When we first opened our shop, a lady called and wanted us to come and pick up some things to sell. Jim and I went to her house and I remember that she had a large table, 4 white chairs, an old white shabby chic table, a long white shelf and several other things. With the little house, I wondered where we would put them all. The large table took up half of the room in the "fireplace room". We stacked things on top of it and never moved it the entire time we were in the little house. We bought the shelf and ohn painted it red. I love that shelf and it now hangs in the restaurant.
Diane would come in and visit our shop periodically and brought in several other items including a big duck tureen and several other interesting pieces. She also bought my secretary and she loved it.
I found out that she was suffering from cancer and she had some good days and some bad days. Her husband had alzheimers and she was taking care of him all by herself when we first me. It was wearing her out. One day she came in and she looked happier... she told me that she had gotten rid of Henry and it had eased her load! He meant that she was able to put him in a care center but it came out a little more seriously...
She called several more times with a beautiful buffet and a dresser as well as a yellow chair with strawberries in the material pattern and a matching ottoman. There was also a darling yellow mirror and a white chair with a pink floral fabric. I came to appreciate her style. Recently she called and had Jim pick up another chair with matching pink floral fabric, an old iron, a chocolate bunny mold and the cutest thing ever that she called duckie butts. It was a piece of wood with the hind ends of three ducks and their feet that looked like what you might see under the water. I loved it and I wanted it. I think it sold last Monday and I missed out... we all loved the duckie butts.
A lady was interested in buying one of the floral chairs and I said I would call and see if Diane would take a discounted price. I called for three days with no answer. I thought maybe she had changed her phone number since she had just moved... I was planning today to call information or even go to her house.
Sitting in a meeting today, Dani mentioned that some ladies had come in because a friend and relative of their's had died this week and they wanted us to take some of the furniture. She then mentioned Diane Delport's name. I was shocked. It has just been this week when I have been thinking about her so much that I really recognized how much I had come to enjoy and appreciate this lady. She was small, she suffered with her own illness, she had moved three times in this year that I knew her, she took care of her ailing and feeble husband and at the same time she died her hair a new color, she bought fudge, she enjoyed antiques and she was a friendly face that I enjoyed seeing. She touched my life and it was sad to hear that she had not made it through an operation that she didn't think would be a big obstacle.
Today I met her daughter (who looked like I would imagine Diane looked when she was younger) and her sister who was just a bit chubbier but looked very much like Diane as well. Neither of these women live here in Cedar and so they came in with a couple of friends that Diane knew and who were helping with the sale of this furniture and other items.
I am glad to consign these things and hope to sell them. Each piece has suddenly taken on a new meaning. Her cute little teapots, the bunny mold, the tole painted chicken, the duck tureen will be treated with special attention when we sell them... in memory of a lovely little lady who touched our lives at the Little Brick House. A sweet and tender mercy of running this business.
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