But sometimes you get what your mom wants

When I’m looking for something specific, it seems I can never find exactly what I’m looking for. If I ever thought I was imagining it, today proved the truth.

Wednesday is girl’s night out for me and Natasha, my BFF and Darling Son’s original babysitter. Today we were starting with bra shopping. Natasha was buying, I was browsing. And poor Natasha, who knew exactly what she wanted, couldn’t find it. So we went to dinner. And there, we knew kind of exactly what we wanted. And they had run out. But this was just the start of the universe telling it like it is.

My mom wanted me to get a new couch. The existing one was a lovely piece when I got it, interestingly shaped, comfortable, a nice fabric. In the last six years time, two dogs (one old, one a puppy), a rambunctious son, and a lot of use have made it a little less lovely. Mom complained about it. She will deny it to you, but I have a witness who can attest that she used the words “white trash” in reference to my poor couch. She offered to buy me a new one. And by offer, I mean she told me if I didn’t get one by my birthday, she’d be sending me one. She may deny she said that, too, but Natasha was there to hear.

I balked. I don’t want my mom telling me what to do any more. I’m almost 49, right? My couch in my home is my business. It wasn’t bugging me, but it was bugging her, so she bugged me. And her bugging me bugged me more than giving in. So I said, fine. I’ll find a couch. I’m not sure my shrink would approve, but my psyche does.

She brought it up regularly until I finally got around to shopping. And a couple weeks ago, I found it. A couple days ago I went to buy it. And they didn’t have the whole thing in stock. It’s got two parts, and one of them had been used as a replacement for a piece that was torn on delivery. The store rep said they could order a replacement for the replacement piece. But the guy walked away and disappeared. I had places to be, so after a half hour of waiting and wandering around looking for the salesman, I left.

Luckily, this store has many locations. So after the bra failure and the dinner failure this evening, we went to one of them. And they didn’t have the couch, either. So we went to another location, and they didn’t have it either. A customer service rep called the original store, which no longer had even one piece of the sectional, let alone two. I was distressed. Partly because my wanted couch wasn’t available. Partly because mom would be disappointed, my least favorite of all her emotional responses to me.

But there was a silver lining: they had a floor model wrapped up in the back that had been on hold for someone who hadn’t returned to claim it. Did I want it? With a 10% discount since it was a floor model? I wanted a fresh unit that no strange butts had sat upon, but they didn’t have one, couldn’t order one, weren’t going to get one in. So I said yes. And now I have a new couch. Or will have in a few days. They have to deliver it and won’t schedule until Friday at the earliest. I can call my mother tomorrow with a big old sense of relief.

It’s not exactly what I wanted, which is proof that when I want something specific, the universe gives the world other instructions. However, it is a close second, which is maybe the universe saying there’s such a thing as good enough. And that will have to be good enough for me.