ago, was that I may not ever experience spontaneous joy again.  My joy has returned as Syd's joy has returned. Hearing her laugh  come back has brought my laughter back. And from the words of my favorite book, "Frankly, Scarlet, It  DOES  feel good to give a damn again" ;)