Yesterday I realized that I needed help in locating what I envisioned so I emailed a good friend of mine who is great at finding things. Seriously. She has an eye for great antique/used pieces and knows a deal when she sees one. I wanted to ask her about places I should look (clearly I was looking in all the wrong places). Last night she called me on her way to yoga and said that she walked by this amazing patio set (cast aluminum, weathered look) at a consignment store. It sounded perfect (and I totally trust her taste) and knew that if she was calling me I needed to immediately check it out or it would be gone.Karma was with me today (it is about time - of course now that I am complaining about Karma something else will come bite me in the ass and I will be back in the red...). I was supposed to stay at home all day because the house painters were painting doors and they needed to remain open while drying. Well, they cancelled because it was raining - so we headed off to the consignment store!
Immediately I knew this was our table (it was outside on the sidewalk in front of the store). I walked in and asked how much the set was. The man asked if I was Denise. Huh? Uh, no. Long story short, Denise had been looking at the table too and was supposed to come in first thing in the morning (the store opens at 10am, it was 10:40am) to buy it. Somewhat deflated, I said that I wanted to be honest and fair and that if he felt he needed to wait, that would be okay. Meanwhile I called Dan to ask him his thoughts. Never mind that I just had a conversation with him this morning saying that I think we are going to have to dip into savings to help pay for the house painting we are having done. Never mind that we do not even have a patio to put patio furniture on. This was OUR table.
Now, it must be said that Dan never tells me no. Never. It is not all about money related matters either. A usual response is whatever makes my pie happy (I am pie in this scenario). When it comes to financial decisions, I am usually met with if you feel this is the best way to spend our money. It is the perfect way for him to make the decision (by not making it - he is a smart man/husband). It is a win win situation for him. He does not have to say no (and get grief) and he trusts that the guilt associated with any big purchase will guide my decision making process. The weight of the choice becomes mine alone. Lovely.
I am caught because the final say is mine and the clock is ticking (Denise could walk in the door any minute). I decide to go for it - a table like this will not come around again for $500 (yes, that is the price for the table AND chairs - I know... it is a steal) and it seats EIGHT! I tell him that I want to buy it if he will sell it to me. He wants to, but I think he started to feel bad. Then the shopkeeper's wife looked over at her husband (they are a husband/wife team) and said, honey, if you're basing a sale on what someone told you versus a paying customer who is right here, then I will sell it it her. I got a mortgage to pay. The sale is made. The table is ours.
As I am loading the kids into the car I see a woman and her friend walk up to the table and closely examine it. I swear she mouths words like, this is the table I was telling you about. It is Denise, I just know it. Kelan asks why is that woman touching our table. I say it is because she likes it, but privately I am thinking she is about to learn the bad news. It was definitely the best way to spend our money today.
