Crutches in the attic

[Wmcmanus]

About 11 years ago as best I recall, I had to buy a pair of crutches and use them for several weeks because of a severely sprained ankle.

Fast forward to tonight when I was on Skype chatting with my former fiancee's daughter who is getting married this summer and has been pestering me of late to "sponsor" one thing or another in connection to her wedding (someone is sponsoring her bridal shower, someone else her flowers at the wedding, someone else the photographer, etc.) and suddenly I've been more like her real dad than the man himself. I told her that I'd sponsor the green beans, but she claims they're not included on the menu. I'll probably get stuck with the entire food bill, but no matter, I love her dearly and she knows it. Ah, but that's a side issue.

So as we were chatting, I told her about the trouble I've been having with my knee, and into the room her mother walks. The conversation then went like this, "You know, I've been looking all over the house for those crutches. Did you lend them to somebody way back when and never get them back?" To which she replied, "Have you looked in the attic? I think I put them up there along with a bunch of other junk that you had laying around that you never used!"

Now you can imagine my surprise, even after having figured out long ago what a fool she was/is, that she would put a single man's crutches up in his attic! When do you suppose he might need them again? Maybe the next time he can't walk, let alone climb those steep and narrow pull-down attic stairs?!?!

So I got off the phone with her and called my neighbor for his assistance. No way I'd be able to get up there in the shape my knee is in. He knocks on the door and I direct him to the attic stairs. Up he goes. A minute later he yells down, "What are all of these CDs doing up here?" to which I respond, "What CDs?" His answer was, "Oh, about 200 or so, maybe more. All kinds of stuff." To which I say, "WTF?!?! You've got to be kidding me! Bring it all down."

So I'm standing under the attic stairs and this guy is now handing me two large portfolio boxes (the kind used in offices to store old files) with lids on them. No markings whatsoever as to their contents. There are easily 300 CDs, not 200. I'm still sifting through them. Mostly jazz, blues and classical and all of it is out of my collection. (For years, I've operated under the assumption that her son had borrowed/stolen them.) I haven't seen this stuff for at least 8 years. Apparently, she boxed up whatever piles of my stuff (in my house where she never officially lived) that was in her way while I was off-Island and she never bothered to tell me about it.

I've also now found the long lost remote control to my Audio Aero Prima CD player, an electric tooth brush that I used to quite enjoy, 4 or 5 bottles of cologne, and several pairs of fresh looking boxer shorts (but I'll wash them anyway).

I can't wait to get up there again myself to see what other treasures lie in store for me. The thing is, I'm up there at least once per year for one reason or another, but purposefully she hid all of this stuff from me behind one of the air handlers for the a/c system. My neighbor said, "Oh, you would definitely have to be looking for it!" The two big portfolio boxes were, of course, right next to the crutches.

[Dusty Chalk]

[knuckledragger]WAT.[/knuckledragger]

[Deadneddz]

Wow, your discovery is larger than my entire cd collection. Looks like its time to give that MBL digital setup a spin! Do tell us what treasures, if any you find on your next expedition of the attic.

[Duggeh]

Your attic is better than my attic. Mine contains the wallpaper pasting table, about 50 tins of paint containing about 20% of their paint, and the christmas tree.

Hope the knee gets better soon.

[Currawong]

I love her dearly and she knows it.

[...]

Apparently, she boxed up whatever piles of my stuff (in my house where she never officially lived) that was in her way while I was off-Island and she never bothered to tell me about it.

[Aimless1]

former fiance ... seems like a wise decision now, doesn't it?

[Wmcmanus]

former fiance ... seems like a wise decision now, doesn't it?

Oh, hell ya! As I like to say, I dated her for 6 years. She dated me for about 2 or 3, and then used me for the rest.

Originally Posted by Wmcmanus

I love her dearly and she knows it.

[...]

Apparently, she boxed up whatever piles of my stuff (in my house where she never officially lived) that was in her way while I was off-Island and she never bothered to tell me about it.

Two different people. I love her daughter dearly, just as if she were my own. She was 17 when I met her mom and is 30 now. She has a "real" father and he'll be at her wedding. Yet, she's asked me to walk her down the aisle. Although that means the world to me, I've declined because I could never show someone up like that. I convinced her that it should either be him or her mother or her brother. She eventually decided upon her brother.

Her mom, on the other hand... is actually a very nice person, deep down. She's just a self-first survivor type who has never learned how to truly love anyone other than her kids. But at least she does that well; oh, and her makeup, shoes, hair, and nails are always done right.

[screaming oranges]

I like this thread.

I like it a lot.

Not because of the fortune found, but because of why it got lost in the 1st place, how it was found, why the neighbor asked why a bunch of CD's were up there, the "forsaken" biological father, etc.

The story has characters, not cardboard cutouts. This would make a hell of a short story if expanded upon.

[Wmcmanus]

I like this thread.

I like it a lot.

Not because of the fortune found, but because of why it got lost in the 1st place, how it was found, why the neighbor asked why a bunch of CD's were up there, the "forsaken" biological father, etc.

The story has characters, not cardboard cutouts. This would make a hell of a short story if expanded upon.

Oh, there's definitely more to the story. Here's a pic of her (my "daughter" who is getting married this summer).

She's so humble and down to Earth. I have no idea where she got it from!

[mrarroyo]

Wayne, glad you got back the cd's (which you did not know were missing ). BTW good luck to your daughter on her upcoming wedding, she is gorgeous btw.

[screaming oranges]

She is definitely a keeper, and judging by the look in her eyes, she seems a genuinely happy person.

Not too many of those around.