The rumble of the guns from the Military Channel is echoing in the family room. Not able to face another evening of flight documentaries, I wander down the hall to my little den and find a spot on the sofa for my dog, my thoughts and a glass of wine.
From across the room I hear an email alert chime on my computer; curious, I get up to see who is writing me at 10 on a Saturday night.
Weird. I do not know the sender. The note is regarding a sweater I sold on Ebay last week. The woman thinks that the described sweater is actually azure and that she already has this particular sweater.
I am taken by surprise, but write back that I am sorry for any misunderstanding. I quickly type that the sweater is my daughter’s and that I had described it as best I could; a Black Label Ralph Lauren turquoise cashmere sweater size extra small.
She responded that she collects these sweaters and knows the colors and season dates; this sweater was from a collection called Azure Sea.
I reply that she can send the sweater back, and I will refund her money.
She wrote that I sounded like a good Mom who had made an honest mistake.
I let her know that I was going to list more of these sweaters and that I would be very careful to get the right description.
She typed to ask if she could call me to explain the issues with the Black Label line?
I said “yes” and gave her my number. I refilled my wine glass in anticipation of our conversation and answered the phone.
Her voice was surprisingly young but confident. She is between jobs and has a passion for shopping. I said that this could be an unhealthy relationship unless she finds another job quickly. I knew that I hit a nerve; her voice softened. The line was quiet and then she slowly said that she did not know how to stop the wanting.
We talked of her life in New York and where she saw herself fitting into the fabric of the city. She spoke about how her love of fashion began and how she knew that she had to rein in her spending. Knowing and doing are two totally different things and New York is full of temptation for a girl with a credit card. Our smiles met over the phone.
In addition to losing her job, she had broken up with her last love and had no family living near her. Her best friend was the doorman and their relationship was based on his ability to accept her packages and deliver them with a warm smile.
She wanted to know why my daughter was selling her sweaters. I glanced at the photo of Elizabeth on my desk and explained that she also had a penchant for lovely things and that she would be living out of a suitcase for the next few years and needed to trim down her belongings. We talked about how hard it is to make decisions when you have to let go of things that have been important to you or that you associate with happy memories.
In the end, she decided that she wanted the sweater but I offered to send her half of the price as a concession for the incorrect color description.
She thanked me and asked if she could call me again sometime.
I thought this odd, but said “of course.” I wished her well in her job search and her life.
I fell back on the couch for a minute and reflected on what had just happened. A meaningful conversation had come right to my little den entirely out of the blue. I finished my wine and closed the computer. Clicked off the lights and Braille-like felt my way to the bedroom and waiting bed.
My husband stirs as I climb in. I put my head on the pillow and his hand searches for my cheek. I turn to him and start to whisper about this amazingly lonely woman who reached out to me from NYC to talk at midnight about a sweater with the wrong color description.
His reply was a quiet snore.
Story series: Anyone can write
Nearly 40 years in the business have taught me that readers are bombarded and overwhelmed with facts. What we long for, though, is meaning and a connection at a deeper and more universal level.
And that’s why the Cody Enterprise will be running, from time to time, stories from students who are in my writing class, which I’ve been teaching for the past 10 years in Portland, Ore.
I take great satisfaction in helping so-called non-writers find and write stories from their lives and experiences. I remind them if they follow their hearts, they will discover they are storytellers.
Tom Hallman Jr.
(1) comment
Thoroughly enjoyed reading this, touching, and true commentary about wanting human connection. True, too, that we all have a story to tell.
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