Monday, June 25, 2007

Haunted....

It’s been forever.

Since I had a couch. Well, hell, we bought one when we got married, but then I found that house, the one I had to have, that leaned and squeaked, and had rats in the attic. It wouldn’t fit through the front door so we gave it away. Hauled our new-credit young selves to the Famous Furniture outlet and bought a new one. With cooshy macramé pillows and fringe. Right after I fetched the “isn’t she too cute” half wolf/half shepherd puppy home from animal control. 23 hours and $350.00 later I came home to a living room swimming in shredded foam rubber. I charged an entire new sofa on my “I‘ve got credit” credit card, and only took home the cushions, to keep “him” from knowing……

And then I left him.

Packed up the youngin’s and what would fit in a U-haul, and left. The macramé couch didn’t go. We put a sandbox in the living room instead.

And then bean bag chairs.

And then everyone got big at once, and had friends that came over to “socialize” and I hauled a sofa home from the curb. “Free” it said on the scribbled sign plopped up on the pillows.

It was raining that night. Thunderous storms. No one heard me pull in the driveway. Heard my key in the lock. Or the plop of my purse landing on the kitchen counter. Or the pitter patter of “What the hell’s going on?“ rounding the corner. No one heard me at all.

And there they were. Making out on my couch. Teen-agers!
Damn it!

I hurled the cushions out the front door and we hauled the frame out in the blinding rain. To the curb. Where it came from. Free.

And then we had nothing. “Doesn’t bother me. I’m bendy. I’ll sit on the leopard skin rug. Everyone else, stand if you like. I didn’t want anyone to hang around long enough to get too comfortable anyway ….”

I finally caved in and bought a chair. A brown leather chair with an ottoman. I was tired. Needed a place to rest. Everybody fought over it… “I call this chair”…..Piled in and stacked up, they pretended it was a VW parked in my living room. But it was my chair, and while I rarely sat in it, still preferring the leopard skin rugs for naps, and lazy afternoons, it was mine. Curling up, all bendy ,into it’s thick leather arms was comforting sometimes…..
rebellious.....

I hauled a couch home last night.
The kids are gone and they won’t believe it when I tell them.

But it’s lonely here.
And the chair is haunted…….

22 comments:

eric1313 said...

"And the chair is haunted......"

This whole new etching in wave smoothed sand is gorgeous. Of lots of love and sometimes peace are these memories. And laughs. You're funny and charming in this narrative. Your poetry shines through the prose.

And the thunderstorms part onward
how wonderful is it to live.
I bet there's more if I read it later. "heard my key in lock;"
of course
you had to be pissed.

To your fine art
heard clink
around the world tonight

eric1313 said...

...and in real time I am
as
opposed
to that trip back through
the day and dasies of seafoam
and toasts across the ether
you know it

yeah, I laughed good at that, too
friend

singleton said...

eric...."Of lots of love and sometimes peace are these memories".....
you got it, baby!

eric1313 said...

I hope I got it!

you know, both of us got caught in the real time loop today.
So funny. I just posted
and there you were
with more to say
and I like to listen

peaceloveandsoul

Bardouble29 said...

Girl...all I can say is...I dig you and your sis SO much!

singleton said...

bardouble....Good! Cause we're all gonna get together and "dig" in the sand come next summer....
peace~love~

Anonymous said...

Nice ending!!!!!!

eric1313 said...

Have some sunshine
on the house
see you soon.
time to wreck
a physics lab

SpongyBones said...

Hey Blondie, the po po was over at my place this weekend looking for a long haired hippie chick stealing home furnishings ... any ideas who that may be?

JustRun said...

This really is beautiful however, the logic side of me is thinking the entire time I'm reading: How the hell did this little woman schlep a couch all by herself?

justacoolcat said...

I hope your new couch is twice as comfy as the chair is haunted.

singleton said...

wreckless....It's haunted! The perfect little fairy tale ending! LOL!

eric....yeah, bring on the sunshine...thank God, I don't have physics......

spongybones....didn't it say "free"?

justrun....LOL! I borrowed a neighbor!

justacoolcat....Actually I like being haunted! So I know I'm gonna love the new couch!:)

robkroese said...

Man, I had no idea there was so much drama in the world of furniture.

eric1313 said...

Good morning/evening
have you had your buzz today?

Hahaha

I still hope for mine!
Peace and sunshine

mindy said...

i hope the haunted chair is happy now. :)

singleton said...

diesel....well, you never know where it's been....:)

eric....It's raining what looks like a torrent of Christmas tree tinsel falling from the sky....so, the sunshine has run off to party somewhere else.....
peace at sunset, friend

mindy....LOL! It's probably pouting!

eric1313 said...

just posted again. Did you see the one I posted the minute after you commented? We both did the same thing yesterday! It was classic. That's what cracked me up.

And the tunes.
Keep up the music.

singleton said...

I'm bopping over right now....

kj said...

singleton, i am glad you have a couch. i really am.

SHE said...

love this read.

and you did the right thing.

got rid of the couch and not the teenagers (tempting as that might be).

singleton said...

kj....so are the cats!:)

she...oh, are you so on it! peace, girl!

unknown said...

What a talented writer you are! I am thanking Spongybones now for leading me to you. :-)