How I Lost A Family Heirloom

Not everyone these days is so keen on respecting their elders. Kids never seem to appreciate the experience of their grandparents. For me it’s been a different story. My grandfather fought in World War II – an event that has taken on a mythical character in my mind as the only war that was worth fighting. I don’t know how true that is, or how much Hollywood has played a role in my thinking, but nevertheless it puts people like my grandfather on a higher level of esteem. My grandmother grew up in Manhattan and hung out at the all of the famous jazz clubs with the likes of Duke Ellington and Frank Sinatra – and she had the pictures to prove it. My grandparents weren’t rich, far from it, but the things they left behind took on as much gravity as they did.

It wasn’t much – a TV, an old organ that nobody ever played, a few souvenirs from travels around the world, and an old Mahogany table that my great grandmother had brought over from Italy. The table, we were told, was worth over $2,000. How I ended up with it I’m still not sure. Two weeks after my grandmother died (and four years after my grandfather) there it was in my rented kitchen.

I was just out of college and living with some friends I’d made at school. Needless to say, four guys living together make a mess. It was far from Animal House, but still enough to make my mother crazy the few times she visited. And there was that table – stoic, regal, covered in empty cereal boxes and jars of pickles. That table was beautiful.

We had parties. Often. Party people can be, shall we say, clumsy. It took us about three weeks to put a scratch like a canyon across the table. I still don’t know who was responsible, but it didn’t matter. The table was destroyed, and I left it in the apartment when I moved out two years later.

I take care of my things now. Prevention is a marvel when you do it right. I bought a new table (it’s Cherry) and ordered a custom table pad from the Table Pad Factory that protects it from accidents, spills and the wear and tear of everyday use. If you’ve got a table that you want to keep safe from scratches and other damage while still enjoying its appearance order a custom table pad today. They look great, and they’ll save you stress and money down the line – and, in my case, I could have kept a family heirloom.

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