Two weeks ago when every other day seemed to be filled with rain, I found myself in midtown without an umbrella. I had one when I left the house that morning, but somehow didn’t bring it with me when I went to meet Mistress Morgana at the NY Public Library. A block after saying goodbye to her, the rain came down and I slipped into Lord & Taylor. As I stared at the picked over remains of the umbrella display, I sighed. “Fine. Another fucking Totes.”
And then I remembered.
I threw the compact black Totes back on the rack and rushed out of the store. A few dampening blocks later, I entered Rain or Shine, where it was immediately evident that my taste for quality gear was not limited to leather hoods and metal bondage furniture.
It was like I opened the canopy of a whole new fetish. The satisfying and solid thwomp as the umbrella unfolded and expanded. Steel ribs forcing a shape, like a pagoda. Or a square. Or a lifted skirt. The canopy material: lustrous, silken, and taut. Articulated handles, solid wood shafts, and a golden ferrule.
There was so much to take in, I spent more than an hour browsing. In the end, it was between a solid two tone umbrella with a beige interior and black exterior and a somewhat more elegant silken umbrella with a graded coloring, slipping from gold at the center tip to a darker, brownish black color at the perimeter. The ombre version won. It took a tremendous amount of restraint not to get both.
Ever since I’ve been wishing for rain so that I can make use of my fine umbrella and now my iPhone tells me there’s a decent chance of it all week.
Hooray!
(I’ve got a super kinky post brewing and hope to have it up real soon. This is just a picayune.)
It’s always satisfying to find something of quality in this day and age isn’t it? Even the most mundane everyday objects can give you pleasure if they have been made with care and effort.
All of the Lord and Taylor’s are closed down here. Love the name for a store. Thanks for the picayune!
@patrick
Love you used “picayune”! (RIP TP)
A mistress of your quality, certainly deserves an umbrella of the same standard!
Love your writing…
@aarkey and furfan
Thanks! I love my umbrella! I can’t begin to describe how satisfying it is! As I’ve gotten older I’ve come to realize how gratifying it is to have “the right thing.” doesn’t mean it has to be expensive, but well made, thoughtfully crafted stuff makes such a difference. As a friend says, “We can’t afford to be cheap.” I’d rather spend the money for the one great thing than have to buy two or more of the “it’ll do” thing.
Your language is so artful and well crafted. Who needs a b&d session when you can read words with such an erotic feel- almost like a provocative game of scrabble, except playing against (or by?/with?) oneself.