The beginning was not all that auspicious. I was moving out of my tiny apartment in a century old house. As I packed my meager belongings into my car I realized that I had forgotten a few boxes that were stored in the attic. It was a hot summer day. Stagnant. I debated whether I wanted to climb the three flights of stairs again just for a few boxes of books and decorations. Did I mention the lack of air conditioning and that it was a HOT day? In the end I climbed into that stifling, dusty attic. As I dragged my boxes towards the stairs I took one last glance around and spied an old trunk hidden under the eaves.
The trunk looked old. Really old. The dust was was so thick I had a sneezing fit. The lock was broken and the handles were missing. I wiped some dust off with my already filthy hands and opened the lid. No jewels or gold doubloons. No antique clothing or exciting knickknacks. Nothing but more dust. Still, it looked like it could be just the thing to store towels and sheets and the like in my new place so I dragged it down to my car and off we went.
That was 15 years ago. With every move I have dragged this beaten up old trunk with me. For the last 7 years it has sat in my guest room filled with towels and blankets.
A week ago I was cleaning the guest room and took a good look at the trunk for the first time in years. The paper decorations lovingly glued inside, the broken but beautiful hardware and the faded and ripped playbill glued to the side that you can barely make out. It reads, ” young actress….Lizzie May Ulmer“.
me and lizzie may 