With this idea in mind, my friend, Cris, and I searched the isles of marble, granite and quartzite until we spied an astonishingly stunning piece of quartzite named Mona Lisa. Warned that the piece was “expensive”, we left certain that we’d found what we were looking for, but uncertain whether we’d ever have it. So now we have the rest of the story…
The dimensions and price of the stone (72 inches by 135 inches) were sent to two fabricators in Vero Beach. I waited for a call on Friday----nothing. It was a long weekend spent wondering. Questions danced around my head…
“Exactly how much could this cost?”
“If it costs a lot, could I afford it? Could I cut something else in the budget?”
“In the end, will I be truly delighted to live with Mona Lisa? Will she still delight me in five years?”
On Monday, I received the first bid.
Ouch!
On Tuesday, I received the second bid.
Ouch! But better.
Decision time – almost. Never one to decide too quickly, I made one more trip to Melbourne, this time with my decorator, Betty Manry. Certain that I knew where the stone was located, we walked into the yard – no Mona Lisa!
A new shipment had arrived and four slabs of granite had been placed in front of Mona Lisa. She wasn’t the new girl on the block anymore.
We asked the salesman if we could see our slab.
“Sure, but you have to wait until we move the others. It will take only 15 minutes.” This maneuver is done by using a large tractor equipped with a crane and heavy rubber pads that can grab the slab at the top and move it to the side, down the aisle, etc. We waited.
Finally, the time had come. We looked at the stone. Same reaction.
YES! The opportunity to walk in to my kitchen and smile at this stone on a daily basis is too good to pass up! Mona Lisa and I will be together for a long, long time!
