"The New Coffee Table" - from both Victoria's Perspectives

(and other stories by Vik and Tori)

by Vik

New coffee table.
The ottoman with the silver tray
is discarded to my office- upstairs -
mismatched, yet obsolete in the living room now.

A new coffee table with 12 drawers!
GreyWashFinish perfect for cocktails & coffee cups;
napkins & knick knacks stored in the drawers;                                                                                                                                                                              cards and jigsaws; coasters and candles.

But the ottoman?
Mismatched and expensive, meant for the sectional, is now in my office. Upstairs.
The silver tray still wondering what the hell happened to its life's purpose.

by Tori

We don't need a table Mum
But I want to buy you one
But we don't need it - The ottoman is fine...
But I want to buy you one
(Can you just give us the cash - like the tartan pot that we didn't want or need!)
Ok, sigh, well does that mean you guys want a table?
Well it would be handy for drinks etc
But you can't bring drinks into the living room near the sofa (Vik's rules)
Suddenly we are stuffed in the mini van with the over active door beeper
Doing returns and apparently looking at coffee tables on my day off..
Living Spaces
Starbucks coffee urn in the back of the store (not lattes or anything fancy)
Exhausted we plod through acres of meh furniture... Dad looking for discounts
Ib with her credit card at the ready
Nothing tickles my fancy in the sea of meh except one expensive one
And the round gold one Vik picked which was 'not appropriate' according to everyone except us!
The college students have plenty to say as they imagine their own homes compete with imaginary perfect bearded husbands with chubby baby on hip
Geoff still shuffling around the back of the store with the ghastly lazy boys and accompanying magic tables that pop up so you don't have to - imagine - lean forward to pick up your drink...
Terrible
We settle on the expensive one with Geoff twitching slightly
Well it is our home too
Yes it is, that's right
And now you have your table...
For your decaf coffee and "History of World Battles" book
Ottoman now relegated upstairs
It doesn't fit up there
Added to the graveyard of the mismatched... Aka Vik's office
Ugh
We don't need a coffee table
But we want to buy you one...
Ok you win
They usually do...we have been put in our place.  The inner child in me - ever present when they are around - bows and starts to imagine all the things we can store in the many different drawers.