10:37 a.m. // 23 September 2002

This is the part in Ghost World the movie that Hunter likes:
"How much for this dress?"
"That's $500."
"What?"
"500."
"You're crazy. It should be like $2."
"I was wearing that dress when I lost my virginity."
"Why do I care?"
"Well, why do you want it? I mean, it would look stupid on you anyway."
"God! Fuck you!"

I had an Enid moment at our happenin' yard sale. I caused an entire family to drive away pissed off. This woman and her two kids, a fourth-grade boy and a high school girl, marched up the path after parking on the wrong side of the street.

Me: "Hi, you should park on the other side of the steet if you're going to be here a while."
Her: "Oh, it'll be all right. We're pros. We look five minutes, then we're gone."

They marched around the porch skimming the items, and I thought they'd take off immediately. But then they gathered for a family conference at the bottom of the steps.

She treads up the stairs and says: "What's that back there?" She points to the pink Social Dancing-era Bis shirt behind me. There are three dancing figures on it.

Me: "It's a shirt from Bis. They're a Scottish band. It's $15, because it's autographed."

She goes back to her two kids waiting at the bottom of the porch steps, and they re-discuss the matter. Finally she comes back up and says: "We'll take it." Meanwhile, the kids retreat to the car.

I have been fretting because I wanted to sell the shirt to a real fan. "Well, does somebody know the band?" I try to phrase my question in a neutral, casual manner, using the word "somebody." God, these kids are wearing hip little vintage-quailty T-shirts, but you can tell they haven't got a clue. They just see a neat pink shirt with a cool design and they want their mom to buy it for them, even though it's priced exorbitantly for a garage sale item.

Her: "Hmm. I didn't ask them. We'll take it anyway."

Me: "Um, see, this is kind of a heartfelt item to me." I'm stumbling over my words because I'm flustered, and placing my hands over my heart because that's the kind of lame shit I do. "It's autographed by the band. And I would feel a lot better if I knew it was going to somebody who likes the band."

Her: "Well... I can ask them."

She goes to the car and talks briefly to the kids, then gets in and drives off.

I feel like I have made an entire family be pissed off at each other, but I also feel very relieved. And I took down the shirt and the other Old 97's shirt I had for sale.

I banked $100 from my sales, so all is okay. Some kids at the apartment complex across the street set up a rival sale, and I bought a Bell & Howell Super 8 camera off the guy, $5, plus five rolls of fresh, still-cold film. Apparently he decided he liked the videotape format better. Yay for me buying more junk. I have three Super 8 cameras now, and I haven't finished a roll between them yet. I'm gonna film Josh and Nazli's wedding, though.

�

previous // next