Grief and catharsis can take surprising forms. I hadn’t expected a sofa to play such a starring role in mine but the murder of Miss Bee [nickname giving to sofa] had provided a powerful – and beneficial – release.” Follow our link to the NYT Modern Love column by Mike Rucker to read how he was affected by giving away the sofa bought with his deceased partner. Read More.
Meandering through grief, a man tries to replace his sofa. It doesn’t go well.
By Mike Rucker | The New York Times
John and I bought the sofa together when he moved into my apartment on 14th Street. I say “together” even though he probably paid for it, as he did with most of our major purchases back then. He made four times what I did.
Our choice was the Beecroft, a tight-backed sofa with low arms and wooden legs capped with offset brass wheels and covered in a white denim slipcover. I didn’t just feel grown up buying this sofa, I felt sophisticated.
Initially, John balked. “I’m not paying $3,000 for a couch.”
But it would last forever, I argued.
“There has to be something cheaper that we like just as much,” he said.
There wasn’t. Every other sofa we considered paled in comparison.
When we moved into a new apartment 13 years later, Miss Beecroft was still as sturdy as ever. But with an opportunity to remodel and redecorate, we decided she was due for a refresh. We took the slipcover and cushions to an upholsterer who remade them in a natural-colored linen. The result was stunning.
A few years later, our two new Chihuahua puppies, Sissy and Skeeter, quickly figured out how to pull the underside burlap from the wooden frame and create a little cave to hide in. Before long, all of the burlap had been ripped from its staples, which wasn’t a good look for Miss Bee. Sadly, things went downhill from there.
The linen slipcover didn’t prove as durable as the white denim, especially with two small dogs. Holes appeared, so we flipped the cushions. The other sides got holes. Then one of Miss Bee’s wooden legs came loose, developing a gruesome tilt. Continue Reading
