A massive carved piano — my old friend ? No , bigger . Great stone fireplace , antique rocker , pioneer implements ! A museum ? If so , I belong here ; I ’ m an antique , too .
Here are children — Kenny , Laura and Candace — reading , doing homework ... A large calico cat is sitting inappropriately on my sideboard , majestic but hospitable .
I face the truth ; I ’ m the ugliest , smelliest antique of them all . The others are strong , clean , redolent of furniture oil , but aloof . The children call me “ the mouse cabinet ”; only the cat likes me . I ’ ve lost my confidence , my self-respect . How I desire the loving attention my Sibyl promised ! More years creep by while my hopes crawl away .
Roused from another contemplative trance , I ’ m once more strapped into the trailer ; hours of noise and jolting later , I inspect a cottage deck . Courtesy of Sandra and her Doug , my release from fumes and filth commences . New shelves , drawer floors , green felt lining ! Legs braced , firm ! Days of sanding and several coats of oil bring back my satin skin . Though I remain an antique , I ’ m reborn .
An incomprehensible reversal of time and place — I ’ ve been moved back among my antique colleagues , for whom my lonely , humbled heart has longed . I thank my Maker my next transition will take me to Laura , fifth generation of the same human line , my fifth lady of the house .
I owe all to my dearest Sibyl ! I ’ m a link between Past and Future , not merely an antique , but a Continuity . news & views SPRING 2024 | 47