Sunday, January 8, 2012

The Crow's Nest 5



5


            The status of the visits remained this way for at least a decade.  The only enhancements were being briefly left in the front parlor alone for some transaction related development usually involving being shown “something” that required the mother to scurry off into the home.  This left me ample opportunity to scan the piles in the front parlor and to walk the length of the front hall peering at the collection in a vague hope of seeing something that was “good”.  Nothing ever came of these efforts.  The front parlor’s gatherings never changed except to have annual Christmas holiday gifts and gift wrap doings floated on their top.  These disappeared after the holidays.  The front hall collection never had any alteration or addition.  The whole accumulation gathered more dust, lived in its half light darkness and grew drearier to my eye with each visit.  I did denote that to the right and left of the inside front door there were minor changes.  These represented recent acquisitions being processed.
            The outstanding example of this was in the corner, to the left of the door, where one stepped in.  There appeared an ebony wood cane with a gold top.  Stout, the gold cap was larger than usual.  It had initials and an 1884 date engraved on the very top.  I know this because I handled it without asking on the first visit that it appeared.  The mother said that it was “Dr. So & So’s” without denoting it was “not for sale”.  I had heard the mother mention this visiting doctor periodically and her reference to him as “that old PILL”.  Evidently this doctor, a small man by the mother’s standards, visited the area from the Boston area briefly each year when going (fly) “fishing in Weld”.  The cane remained there for half a decade and I never touched it again.  On a visit after that amount of time had passed, the mother rose from her business chair during one visit, went into the front hall and down to the front door returning with the cane.  “I want to sell this today too.” she said.  I paused for I knew the story.  “My grandfather was given this by an old doctor from Boston.  God knows who he was but his old initials are on the top here” she continued by pointing to the gold top.  “It’s gold you know.  HOW MUCH?”  Again I paused.  Her eyes flashed across mine showing a Yankee trader’s earnest support of her command.  “Twenty” I said defensively and without consideration.  “SOLD” she said and turned to mark it on her paper slip.  This tiny paper slip, in her own hand, always determined all transactions of any visit.  An inclusion on that day’s slip was a mark in stone meaning “SOLD”.
            The cane was not much beyond the obvious that some old Bostonian doctor had be screwed out of it by the Mother.  She had noted the accidental leaving… that was probably brought on by a glass too much of sherry.  The mother was perpetually given bottles of sherry by visitors which she used to great affect on ministers, professors and… old doctors from Boston).  She did nothing about this cane leaving… and… waited until enough time had passed to assure her that she had clear title and then… sold it.  This dexterity, I slowly determined, was a working method and process of acquisition for the mother.  I decided that even my own wallet was not safe from her roving eye.  I had already… and from the very start of the visits… made sure to “GET” my purchases “OUT” very… very promptly and to be sure they ALL got out.  The mother was skillful at NOT pointing out that a purchase of mine “was still there”.  Once that front door closed behind my back… that visits dealings, I determined… were done.  The front door closed tight.
           



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