I put a spell on you....

A few years ago, the place where I work was the benefactor of a rich person's estate, which was organized into an estate sale of sorts. An empty store was overtaken with all of this Aspenite's stuff.

I went to the sale the first day, and among the delicate stemware, dustables and huge furniture (obviously designed for large rooms or custom made for a giant) was a very intriguing watercolor. Very large, beautifully framed, it was $75.

My kids were with me that day, and they were witness to the fact that I completely coveted the watercolor. As you'll see from the photo to follow, the picture shows a group of people standing near one another. I'm thinking they're waiting for a bus, as they don't seem to know each other. All but one figure is dressed in traditional clothing of some sort; what seems to be their country of origin - again, a mystery. The colors are muted.

And on the left in the image is a man only outlined in pencil, wearing what looks to be Western clothing. I don't know if the artist intended to finish this gentleman later, or if s/he intended to leave the one Americanized figure only in outline.

And as for the artist, there's no signature. I've thought of taking the image out of the frame to see if there's any indication of who created the piece, but it's framed so nicely, and it's been in my bathroom for years, exposed to years of steam. Obviously the previous owner valued the painting, based on how beautifully it was framed.

So the painting intrigued me, but I couldn't afford the $75. I'd heard that everything at the estate sale was going to be half off the next day.

So I put a hex on the painting. Nothing malicious or conspicuous. I just told my kids that I was hexing the painting so no one would want it but me.

And my white gal version of Santeria must have worked. The painting was one of the last things that remained when I returned on Day Two of the estate sale. And I bought it toot sweet, exhilarated.

The painting goes perfectly with the decor of my bathroom. In fact, as I recall, we chose the paint to correspond with the painting.

I don't know if my magic spell was the reason why the painting was still there on the second day. But the painting is magic to me, largely because of its intrigue, its subject, its artistry, and of course, the hex I tossed that day.