When I moved out of my house, I rented a storage area and moved in what I thought I could not live without (how wrong I was). I think the rent was $120.00 a month at first. Each six months, they raised it to the point that it was now $200.00 a month (a lot of money here in Mexico). For over one year I had tried to find someone who would drive some of the stuff down to Puerto Vallarta. On this trip my former gardener said he had someone who would do it, but could not give me a price without seeing how much I wanted to move.
One early morning I met my gardener and the man I assumed was the truck driver. He explained (or rather my gardener explained for him) that he was taking a trunk to Tepic and could put my furniture in the back of the truck. It would pass with do duty. He did not care about weight, but measured everything to assess the volume it would create. He could deliver it to an address in Tepic for me to move, or rent another truck to bring it all the way to Purerto Vallarta (about a 5 or 6 hour drive). for a higher price. I asked "how much more" and he said another $125.00! The entire move would cost $850,00. I was thrilled and told him it's a deal! Knowing that weight was not a problem I began packing more stuff into the Mexican trunk and breakfront.
With the idea of the furniture going, I decided it was time to clear out the rest of my "stuff" and empty the storage unit. Once I began to open boxes I found that a lot of it consisted of paper products, spices, and general kitchen stuff. What my friend couldn't use I threw away. Another friend who ran a consignment shop said that he would try to "get rid" of some of it. Besides 30 or 40 paintings I had boxes of Lalique, Baccarat, and Waterford crystal. He told me that he knew someone who handled more "high end" things and had him call me. I took him to the unit and started opening box after box. Much of it I had forgotten I owned. At first I was a little reluctant to part with some of the pieces that I had lived with for 40 years or more. Some were fairly expensive. I had a baccarat horse that cost $1,250.00 and I knew one Lalique bowl went for $750.00. I also gave him my grandfathers gold watch, several ivory pieces, and two painting that were by "know" artists, plus a sterling silver candelabra. I told him to just take it all and make of a list and tell me how much he thought it was worth.
At retail, we are talking about $7 to $10,000, but I figured he would only offer maybe 25 cents on the dollar. When I was told that the six boxes of crystal, a sterling silver candelabra, ivory, and paintings came to $500.00 (about 5 cents on the dollar) I was shocked. Then I thought, it was stuff I had enjoyed for many, many years, I now had a new life and I would be saving $200.00 a month. I had already sold a couple hundred dollars worth and my friend with the consignment store could send me what ever he made later.
At 6:00am I met the "supposed" driver at my storage unit. He was standing out side the gate and when I opened the gate he motioned for someone else to pull in a small pick up truck. Many of the larger items I wanted to bring down would not fit (including the life sized portrait of me!!) As it was they had to stack everything so the legs of the chairs were poking into the leather. One table was inlaid wood and it was raining. The truck had no top or tarp. Some how they managed with ropes to secure it which was now about an eight foot high pile of furniture and "stuff". I handed the man I had originally met the $850.00. He gave $100.00 to the truck driver and he drove off. I wondered how long it would be, or even "if" I would ever see the stuff again.
After about three weeks I called my gardener to find out where the truck was. He said he would call me back. He did not, so I called him. He said that he had tried to reach me to say that it should be there very soon. A month passed and finally six weeks after the truck left my storage unit, I reached my gardener again. He insisted that Arturo (the truck driver) had sent me several messages and so had he. I never got them, so what is the bottom line? I was leaving for Japan in a week. Then I found out that he and Arturo had been texting my "magic jack" line. It is a computer phone that takes messages, but not text messages. At least I felt somewhat relieved to know that "maybe" I might see the "stuff' again. He said it should arrive in a week, but that "someone" would call me a few days before.
Three days before I was to fly to Japan, I called my gardener again, for I still had heard from no one. He said that "who ever" had my furniture had a storage area in Tepic and could put it there until I returned. I don't even know who has the furniture and not sure that my gardener did either, but told him that I would call him when I got back and either arrange for them to get it to me, or my young Mexican friend (whose mother lives in Tepic) would pick it up for me.
After finishing packing and watering all the plants I decided that rather than clean the apartment one more time I would go off to the beach. On my way back home, one of the men who sell tours below me said that someone came with some chairs. He wasn't sure if I was still here, or in Japan, but the guy said he would try again. WHEN!!! I was leaving for Japan in a matter of hours and had no way to contact the man.
Oh by the way, I will be in Japan for almost a month, so don't expect anything too soon.
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