I have always enjoyed spending time with my sisters. I am the oldest of three. My middle sister’s name is Robin, and she is well known for shopping.
I seriously believe that she has entered every single antique and décor shop in the states of South Carolina and Georgia, and probably North Carolina, too. If you go anywhere with her, you can plan on stopping at several hundred stores along the way.
What is really fascinating is that she can find the most amazing bargains no matter where we go.
She is gifted at scoping out the most unusual items at an unbelievable low price. With that ability, she naturally opened her own décor store in Surfside Beach, called Shore Décor.
She has always been able to zero in on a unique find, and that happened one day on an elevator.
Years ago, Robin came to Charleston for a few days to shop and called me. Together we went through probably every store in Charleston and beyond, mostly to just look and browse. We always have a great time together, because she has a terrific sense of humor, something my entire family is blessed to have.
Hanging out with Robin means you will laugh a lot while almost dropping from exhaustion due to picking your way through hundreds of retail venues.
We took time to eat…another hobby my family enjoys, and finally, at the end of the day, I followed her back to her hotel. I have never been so tired in my life. Her shopping frenzy had worked me over.
Dragging myself onto the elevator to go up to her room, I squished myself into the corner as a crowd of older men squeezed in. The gentlemen were a little tipsy and had obviously had a great time imbibing at the hotel bar. They were still laughing at some private joke when the elevator doors closed.
My sister was standing in front of me, and since she has never met a stranger, she began to have a little fun with those guys and asked them questions.
ROBIN: “Are you in town for vacation?”
MEN: “Nope, a convention.”
ROBIN: “Did you bring your wives along with you to go shopping?”
MEN: “And spoil our fun? Heck No! Why? Would you and your friend like to go out tonight and have a little fun with us?”
ROBIN: Rolling her eyes, she asked, “What sort of convention are you attending?”
MEN: “School principals. Why don’t you come up to our room and let’s talk some more?”
ROBIN: “Well, where are you all from? Where do you work?”
At this point, there were a variety of answers, and finally one man spoke up. He looked old enough to be my dad…maybe even my grandfather. And he looked oddly familiar.
“Hey, let’s go down to the bar and have some drinks together,” he said. “We can have a little fun. Are you staying here in this hotel too?”
Wait just a doggone minute…I knew that voice. And suddenly, I pushed forward and just had to ask where he was from.
“Sumter,” he said. And then I knew exactly who he was.
Before I could stop myself, I blurted out, “I know who you are! You were my principal when I was in middle school!” I had listened to that obnoxious voice over the intercom for a solid year throughout the eighth grade! I had even been sent to his office once for throwing a chalkboard eraser at a kid.
My sister began laughing uncontrollably like a nut. That started me laughing, too, then all the men joined in, except my principal, who turned bright red and practically threw himself out of the elevator as soon as the doors opened.
Still laughing uproariously, my sister opened her hotel room door and we fell inside with our packages. Ewwww. Yuck. I had just been asked out by my middle school principal. What a creepy thought.
It’s been many years since that happened, and sometimes my sister and I reminisce about that chance meeting on an elevator. What are the odds that we would meet our middle school principal on an elevator in Charleston after being gone from Sumter for almost 20 years.
As my sister says, “With our luck, those odds are pretty good.”
Yes, it was another truly unique, and one of a kind find by my sister.
