Goodbye, Recliner

Saying goodbye is not always easy.

On Saturday morning, I bid adieu to my beloved recliner.

Back in 1999 or 2000, I purchased this on a complete whim from living.com, which at the time was an online furniture retailer. I remember being home alone yet again on a Friday night in Central NJ (suburbia + early 20's + living alone + single = wrong combo).

Somehow, I took a liking to this recliner and purchased in sight unseen (less a .jpg) for about $600. Never sat in it. Never reclined in it. Had no idea how well it was built.

Click. Click. Checkout. Done.

Even to this day, it's probably one of the more expensive online purchases I have made.

The recliner showed up at my apartment a few weeks later, and it was exactly as I had hoped. It rocked. It reclined almost 180 degrees. It was perfect.

But then I moved to Boston, and this recliner did not fit up the narrow staircase of my first apartment in the city. So back it went with my father in his mini van. We set it up in my old bedroom (along with the 32" CRT television that also didn't fit), and voila - I had an inviting sitting area when I chose to visit my folks.

When it was time to enter the ranks of real estate ownership in Southie, I had no furniture. I accepted a chair from a friend who was looking to unload it. I had a folding chair. And I had this recliner - in New York.

So, back came the recliner. Back to papa.

But then, I purchased a sofa.

And a side chair with an ottoman.

And then two leather club chairs with another ottoman.

Suddenly, the recliner was out of place. It fit neither size-wise nor stylistically. It stood out from the rest of my new decor, and it made everything look cluttered.

My friends hated it.

But I continued to love it. I must have claimed that "I need to get rid of that recliner" for about two years straight, undertaking paltry attempts to sell the chair online or give it away to friends.

They told me I should just leave it on the street (Gasp! no way.)

The recliner deserved a better fate.

A few weeks ago, I heard about Boomerangs, a resale store in Jamaica Plain. All of their proceeds benefit the AIDS Action Committee of Massachusetts. They accepted furniture donations and would come pick up any pieces looking for new homes.

I gave them a ring, scheduled a pickup, and that was that. Two guys came on Saturday morning and claimed the recliner. Morosely, I subjected them to a few lines about the recliner's history and how it pained me to get rid of it.

I followed them downstairs with a few bags filled with clothing, saving them another trip up the stairs.

But truly, I wanted to say goodbye to my beloved recliner one more time. It was sad - lonely recliner sitting in the back of a moving truck, covered by moving blankets, awaiting its fate.

I hope it has already found another home.