Glass Lady Entry #1

Millie called early wanting to be sure I’d be at the store when she stopped by – of course, I’m always at the store! Because she was carrying a little gift bag when she came in, I thought for a moment she bought me something, but the gift had been given to her and she wanted me to see it. She handed me a little blue glass tea cup, decorated with embossed cherry blossoms. She explained that it had been willed to her by her best friend’s mother. As a child, each time Millie went to visit her school chum Laura, she would wait patiently as Mrs. Davis unlocked the glass door of the china hutch. Just holding the cup would have been pleasure enough, but Mrs. Davis let her use it at snack time filled with milk. How many decades ago was that? Millie had lost touch with this family, but apparently Mrs. Davis had somehow kept track of her!

As Millie spoke on and on of her wavering feelings about hearing the news of a long lost friend’s passing, and being remembered in such a personal way, I peered into the delicate blueness. I began to feel a swirling sensation, growing in intensity. The blue seemed to turn to muddy brown and I ‘saw’ water rising all around. Dizzy and gasping for breath, I found my way to a chair and only when I sat down did my anxiety ease. Millie was still talking, as I surprised the both of us when I suddenly interrupted, “Did Mrs. Davis die by drowning?” Millie absolutely did not know. She was just wondering if I might know anything about the style of this little antique cup? I reminded her that I owned an antiquarian book store, and what I didn’t know about antique glass would make a big book!

I told Millie that I’d try to find out what I could about her tea cup. She said she was looking forward to getting in touch with Laura through the executor of the will. We both have a bit of research to do . . .