But this suitcase is not
just décor, it has a particular history.
When my sister went off to
college, my parents presented her with a gorgeous four piece set of green
leather luggage. I loved this luggage, I lusted for it. Especially the little
rectangular cosmetic case, remember those? Linda went off to college with this
luggage, and it followed her into her marriage, and when she died the year
after she graduated and got married, it stayed with her husband. (Except for
the cosmetic case, which somehow ended up back at our house, but which my
mother threw away when she moved to L.A. Grrr.)
 |
| Linda in her '40's getup and her swell hat |
A few years later, when I
went to college, there was no money for luggage. There was an old suitcase of
my dad’s held together with a giant belt and duct tape.
So I went out to the
thrift shop and I found myself this suitcase, along with another one matching.
These suitcases were so completely inappropriate for the purpose, they were
heavy, they had no wheels, they weren’t that big. But they were cool looking
and they were what I could get. And they were sort of an FU to my parents, who
could afford fancy luggage for Linda, but not for me.
So yes, I actually packed
and carried this old vintage suitcase and its mate to college and back again
many times, and then to L.A. The other one wore out and fell apart at some
point, but I kept this one and just sat it in my living room, looking cool. It
made a cameo in Slingin’ the Slang,
it was just the right style.
But now I am moving across
the country and I can’t justify schlepping it with me any longer. I often think
that the things I own are less important than the stories that go with them,
and I can no longer justify keeping this thing just for the sake of the story.
So I’ve taken pictures of it, I’ve said goodbye, and I’ve told its story.
Anybody want it?
