by Terry Mills from Horseshoe Bay, BC
About 18 years ago I bought a lovely old baby-grand Heintzman piano from a woman in Langley B.C. Ten years later I called the woman, Mary Dumbleton, to tell her how much my daughter and I were enjoying the piano. We both played it every day and we had nicknamed it "Mary" in her honour.
Mary told me a little bit of history of the piano and how it had come to be in her family. She thanked me for calling, said suggested maybe we could get together some day.
In May of this year I read in Vancouver Sun that Mary Dumbleton of Langley B.C. had passed away. "Loved and Deeply Mourned."
I felt saddened by this and recalled something she had told me in our phone conversation - so I decided to send a condolence card to her family via her home address. The card explained who I was, and that I was sorry to read that their mom had passed away. It also said that that Mary told me that her family had always been a little resentful that she had sold the family piano, and if they wanted to replace my piano I would be happy to return the little Heintzman to the Dumbleton family.
I sent this card off and waited for the family's reply.
About a week later I came home and found a note on the counter, written in my husband’s hand.
The note said:
"Mary Dumbleton called".
I was stunned. The only thing I could think of when I read those words was "How is this possible....where could she be calling from??"
I called my husband at work and asked him, "Mary Dumbleton called? What did she say?"
"She said she liked the card" he told me, not knowing what I had done.
"She said she liked the card?" I asked?
"Yeah, we had a nice chat."
I waited a whole week before I got up the nerve to call her up and tell her how happy I was that she was still alive. We both had a good laugh about it. She said that it was a lovely sentiment but that she would be happy if the piano stayed where it was. She thanked me for calling. She said maybe we could get together some day....maybe she could visit me in Horseshoe Bay and see her namesake. I look forward to that day.
Condolences to the family of the other Mary Dumbleton of Langley B.C.