Antique Hunting and My Nemesis!
07.24.07By Val UbellIt can be really frustrating when you meet someone who has equal prowess and you run into them over and over again. My ‘relationship’ with my red-headed nemesis began over 12 years ago. We were waiting in line at 7:15 for the start of a garage sale. Several other hunters were there as well and the red-head made small talk with them. She then turned to me and asked what it was that I collected. Being a bit naïve, I expressed my love for glassware and old pottery. Before we could talk further, the garage door lifted and we were off! I’ve always likened the sound of an automatic door to a pistol shot at a foot race.
My first object of desire was a tall, glass vase. I reached for it but found that another hand was already on it. It was in the grasp of the red-head! I quickly turned to check out a Weller vase, grabbed for it but got only thin air. Same thing, red was holding it. I was able to find a few trinkets, but not like the two lost treasures. I know, I know, this happens to all of us. But the kicker was when we were checking out. She was directly ahead of me in line. After she paid, she turned to me and with a very sweet smile said
“better luck next time.” Let the games begin!
It was just a few weeks later that I was in a closed up, very hot attic, sweat running down my face. My “Newman” came in, all fresh and cheery. (By this time I had told anyone who would listen about my encounter and had nicknamed her after the postal worker guy on Seinfeld. Whenever Jerry ran into him, he’d clench his teeth and grunt “Newman.”)
I had just opened a box of old records, many of them damaged or broken. Newman smiled and said “hi dear” to me. The lady running the sale said “if you and your friend like records, then check these out.” She brought out a box of records, and even from my position on the floor, I could see they were quality. She took them with her of course. I heard through the grape vine that there were some prized ones from an early jazz record company called Paramount and she sold them for a pretty penny.
Another month passed and we ran into each other again. This was at an estate sale and I was chatting with a man I knew from my childhood. Newman smiled and said hi – then numbers were called and we went into the sale. I grabbed 4-5 items right away and asked the lady at the check-out table to hold them for me. One was a gorgeous carnival glass bowl. After 20 minutes, I went to check out and was shocked to see the lady wrapping Newman’s treasures – one was MY carnival glass bowl! I blurted out – I had that on hold – but the clerk did not recall my request. But then my friend from childhood said “she’s right – I saw her bring that up.” Newman’s money was refunded and the prize was mine. Of course, I just smiled sweetly.
This back and forth winning/losing game continued for years. Newman definitely had more in the Wins column! Until last week. We had a large rummage sale with some family members. Some pretty neat stuff. One of the first to show up was Newman. She scooped up a lot of items, never looking up long enough to see who held the sale. I watched her moving, examining, discarding, or keeping and finally strutting over to our check-out table. Her ever-present-always-charming smile faded when she saw me there. She rather meekly asked if I could do any better on the prices. I agreed to an ever-so-slight discount for a ‘fellow rummager.’ The bargaining shoe was on the other foot – Jerry won!
