Friday, May 20, 2011

Empty Promises

Well, another Friday is here thank goodness. And being Friday, that means yard sales.

This morning, on the way home from dropping the kids off at school, I spied a "moving sale sign". I couldn't pass it up, even though I didn't have any money in my pocket.

As I followed the brightly colored signs, turning down this street and that, my anticipation of finding that one item I couldn’t live without grew. The neatly drawn signs held the promise of a great treasure.

As I made the final turn, I spotted the tell tale sign of a big sale; cars lined up on both sides of the street and a crowd of people milling about. My excitement grew. It must be a good yard sale with this many people stopped.

I quickly found a space to park the mini-van and jumped out of our aging family limousine and briskly walked across the street, cutting off an old couple in the process. I couldn't very well let them get ahead of of me and get something I wanted, despite the fact I didn't have any money.

As I walked up the steep drive, weaved my way through the large crowd, I just knew it was going to be awesome! Then, finally, I broke through and there it was in all its glory. I tiny sale in a tiny garage hosted by a tiny old couple who probably were around before the Grand Canyon was even a canyon.

What a huge disappointment. There were only a few items and they weren't worth looking at. I suddenly began to feel faint, my knees started to buckle. My vision started to fail. Someone in the crowd asked me if I was OK. Anger took over and I pushed their helping hands aside and stumbled down the drive to my vehicle.

I got in and slammed the door in frustration. How could I have let myself been duped? I was led astray from my journey home by a message of worldly treasures only to find empty promises.

I started our old, worn out van, turned around and headed home to my wife and kids. My real treasures.

(This story is based on true events, but may have been embellished somewhat for dramatic effect)

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