0:00
We became friends, as you often do, through our children
0:05
I didn't like her child, actually. LAUGHTER We didn't have time to, like, decorate
0:15
She said, don't decorate, just buy one good piece. I was like, I don't know what that means. LAUGHTER MUSIC
0:28
You do the only thing you can do. Start over. Start fresh
0:34
Take advantage of the opportunity given you, Alice, that few of us are ever given, and become something new
0:47
I said, you don't want a desk, Alice. You want something to pull a room together
0:53
Your living room sofa is a hide-a-bed. For God's sake, replace that
0:58
But I like this desk. It was interesting. 1930s tubular, still Bauhaus design
1:08
A bit banged up, but the real thing. Not cheap. No way I could afford it
1:14
I bought it for her. No way am I going to let you do that for me. Are you kidding
1:18
She objected, but I could see how badly she wanted it. I didn't know what I would do with it
1:23
I just knew that if it was in my house and I was sitting at it
1:27
I would do...something. LAUGHTER But still, I wasn't going to just let her buy it for me
1:35
Why would you even wipe down and let me bargain? I haggled with Arthur and George
1:41
and got them down to a reasonable number. We put the desk in the back of her station wagon
1:47
The hatch wouldn't close all the way, but we secured it with twine
1:51
and we drove the two hours back to Columbus like that. This desk cost $300
1:59
In 1976, that was a fortune. By comparison, we were paying Merle $175 to paint the house
2:07
and that was a stretch for us. It was bananas. I told her, I insisted that we would pay her back
2:13
She just shrugged and waved it off. I didn't know what that meant
2:20
Was it, shut up about it, it's done, or was it, I could pay her back
2:24
even though I didn't know how I would possibly do that. I was kind of too embarrassed to pursue it
2:30
I figured, I rationalised it really, that she must have family money
2:35
I did have family money. But still, Jesus, a $300 antique desk
2:43
Doug worked on two filing cabinets and a door. We set the desk up in the corner of her living room
2:51
The room looked much worse with the desk in it
