The Auction

Today was the day that all of the office and business equipment of my brother's business were auctioned off. He had asked me to come as he thought an extra set of eyes on all of the stuff wouldn't be a bad idea. It wasn't neccessary, as the actioneers had many people there. I think it was more of a moral support thing for me to be there, than for security purposes. It was a sad morning looking at all of the things that made a good living for my brother be auctioned off, people looking at, and handling everything. There were well worn tools, and racks and welding machines, odds and ends shelving, office machines, and typewriters, desks...the works. It was hard not to place an emotional attatchment to some of the things. It was strange to see items that were used everyday by someone become just "things" not meaning anything to the purchasers but had some sort of meaning to my brother and his wife, after all, they had spent a good many years there.

I thought of other auctions I have been to, estate auctions, where they get up there and hold an item up. Let's say it's an old ironing board. They say: "Look at this nice ironing board, top of the line, who will give me 10 for it," where a son or daughter would think that it isn't just any ironing board. It was the ironing board that Mother used to iron a first prom dress, or a new set of curtians for the nursery of her first Grandaughter. It was the ironing board that a young daughter first learned how to iron, starting with hankerchiefs and pillowcases. It's funny how what is just any old ironing board to one can be a special memory filled ironing board for another.

That's what I saw today, with my brother looking at something the auctioneer was holding up. "Do I hear 10 dollars for these saw horses" when in my brother's eyes and mind he is thinking they aren't just any saw horses. They were saw horses he hand made, welding them together at just the right height to hold and work on doors, and door frames, and support weights that no other saw horses could hold, and were one of the first items in his new business many years ago.

So when the auctioneer started in with the fast talking " do I hear twenty, twenty,twentyfive....I started to tear up and I am sure my brother and his wife did too.