(Port) Coquitlam Odysseus

Yesterday my immediate family members and their spouses decided to surprise my mother with a beautifully-carved (currently non-functioning) pump organ dating to the latter part of the nineteenth century. It was on sale in the antique store where I had bought Chae Young her end-tables. In fact, it was Chae Young who had taken my mom there last week. It was on that visit that mom saw the antique organ and promptly fell in love with it.

A few days later, my sister-in-law and my father secretly decided to organize a pooling of family money to purchase the organ, and in due course everyone agreed to contribute his share. My father then went to the store in person, and dickered down the price all the way to cost. There are few better at dickering than my dad. That evening, we arranged to all “happen” to be in the vicinity of my parents’ house. Chae Young and young Telemachus and I took my mom out, ostensibly to look at some Christmas lights. To tell the tale of our elaborate plot, which included an early return to the house and some fantastic acting my Yours Truly, would be a long story. Suffice to say, when my mom returned home and ascended the stairs, suddenly the lights went on and Bach’s Toccata and Fugue rang out from the stereo. I have never seen my mom so happy in my life. Today she has spent all day contemplating her organ, while I have had one of the rare occasions when I could say that it was more blessed to give than to receive.

(Note: We will be looking into either having the organ repaired, or learning how to repair it ourselves. Neither may be possible, but both are worth a try.)