Big. Stupid. Lame.
So, Thursday came and I needed some cheering up. Instead of eating copious amounts of cookies or black licorice or what-have-you, I went to my local thrift store to find something fantastic (that some crazy person thought was trash) to be my new treasure. I spent some time in men’s dress shirts, the “collectibles” section, books, dishes, the lamp department, old ugly couches, and then I saw the chairs. And my heart stopped.
There it was, the most perfect rocking chair ever built. It was small, perfect to fit in the corner of CreamPuff’s room. It wasn’t some awful “shabby chic” or “country” (aka dirty) finish. It didn’t have any ratty upholstery, it was all wood. It wasn’t oak, so no ugly oak grain to ruin an otherwise perfectly good piece of furniture. It was ash or maple, maybe cherry, in a beautiful spicy cinnamon color, and the finish was barely worn. It was absolutely every shade of perfect. And, it was comfortable. I sat in it and rocked Creamie for 10 minutes. She loved it.
As my heart told me that this was the chair that I would spend the rest of my life with, my mind started racing with what would be the absolute worst possible scenario. And I was literally frozen in my spot. I didn’t want to get out of my chair to go find someone to tell them I needed help purchasing it… what if someone came and pilfered it out from under me! What if in the 1 minute it would take for me to find some help, someone else came by, only, they weren’t holding a baby, so they could just pick it up. What if they had a son, or brother or husband with them, and the big burly man just threw it over his shoulders and carried it away. What if an alien abducted my perfect chair to rock her alien babies to sleep in. So, I just sat there paralyzed with fear and rocked until an employee wandered within earshot. And then I nabbed her.
Michelle was very helpful. She taped the sold sign on it. She told me to go pay for it and come back. I went and paid for it, and brought her back my receipt so she could fill out the rest of the tag. She kept half the SOLD ticket, and she gave me the other half… like a heart shaped best friends necklace. She said “Come pick it up whenever”. I said “Sure”. I couldn’t wait for my new best friend to come home to my house and live in Creamie’s room. I went home euphoric. I called hubby and told him that I needed him to go and pick it up in our bigger car. He said “Sure, how about Saturday” . I said “Sure, sounds fantastic.”
Today hubby took the receipt and my half of the best friends necklace and went to pick up my perfect chair. But, when hubby got to the thrift store it was gone. Not “gone” like “moved to a different area for sold furniture”. Not “gone” like “we can’t find it… oh there it is”. Gone. No sign of it anywhere. Pilfered. Looked for 30 minutes. Gone. My new best friend is lost. I am left with the lonely half of a best friend’s necklace. Some sad person came and tore my necklace off my new friend and forced her to wear their probably lame one. And now she is gone.
I really hope the person that took off my half of a BFF necklace (with my phone number on the back) calls to apologize for stealing a rocking chair from a baby. (Creamie didn’t know she was supposed to cry when someone does this to you, so I did the crying for her. )
pinksuedeshoe 
That is seriously one of the saddest stories I have ever heard. I am not being sarcastic at all, cross my heart. I have a few favorite thrift/antique stores here and when I find a gem I am SO anxious to hurry and get it home, where it belongs, and put it in its spot, and look at it. And then I look at it some more. I still go into my girls room just to look at their armoire, which I am in love with and we have had for about 2 years now. I really feel for you!
(I loved how you related a BFF necklace to your claim ticket–very witty. You’re a great writer.)
I, like my sister feel, so sad, not because I love furniture so much, but I just love a good deal! I love the hunt of going out and finding the perfect thing…but I don’t like it ‘enough’ unless it’s also about half price. And the rocking chair was just the right thing and it was a rockin’ price. Agh! How could someone take it after you already paid for it? That’s so rude!
Ah honey, I’m so sorry! I really am, little tears in the corner of my eye. 😥
I’ll be your best friend, even though I’m not a rocking chair…is that okay?
xox
Can i sit on you?
Oh this is awful! And I seriously didn’t see that ending coming. We need to talk thrift stores. I just heard of one in American Fork that I’m wondering if you’ve been to. Um. How I about I just e-mail you?
Oh no! That’s so lame of them! I hate it when you have your heart set on something and then can’t get it for some reason (like some thief steals it out from under you). I hope you got your money back at least.
Yeah, they refunded my money. And I’ve found a few more rocking chairs since then, but none of them measured up to this one. Ah well, better to have loved and lost then never loved at all. I guess that’s what “they” say. I think “they” never lost the perfect rocking chair.
You are such a great writer. I seriously felt your pain and had a tear in my eye. And I’m not even joking or being sarcastic. That just sucks. It’s horrible enough to fall in love with something and not have the money to buy it but when you have already paid for it and it’s taken, that’s just thievery. So sad. I just can’t stand people most days. Unless they thought the “SOLD” sign said “buy me now”, there’s no excuse. Hope you find an even better chair very soon!
Pink,
That is the absolutely saddest thing I’ve ever heard. I can’t believe that! Like at all! I love rocking chairs and so I can totally sympathize. Who would do such a thing. All I can say is what goes around comes around.
xo -E