Another trip. Not so much in the middle but this time along the edge. Connecticut, New Jersey, New York, Philly, Washington D.C. and Buffalo.
Buffalo girls going round the outside, round the outside, round the outside. Quite literally, as I discovered in the distinguished Buffalo Club established in 1867, women have only recently been allowed in through the front door. One girl told me on her first visit to the club spa a huge elderly gentleman ambled into the steamy sauna, with all his tackle hanging out and sat down, directly across from her. He had not heard the news that the sauna was now mixed.
Ten days of trunk shows, book talks, and introducing my new business. Met a smart savvy matrimonial lawyer, she joined us straight way. She said that in her business no one wins, divorce, ugly business, it’s only a lose-lose situation. In my business, everyone wins, she said. I liked her thinking.
At most events I introduce my good luck beetle, who is our logo, and seen on many of our products. One woman who had had a few too many came weaving her way over, wearing one of our beetle scarves… “Can you sign the bumblebee?” she asked.
During one of my book talks, I described a bed made up in John Robshaw sheets. I said that anyone who knows what John Robshaw looked like would agree that everyone wants to sleep on top of, or under John Robshaw. Of course on this occasion his mother happened to be in the audience, looking somewhat surprised.
I also told the story of my grandmother who left my mother and aunt in Hungary, thinking they would be safe with their nanny and governess as she went on her merry way exploring Europe… but then discovered she could not remember where she had left the children and it took her six months to retrace her footsteps and find them. Two young mothers in the front row had their mouths wide open as they listened. Afterwards they came up to me. “Oh no,” I said, “were you very shocked by that?” “Not at all,” they replied, “we were trying to work out where we could drop off our children for six months.”
The last event of this trip was in a beautiful house, in the countryside outside Washington, sensible music played and drinks were served whilst evening settled in. As Jeanette and I laid out the collection for everyone to shop I realized that our candle was burnt down to the bitter end, there was nothing left to light, it was an empty vessel.
Time to go home, we laughed.