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A grand trunk
Mum never actually intended to collect elephants. But someone gave her one, once; she had it on display, someone else saw it, decided she must like elephants, bought her another. Someone else saw the two, bought her a third, and soehow the word just spread...
So, Mum collects elephants. Over the years, she's abandoned various parts of the collection as she goes through de-cluttering phases - for example, I have a magazine holder made of cane with an elephant face weaved into it. It's part of my childhood, and although it looks a little out of place in our lounge, I still love it.
There's only one elephant that's really special to her collection, though. Mum loves jade; and thirty-odd years ago, there was a store in my hometown that had a Mexican jade elephant displayed in the window. Mum loved this thing on sight. But she and Dad were dirt-poor, they'd just moved cities, were renting, trying to save for a house, repair their car... there was no way they could afford it.
Every time Mum was in town, she went to look at 'her' elephant. Dragged Dad along a few times, too.
A few weeks later, the elephant disappeared from the window display. Mum was really quite upset, but tried to be philosophical about the fact that someone else had bought 'her' elephant.
Someone else had. My father.
A month or two after that, Dad bought it home. He'd arranged a layby with the store owner, who'd obviously thought the young bloke trying to buy an elephant for his smitten wife was sweet. And he'd quietly managed to squirrel away the money without Mum noticing (which, let me tell you, would be some feat). That elephant is about the only one that's survived various purges of the collection; Mum loves it dearly. I don't remember a time when it wasn't somewhere on display in the living room.
She's been a widow 21 years today.
So, Mum collects elephants. Over the years, she's abandoned various parts of the collection as she goes through de-cluttering phases - for example, I have a magazine holder made of cane with an elephant face weaved into it. It's part of my childhood, and although it looks a little out of place in our lounge, I still love it.
There's only one elephant that's really special to her collection, though. Mum loves jade; and thirty-odd years ago, there was a store in my hometown that had a Mexican jade elephant displayed in the window. Mum loved this thing on sight. But she and Dad were dirt-poor, they'd just moved cities, were renting, trying to save for a house, repair their car... there was no way they could afford it.
Every time Mum was in town, she went to look at 'her' elephant. Dragged Dad along a few times, too.
A few weeks later, the elephant disappeared from the window display. Mum was really quite upset, but tried to be philosophical about the fact that someone else had bought 'her' elephant.
Someone else had. My father.
A month or two after that, Dad bought it home. He'd arranged a layby with the store owner, who'd obviously thought the young bloke trying to buy an elephant for his smitten wife was sweet. And he'd quietly managed to squirrel away the money without Mum noticing (which, let me tell you, would be some feat). That elephant is about the only one that's survived various purges of the collection; Mum loves it dearly. I don't remember a time when it wasn't somewhere on display in the living room.
She's been a widow 21 years today.
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