A few days ago I acquired a new tank for Ubb. It is a monstrosity of a thing- 48" long, 13" wide, and it sits on a stand which makes its overall height tall enough to be a half wall- ever since I got it I have been wondering where in the world I was going to put it...
After walking around and noticing there is nowhere with that much empty space in my house, I thought if I only had a smaller sofa, then I could put the tank and stand behind it - the sofa I have now is very VERY deep, so it already sticks out further than I would prefer it too...
That set the wheels in motion for me thinking I needed a smaller sofa. My living room is not huge- and it's narrow, so whatever I got could not be more than 72" in length and I have looked fairly enthusiastically online and locally for a sofa less than 72" and haven't had much luck.
Plus, new sofa had to be cheap- really cheap as I have no money to be out buying furniture in anywhere other than a discount place, a yard sale, a thrift shop etc and even then I am splurging beyond my means...
Today I was in town running errands and decided to look at the usual hot spots for bargains, Ken-A-Set (Jenny, that's where you got that cool round chair), The Salvation Army and as a last resort Goodwill.
Our Goodwill has a very small selection of furniture- very small. In fact I don't know that I have ever really seen a sofa there but I went anyway just "in case". Today they did have something that may have worked- a double reclining loveseat - but it was dirty and not what I wanted...
But next to it there were two very contemporary and huge, tiered, square, end tables. These tables were sitting in a way that made them look like a sofa (using some imagination) and the wheels started turning in my head...
While I was looking a woman approached me- she was chatty, fairly well kept, my age but obviously a little on the slow side and by the attitude of the employees I deemed they thought her a nuisance. I think she probably comes in the store everyday.
One of the employees addressed her as Diane, then said "actually it's Diana, isn't it?" The chatty woman then said "My momma named me Diana but most the time she calls me dummy so I answer to almost anything". She wasn't kidding, she was stone cold serious and that really bothered me...
As I looked at these tables trying to figure out if I could turn them into a sofa, Diana was right there glued to my every out loud thought and she thought my idea was amazing. The problem was that I didn't have any way to transport these things and I was stuck on a decision.
Diana then tells me she has a friend with a truck and she bets he would help me. I said the obigatory "no, no, no, I'll will figure something out" but Diana insisted on helping me and with that she said it would take her 5 minutes to walk to her friends house and she would be back.
I stood there and waited wondering what the heck I was doing- anywhere that's a 5 minute walk from the local Goodwill is skid row Waterville with very few exceptions but Diana seemed so determined to help me that I figured I would wait and see if she came back.
Fifteen minutes or so later, here she is, with her friend Randy, and Randy's truck and Randy is happy to load these things and drive the 30 miles (round trip) to my house if I would cover the gas.
While I paid for the tables (which I had negotiated the price down by $10) Randy and Diana drove to the back of the store and loaded them in his truck, she came in to get me and said he was waiting to follow me, glad she could help, and to have a nice day.
I was a little bit dumbfounded to tell the truth. The whole thing was way out of my comfort zone as I don't easily interact with people but here were these strangers, on a Saturday afternoon out for nothing except to do a good deed.
I gave the $10 I had saved to Diana and she was adamant that she didn't want it. I told her it was for all the help she provided and the inspiration she had given me because I would have given up on this project if she hadn't been so eager to find me a way to transport them.
I gave her a hug and told her thank you for being so friendly to a stranger- something that is way WAY out of character for me, but obviously not out of character for her. All I kept thinking was... her momma calls her dummy.
Diana set off walking back to where ever she came from, and Randy and his wife followed me all the way home and he helped me put the tables in the garage until such time as I have time to make them into the couch that I have planned.
I gave him some gas money and he went on his way just as happy as could be that he was able to help out a stranger in need. I have done good deeds here and there but not like this- these people were excessive and I doubt it was a one time thing.
The tables are now in my garage waiting until such time as I have time to turn them into the amazing couch that I see in my mind. I have cushions saved from other projects, and an entire roll of upholstery fabric that I bought a long time ago just in case I ever needed it.
My entire project will cost under $100 and the most amazing thing- I measured the two tables and they are 36X36 so end to end they are..... 72 inches- exactly the size that I needed and I will have something cooler than anything I could have ever bought premade.
Plus, I am always going to have the memory of Diana. An overly friendly, good hearted, a little bit slow woman who hangs out at Goodwill and helps out strangers like me. Her momma named her Diana but she calls her dummy... I will never forget that.
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