Whoosh!
"Magnificent!" I breathed as the umbrella mushroomed out into a colossal, domed canopy at the touch of a button, infusing my mind with the memory of a smile shared between mother and daughter... the only smile ever shared by this mother and this daughter. Just a moment in time, but a powerful moment... one that had impelled my search for the perfect umbrella.
My search began last week, during an early autumn downpour. I knew just what I was looking for. No longer for me, those dinky, collapsible umbrellas that open up like spidery skeletons, all angles and joints, giving way and turning inside out in the first strong wind. You know the kind. They're so small, even when they're opened up all the way, that instead of protecting you from the rain, they make sure that a steady stream of water rolls off the edge and straight down into your collar. Nope, I was going for form and function... aesthetic utility.
That smile, when I was four years old, was my original inspiration, and I've had this purchase on my mind since I settled in Poland last year. But the impetus that finally inspired me to take action was the first really rainy day here in Prague. I was rushing off to the city center on a tram, amid the early morning hustle and bustle. People everywhere were scurrying about under their own personal canopies. They came in all sizes and shapes... brilliant colors and patterns. I was absolutely dazzled by the bright splashes of color that cheered up this otherwise dreary day. Many of the umbrellas I saw were the huge round domes of the kind I was looking for, so I was sure I could find one for myself.
I knew things were going to be expensive in the city center, so I started my search in the one place that has saved my life so many times before when I've been searching for something that I couldn't find anywhere else at a price I could afford... the shops in the underground metro stations. I tried a couple of stations out, but had no luck. Nor did I see umbrellas in any of the shops on Wenceslas square.
I finally caught sight of a rack of large, walking stick type umbrellas in a souvenir shop.. only 200 korun (about $10). Not bad. I walked in... drenched at this point... and slipped a leopard patterned umbrella out of the rack, easing it out of its matching straight-jacket. I gave it a nudge, and it opened up under what almost felt like hydraulic pressure... whoosh! I smiled up at the canopy looming over me. This was going to be it... and it would go well with both of the winter coats I had picked up at the second hand shop. I lowered it to check out its profile, and it was then that I realized that it wasn't a dome at all, but rather an angled off mushroom. It just wasn't going to do. Sadly, I put it back on the rack, much to the annoyance of the salesgirl.
I was starting to run out of places to look. Oddly enough, for a city that gets so much rain, it's hard to find an umbrella for sale in Prague, much less the kind I was looking for. But everybody had one. Where did they get them? Was I going to have to start flagging people down and asking them where they bought their umbrellas? Believe me, if I knew enough Czech, I would have done it. But alas, I started off for home with my hopes dashed.
Just as I was approaching the metro station that would take me home, I noticed a store that seemed to specialize in umbrellas, and they looked absolutely lovely. This was going to be my lucky day, after all. I went inside. The umbrellas that were hanging upside down from the ceiling were all perfectly formed domes and sported reproductions of famous paintings by Monet and other impressionists. Parisians strolling along the Seine... cafe scenes... that sort of thing. Imagine looking up at something like that while you're walking in the rain! My desire was mounting... until... I looked at the prices. So sorry... I am just not going to pay $50 for an umbrella. Maybe when I start earning money, but for now... gotta go.
From the tram on the way home, I spotted a shoe store that had some of the umbrellas I was looking for. I jumped off and checked them out. Way too expensive. Okay, I just knew that all these people on the street hadn't paid that much for their umbrellas. And I wasn't about to give in until I knew their secret. So, in spite of the pouring rain, I went home empty handed.
My search was forgotten in the next few sunny days, and not remembered until just a couple of days ago, when I walked out of the school that I work for and headed toward the metro station, again in the pouring rain without an umbrella. I had noticed a little shop selling the collapsibles right next to the metro station, and I was convinced that I was going to have to give in and buy one of those, just to make an attempt at keeping myself dry while I continued my search. When I got there, much to my surprise, I noticed that they had a row of big umbrellas, too. Mostly plaid, which I don't like, so I asked if they had any solid colors. The only choice was black, and I asked to see it open.
Whoosh! Magnificent!
I checked out the profile. It was perfect. As I dug out my money, the salesgirl held the umbrella over my head to keep the downpour off of me. I had almost forgotten the practical side of my purchase. Wow! All that beauty, and it kept me dry, too. I grabbed my new umbrella and went off to do some more shopping, twirling it this way and that, lifting it high overhead while passing through crowds in narrow spaces. I was grateful for the rain pounding down on top of me, baptizing my new friend. And I felt like a part of the community of umbrellas around me.
The next morning, when I was getting ready for school, it looked like rain, so of course, I grabbed my umbrella. It wasn't raining when I left, but I enjoyed the tap, tap, tap of its pointy tip on the sidewalk with my every step. How many years had it been since I tapped down the sidewalk?
In my English class that morning, I had to teach the word versatile. I gave a few examples... "My umbrella is very versatile... it has many uses... It protects me from the rain... I can use it as a walking stick when I'm going up a hill... I can use it to steady myself when I'm standing on the tram and it screeches to a halt... If someone attacks me, I can whack them over the head with it... If I drop something down a well, I can fish it out with my umbrella... and best of all.... although I didn't mention this to my students... it can bring back a moment of joy long past, but never forgotten.
What is your most versatile possession, and what does it do for you?
kruuyai posted on Sep 13, 2007
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Comments
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dailyachesandpains said on Sep 13, 2007....
Kruu: I enjoyed reading your story! I just found an umbrella that is WIND PROOF!!!!!! As in, it won't fling out backward and stab a pedestrian in the eye!
