The One That Got Away

Since people don't shop much at flea markets during a deluge while under flash flood warnings...Hick went to an estate auction Saturday. He thought he had another golden frame for my best ol' ex-teaching buddy Mabel. I was informed by text at 12:56.

"I'm at auction at REDACTED's mom's I think Mabel will like this frame I'll try to get"

At 1:08 there was another message.

"Didn't get it 55.00"

"That's okay. She was never crazy about REDACTED anyway."

That's kind of a relief, because Babbling Hick would no doubt have spouted off too much information one of these days, and let it slip that he got the frame from a person known to both Mabel and us.

I suppose people pay more for frames at estate auctions than they do at regular weekly auctions. Or in this case, I'm inclined to believe that they were paying for the painting as well. I actually like that painting (or print, can't tell from this dim photo) more than the frame. This frame doesn't look like real wood to me. There's something too perfect about it. No chips or flaws. It looks like it was pressed out by a machine. Maybe they all are. This one just didn't appeal to me.

It doesn't really matter anyway. Hick didn't get it, and he didn't get it for MABEL, not for me.