The distracted lady who was holding the sale offhandedly mentioned that they had more item's for sale inside the garage.
There you were in the back corner of the garage, camouflaged behind a sea of nick-knacks and cloaked in dust. My heart skipped a beat for a second. What an odd looking dress form you were. Some sort of wire cage with a pin-able form on top. You had large gaps between your sections and what looked like an on/off water valve on your top. I had to have you.
My finger grievously counted the remaining four dollars in my pocket, and it seemed that all hope was lost. I turned to my sister and said, "I wish I could afford that."
My sister, who is still young enough to be optimistic about most things, but old enough to carry a debit card asked the sales lady how much it would cost us to take you home. "I don't know, the sales lady responded, how much will you give me for it."
I've never been a good negotiator, Alice. I must apologize, because I thought I had lost you for a moment when I stupidly blurted out. "I don't think I can afford it."
Thank God my optimistic sister was there to save the day, with her quick response and cash on hand. "I'll give you $20."
The sales lady paused for a moment. She was thinking about it. She didn't know much about sewing, or dress forms, but I could tell she wanted to free up the space in her garage. "Sounds good." She responded.
And then I started breathing again. I hadn't realized I was holding my breath, but it's a good thing she responded when she did, or else I might have passed out.
I took you home with me, and had to wait a full night and half of the next day before I could find the time to really get to know you. I found over a dozen wing nuts on your inner cage that made you more adjustable than any modern dress form. You also have a large key like mechanism that lets me adjust your height up and down. You can even become a table top form. You have bones of cast iron and solid wood. No wonder your still in great shape at your age.
And then I turned to Google, to learn as much about your past as I could. I learned that you are most likely a tailors form from the 1940's, and that you are a bit hard to find these days. A lot of people are looking for you as decor pieces, and they would pay well over $20 to have you. But you don't have to worry about any of that Alice. You're not going anywhere. You're home now, and I will not let you become some boring old decor piece. We have work to do. We are going to make beautiful things together.
