Saturday, August 01, 2015

I'll See You And Raise You

My mother and her friends play Chickenfoot every Saturday. The size of the group ranges from five to eight women. Sometimes, there's 10.  They've played on a small round four-seater table, an oblong one that seats six comfortably, and the formal dining room table that seats up to 14. None are perfect, and all we keep hearing is how my mother wants a big round table.

So today after hearing more about the table size while the ladies were playing, Ed and I went online. New tables were anywhere from $80 to $400, depending on the quality. We turned to Craigslist, a site I rarely use. I don't like the format of the search, I dislike that a lot of people don't put photos, and the idea of going to someone's house to pick up a used item doesn't appeal to me.  

Until we found a round table for $20.

It was on the other side of town, but $20.

It'd take an hour round trip to get it, but $20.

I texted the guy immediately.

He had two photos in the ad. It was one of those big banquet tables, 60" round, folding legs. The kind they use at hotels and convention centers. And when we got there we saw the letters TCC printed on the bottom - Tucson Convention Center - so, there you go.

We handed the guy our $20 bill, loaded it into the sleeper of the truck, and headed back to the house.

When Ed rolled it into the kitchen the women squealed in unison. My mother was so excited, you'd think we just bought her a gold leafed Italian luxury dining set.  OK, that set is hideous, but you know what I mean.

She did clasp her hands and exclaim, "God is so good to me!"

To which Ed replied, "So are Ed and Salena."

'Cause you know, God doesn't carry cash and probably doesn't have a pickup truck to go get the goods.

We scooted all the ladies away from the old table, carried it outside, set up the new table - making some adjustments on the folding legs - and then scooted them all back.  They actually cheered and clapped. Clapped, like we were performance art.

They immediately got back to clicking dominoes, talking loud, and laughing louder. Sitting in that circle they already look like they're in the middle of a poker game. Next thing you know, they'll be playing for money.

The only thing they're missing are the green visors and sleeve garters.    




~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
2014: A Job For A Four-Star General

2013: Colorful Nights, Rainy Days
2012: These Coco Girls Are Not Reading Rare Books
2011: Imagine What These Bird Droppings Look Like
2010: Is It Just The Girlie Bits That Make Us The Cry-Baby Sex?
2009: Who Would Have Thought Cheese And Tarheels Were Such A Perfect Complement?
2008: First Friday Fill-In. Say THAT Five Times Fast!
2007: Another Year Of Life In The Pink
2006: Can You Hear My Happiness?
2005: Alis Volat Propiis

2 comments:

Gil said...

Glad you found your mom a good table with no trouble. Been strange things on the news with Craig's list.

The Daily Rant said...

GIL: I know, those stories always concern me. But this was in the middle of the afternoon, Ed and I went together, and we pulled up to his house in the truck. He said, "You weren't kidding when you said you'd be in a big, black truck!" We had to take the truck because the table wouldn't have fit in the car. Anyway...I might look into Craigslist again since this was a good experience.