Tuesday, May 13, 2008

Bedroom treasures

Once upon a time, lo, these many years ago, there was a little girl. A version of little girl perhaps three or four years older than this one.

She was a happy little girl, except for glitches now and then - after all she had a BB and sister to torture her. But again, that’s par for the course when you’re the youngest isn’t it? Now seriously, would you torture someone so angelic looking??? Apparently, looks can be deceiving, I'm told, but I digress.

Mom had a fascinating object on her dresser. As far back as I can remember I have loved this object, a glass perfume bottle. It just seemed so perfect. Round and shiny, with no extra embellishment. Just the round shiny bottle with its long thin stopper.



I could spend hours looking at it, touching it, holding it in my hands. It just seemed the epitome of elegance and perfection to me at the time. It still does. Plain is better - at least in regards to perfume bottles.

Recently mom told me its story.

She and Dad were living in Ontario at the time. BB and my sister were just little kids. One Sunday, they strolled past an antique shop and Mom spotted this bottle in the window. She immediately loved it. Of course, this was in those prehistoric times when shops weren't open on Sundays. Besides, it was in an antique shop, and so, as far as she was concerned way too expensive. After all, raising two kids on an air force salary, even back then didn't leave that much wiggle room for indulging in useless perfume bottles. So it remained nothing but a pretty trinket in a window.

A week later, Dad came home from work with something for her. Yep, the perfume bottle. And to make things even better, as far as my Mom was concerned - because no one hunts down a bargain like my mom - he paid fifty cents for it.

That fifty cent perfume bottle became my treasure, even though I wasn't allowed to take it from her bedroom dresser. Once in a while though, she'd indulge me and let me pick it up and open it, hold its weightiness in my hands. Those days were wonderful. I had held IT, my personal holy grail.

I've never been one to play princess much - boring as all hell, being a princess and having to await rescue. Instead I was a pirate, or the prince on his white steed battling the dragon for its treasure. That bottle always topped the list of imagined treasure.

Mom gave me the bottle at Christmas. Something got caught in my eye at that point, provoking a certain dampness. Now it sits at the cottage and I still love it and pick it up and open it... it's still my treasure.


PS: I also don't do maudlin much, but I need to keep y'all destablized once in a while dontcha know.

11 comments:

furiousBall said...

that thing sure is fancy, in all it's fanciness

Cycling Goddess said...

Awww... what a lovely story :) I look forward to seeing it soon.

Ian Lidster said...

You may not do maudlin much, my sweet, but you do it very well when you do. What a delightful tale of childhood. And a fine looking young lady you were, too.

Tai said...

Aww...hope you got that certain something out of your eye.
:)

XUP said...

Shucks, ma'am. It makes me wish I, too, had poignant childhood memories. This would make a nice short story with a bit more detail

Hageltoast said...

lovely story hun!!!

Big Brother said...

Yeah you were a good looking kid, naive, but nice.
As for t he perfume bottle I remember it well, I'm glad mom gave it to you, I know that you'll take good care fo it.

PS: You know that you are getting mushy in your old age... a right marshmallow thou art.

Susan Tuttle said...

I just love the story of that perfume bottle - so special!

You were such an adorable child!

Susan

Jo said...

Oh, what a nice story! Both you and your Mom have very good taste. That perfume bottle is indeed exquisite. I can't believe your Dad got it for 50 cents!

You were a cute little kid, but I see a twinkle of a little mischief in your eye.

geewits said...

I see now that you've had those gorgeous eyes all your life. I remember being so taken by your eyes!

I wonder what it is about the random things we treasure? I would have loved that bottle too. For years it drove me nuts to see an old ceramic pitcher just sitting haphazardly on a shelf in my Mom's garage. One day I told her how much I loved it because it reminded me of being a happy child and she gave it to me. Now I have it where I can see it every day and I still love it.

Jazz said...

Furiousball - I usually don't do fancy, but for that bottle I make an exception.

HD - June

Ian - *blush*

Tai - Yeah, all dry now thank god.

XUP - no poignant childhood memories? Such a shame...

Toast - Thanks

BB - You were once naive too. So there. I hate marshmallow. Except in Whippet cookies. Mmmmmmmmm.

Susan - BB would no doubt say I was nowhere near adorable - he had to put up with me after all. Me, I think I'm still adorable. Although many would beg to differ.

Josie - Moi? Mischief???

Geewits - *more blushing*