As far as a versatile possession...I'm going to have to think about that. Right now, I'm thinking tweasers, nail clippers and nail files. So many uses for each!
When I first saw the word "Umbrella" I started getting this song in my head when my Niece was playing it on her ipod loud speakers a few weeks ago. I honestly only remember the word "Umbrella" as you can hear why, lol! You can skip to one minute to avoid that annoying as all hell rap in the beginning: -
beyondtheveil said on Sep 13, 2007....
kruugirl- One smile from your mother? My God, how so very sad. The more you tell of your past, the more I am genuinely impressed at how you turned out. I think this is part of why you are one of my favorite people.
I've never owned an umbrella- no rain except in spurts. The closest I've ever come to liking umbrellas is one of my favorite paintings is The Umbrellas" by Renoir. But I'm glad you found the special one to fit that special moment.
My most versatile possession, strangely enough, is a pair of scissors. When I began working in my career job, the most used tool was a pair of electricians scissors. Some men carry a knife, I carry scissors. I've carried a pair for decades and would be lost without them. They can be used for so much more than a knife, including cutting metal. Years ago, my wife asked for my "snips" so much, I got her a pair we keep in a kitchen drawer just for her. She has used them constantly ever since.
A beautifully written post, as usual, kruu.
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kruuyai said on Sep 13, 2007....
Just replace the refrain here with... "ma, ma, ma, myyyyy umbrella!"
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kruuyai said on Sep 13, 2007....
Daily: Thanks. Cute song! And no fair skipping out on telling us all the many uses of your little bits of hardware! lol So, what does this windproof umbrella look like?
beyond: Not that it was the only time I remember her smiling, but it was the only time I remember us sharing a smile... with eye contact, warmth, and mutual affection. Other than that, I seem to remember her smiles associated with nasty, biting comments. Scissors, ah yes. I remember my days as a geologist, working in environmental consulting. We used to have to take water samples out of monitoring wells with a tubular bailer that we lowered down on a length of rope. All the geologists that trained me or that I ever worked with in the field, always carried some kind of field knife with them that they used to cut the rope. I remember watching them saw away at that rope with their dull knives, and the first time I planned my own field outing, I just grabbed a pair of scissors from the office. Next time I was out with another geologist, watching her saw away at the rope, being a "real geologist" (something akin to being a "real man" I guess), I just reached out with my scissors and snipped it in one fell swoop. It was kind of like that scene from Indiana Jones...
Thanks for the compliment. :)
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tizzygirl said on Sep 13, 2007....
I can't say its the most versatile object I own....but it's surprisingly similar to yours.... It's my sunglassesI have MANY memories as a child getting brightly colored plastic sunglasses! My sister and I LOVED them and wore them all the time; indoors, outdoors, rain, sunshine, in the pool, EVERYWHERE! It made you feel soooo cool even though they had some name of some company on them we didn't even know and they were about 10 times too big! It just made you feel like james dean or marilyn monroe!!SO of course I still love sunglasses...and instead of one I own a million!! I was so happy when the big dorky plastic sunglasses came back in style I had to buy A LOT, I have bright pink ones, ones with jewels, polka dot ones, plaid ones(!), tie dye ones, checkered ones, tortoise shell ones, red ones, yellow ones, white ones, plain black ones, silver ones...etc....anyway I use them to block the sun, sometimes to hold my bangs out of my face, sometimes they are an accessory to my hair do, sometimes I chew on them when I am pondering or bored and sometimes I wear them to hide hang overs or good cries.....so I suppose they are a bit versatile, although if attacked I'm not sure I could use them to defend myself, but I can definitely try ;) -
kruuyai said on Sep 13, 2007....
tizzy: lol.... those are some versatile sunglasses indeed! I'll bet some of them would ward off would-be attackers. :) I have a huge pair of sunglasses, too. I call them my bumblebee glasses. They're really too big for my face, but they fit to a T, and they're prescription, so I've been using them for like 11 or 12 years. The rim is even cracked, and there's a chip out of one of the lenses, but I won't give them up. -
dailyachesandpains said on Sep 13, 2007....
Hey Kruu!Here is your new umbrella! That song actually drove me nuts, she says "umbrella" how many times?Okay, I'll give you the uses:Tweasers: Plucking brows, removing a splinter (even if it's on your chin!) and to pinch/pull something like a dime that slid into the seat rails on my car. That prevented me from moving my seat back and forth. Last use I can think of right now, to remove long hair that clogs up the bath drain.Nail clippers: Also to pull splinters, clip a stray string off of a blouse or article of clothing.Nail Files: Can file anything! I've even filed a flower off of the stem for Little D because I couldn't yank it. You can pull a piece of loose string on a piece of clothing and file it off in seconds if you don't have your nail clippers or scissors handy. The other use is to use it on dry heels/feet if you don't have a stone or lotion handy!That's about it!Daily -
kruuyai said on Sep 13, 2007....
Daily: Dang, girl! That is some umbrella. And you sure are creative with a manicure set! I especially like using the nail file in place of a pumice stone. lol -
uniquely-ironic said on Sep 13, 2007....
I'd have to say my car is the most versitile thing I own. It serves as transportation, garbage can for fast food wrappers, torture chamber for kids when forced to ride with me, storage unit when I keep things in the trunk, meditation pod when I'm driving since it doesn't have a radio so I must listen to my own thoughts and in extreme cases could function as my house. -
kruuyai said on Sep 14, 2007....
uniquely: lol... I'm sure most drivers could say the same, but how many actually think about it? :)
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