I prefer consignment shops, don’t like
paying full price. My father, the ultimate
bargain shopper, would be proud.
After retiring he became a regular
at yard and estate sales, graduating
to auctions where they sold unpaid
storage units. My dad spent hours
combing through them, searching
for what he deemed valuable or worth
salvaging. He furnished my first
apartment this way, showing up
unannounced with a couch and a table
and a bed. I think my father would
appreciate this show of thriftiness, my desire
for a deal. I flip through the racks now,
discard most, nothing is right
for a funeral. I try on a few, sit
in the dressing room and cry. Leave
without buying any.
Courtney LeBlanc is the author of Beautiful & Full of Monsters (forthcoming from Vegetarian Alcoholic Press), chapbooks All in the Family (Bottlecap Press) and The Violence Within (Flutter Press), a Pushcart Prize nominee, and a finalist in the Furious Gazelle Spring 2019 Writing Contest. She has her MBA from University of Baltimore and her MFA from Queens University of Charlotte. She loves nail polish, wine, and tattoos. Read her publications on her blog: www.wordperv.com. Follow her on twitter: @wordperv, and IG: @wordperv79.
