IN THIS MIRROR
Quite the collection clutters one of three tables arranged thoughtfully on a front lawn. Estate Sale, reads the sign by the mailbox, drawing savvy collectors like flies. Men and women, young and old perused the trove for antiquities and rare finds.
Among them was a man, somewhere between his silver and golden years, alone, and entirely disinterested in the items on display. His mind lingered elsewhere, wondering perhaps, would his legacy amount to a yard sale to liquidate all his material possessions? If so, what was the point of collecting them? I want to leave behind more than junk, he thought. I want to leave behind something useful, whether it's an object or an idea.
"Can I help you?" asked a kindly old woman a few years older than he, with the world's last beehive hairdo in existence. Her bespectacled eyes peered through him, past his plaid sports jacket and desperate comb-over, piercing his thoughts with eyes most familiar with the expression he wore.
"I doubt it," he said politely, returning her kind smile. "I'm not really sure what I'm looking for."
"Ah, but you are looking for something. Aren't you?" Her chuckle was suggestive and aroused suspicion.
"Whatever it is," she said, "I'm sure you'll find it eventually."
The man was thirsty (dehydrated to mere dusty bones) from lack of casual conversation. Though the women seemed a bit quirky for his liking, her forward presence and warmth were welcoming. Making a gesture toward the only furnishing not on display, he nodded toward something covered by a sheet.
"I suppose you could tell me more about that. Are you setting aside the good stuff for yourself, or is there another story behind it?"
Hoping his words would be taken for levity, he optimistically awaited another playful response from the old gal but received none.
"Oh ... that."
She eyed the lone piece of furniture with a disconcerted glance before she turned her back to it. Her reply was enigmatic. "I really don't know how to feel about that."
Always amused by a bit of mystery, the man pressed further, and with renewed interest. "Please tell me more. This might be the most interesting conversation I've had in years. That is ... if it's no bother."
Shaking her head clear of cobwebs, the woman reached deep into the recesses of her memory and pieced together a concise explanation.
"Dorothy, my sister, God rest her soul, used to spend hours seated in front of this vanity, staring into the mirror."
Withdrawing just enough of the sheet for the man to see what was underneath it, she continued her story. "I used to tease her all the time about being a narcissist, but she was actually a very kind person. Too kind really. She weighed every decision in her life against the wellbeing of others.
"At some point I began to wonder what she was staring at and what was so great about the mirror. I even wondered if it was cursed."
She paused for effect with a mischievous grin. Seeing the man was on the edge of his seat, she continued.
"Truth be told, I did wonder that, except, Dorothy was always content, so it just couldn't be so. Still, hours upon hours were wasted staring into that mirror mumbling nonsense like; 'No, that's no good.' That was how she lived her life and what made her happy. Although, I always wondered, if maybe ... maybe she could have been happier."
More than mildly interested at this point, the man asked if he could look closer, perhaps stare into it himself. Before he could, the woman covered it back up.
"Now's not a good time." She indicated the many curious looky-loos milling about. "Come back when I've closed up. You can have your look."
And so, he did. Most anxiously at that. He waited until the sun was setting and the twilight sky took on a lavender hue. Before he could ring the bell, a welcoming smile greeted him at the door. Being a cordial guest, he tried to present her with a small token; a twenty-dollar bottle of wine. Graciously refusing, the woman guided him into the living room where the vanity sat illuminated by an incandescent lamp.
"Whatever you see is for you," the woman reminded him, then left him alone with the enchanting vanity.
Cherry wood and gold leaf set a contrast of color in his eye. If nothing else, this antique was attractive for its workmanship and exemplary condition. It was all he could do to keep from shaking as he sat before it and began staring past the reflection looking back at him. A reflection. That was all.
"How foolish of me," the man scoffed at himself. "Almost took this for some kind of magic lamp."
Mocking his own naivete, the man started to stand when curiosity won out and he looked closer. Something came into view behind him that wasn't there in the room. He glanced back to check and then back to the mirror. This time his eyes did not leave for a good long while.
Half an hour passed. Finally, the man stood up and found his hostess sitting in the next room.
"Well," she asked looking up from her book. "Are you interested in it?"
"No," the man said simply. A placid smile forced up the corners of his mouth as he attempted to express gratitude for the opportunity.
"I'm well beyond the point in my life where such a thing would be of use. And, hearing about your sister, I don't think I would put such a burden on my children or their children either."
The women expressed a genuine appreciation for the man's wisdom. "There is no such thing as a perfect life. Is there? If there was, how much time is too much to spend worrying about it?"
It struck the man for the first time that of all the various knick-knacks and sundries displayed for sale that day, there were items that indicated Dorothy had never married, or had children. All he could see were the pragmatic possessions, of a person who never invested in the idea of family.
Perceiving this the woman sighed, sadness in her eyes. "Dorothy never married. Not that a woman needs a man to be fulfilled, but—."
"She never had anyone." The man finished her thought. "I can sympathize, then again … l can't. The worst tribulations I've ever been through were when I was working myself to the bone to support my family. Then again, the greatest joys were thanks to them."
"Ah ha!" the woman barked with a laugh. "So, you did find what you were looking for."
The man smiled and nodded, a long-forgotten sense of contentment filling his heart. "In more ways than one."
He thanked the woman and made to leave when she stopped him at the door.
"You know, I've had quite the exciting life too, and I wouldn't mind hearing more about yours."
"That sounds fun." | WCP