I didn't make it to the phone in time, but even in my groggy state, I knew that a call at 7 AM couldn't be good. While not nearly as ungodly an hour as 3 or 4, 7 was still too early to be making social calls. I fumbled with the display to see the caller id. I couldn't see the buttons in the dark, but I was determined not to turn on the overhead light. Turning on the light would mean that I was awake. I might be up walking around and taking calls, but I was not going to be awake, by gum.
After lots of random button pushing, I was able to see the number. I recognized it as my mom's cell phone, and anxiety set in. Why would she call me at this hour? Had something happened to Daddy? Grandmother? A sibling? A nibling?
I had to turn on the light to find the phone, but I was not worried about my sleepy eyes now. I never use the phone in this room, and it didn't seem to work. I turned it on, but just as I began to dial the numbers, it would beep, flash a cryptic "ERROR," and turn back off. My frustration mounted and I repeated the same steps and got the same result. I heard my cell phone ring in the other room, and as I dashed back to the bedroom, it occurred to me that it would have been easier to use that in the first place.
"Hello?" I answered and listened anxiously, trying to hold my head perfectly still in the one spot of my room where the reception is good. I could hear people in the background. She was someplace busy. The ER?
"Hello. I'm at the Ruritan yard sale right now - "
For Heaven's sake. She was calling me because she found something at a yard sale. I've made dozens of calls like this, but it was always after 9 or 10. I would have sighed in irritation right then and there had I not been so interested in what it was she found that was worth calling me about. At 7 AM.
"-and there's a suit of armor here. I'll buy it for your birthday if you want. It's about four and a half feet tall."
A suit of armor. My mother must think I am some kind of weirdo. Tell me, do your mothers call you at 7 AM and ask if you want a suit of armor for your birthday? Where would I even put such a thing? I mean, well, okay, it could look kinda cool at the end of upstairs hallway.
Technically, Josh already has one. It is back at his mom's house, and it is fully six feet tall. It's neat, but also gargantuan and a trifle ugly. It taught me an important lesson: there are suits of armor that I do not want in my house.
In the end, I said no to the suit of armor, because it was $30 and I didn't feel comfortable telling her to go for it without seeing it. I imagine there are some crappy looking suits of armor out there. And then I would have this lame empty knight in my house, which I would have to keep because my dear sweet mother bought it for me. I felt bad, because I know she would have been excited to give me, her huge weirdo of a daughter, such a novel gift.
Later, as I was driving around to my own set of sales, I started to feel the pangs of a lost yard sale find. This only happens occasionally, when something is too expensive or has already been sold. I reminded myself of the armor in Josh's childhood bedroom, which I didn't like. And yet a nagging feeling told me that there were probably really cool suits that would be welcome to stand around in my house. Without seeing it, I could never know. I could only hope that someone bought the armor and that they loved it and treasured it always.
Two hours after that first phone call, when I was on my way to the third yard sale of my Saturday, my mom called again. Someone working at the sale had caught her eyeing the armor and had slashed the price in half, so she bought it for herself. I wondered if that was what she wanted to do all along. I've done that many times: I really want to buy something but can't justify the purchase for myself so I try to come up with someone, anyone who might like a random gift. I was happy that someone had indeed bought it who will love it and treasure it always. Then I wondered - if two important people in my life own suits of armor, does that say something about me?
Next month, I will see the suit of armor that could have been mine. I just hope I'm not jealous.
No comments:
Post a Comment