Page 24 of Some Things Never Change

“And you look happier already. But, you know what will make you the happiest?”

“What?”

“Why don’t you start flipping and restoring furniture again? You loved doing that.”

I used to flip and restore old furniture all the time when I was in college. I spent a lot of my summers in the Hughes’s garage with Anthony either flipping or restoring old, mostly decrepit furniture no one wanted from the thrift store. He was the one who introduced me to flipping furniture. Along with it, he also introduced me to the joy of putting love and care into something forgotten and undervalued and truly bringing out its worth.

We used to obsess over our projects with one another every summer until I became an intern at an interior design firm. I hadn’t flipped furniture since due to the lack of space, living in tiny city apartments. It’s been years since I had even thought of picking up this hobby again.

I gave Andy an unsure look.

“I don’t know. It’s been so long since I’ve done it, and I don’t even know if I have an eye for that anymore.”

“Didn’t you put fresh coats of paint on the dresser you previously had?”

The dresser I owned back in San Ignacio had a little makeover, with a new paint job and new handles. It was the most basic thing I could do to spruce up my used dresser. I knew I could get a bit of money for it if I just made it look a tad nicer and it was sold immediately.

“Yeah, but I didn’t do much.”

“Didn’t you sell it for a hundred and seventy-five dollars, though?” Andy arched an eyebrow at me. “Which was completely undervalued, by the way. You should charge more for your hard work. I always tell Anthony the same thing when he sells the furniture he flips.”

“It was used, Andy. I’m not going to charge an arm and leg for something I spent less than fifty dollars refurbishing. I hardly even spent much on the primer, paint, handles, and?—”

“You still spent your precious time working on it, right?”

“I did, but it’s not even much. Anyone can do it if they really want to.”

“They can, but would they? The answer is no. They wouldn’t, because they wouldn’t want to put their time into making a dresser look nice. Even if it’s basic, you can start flipping furniture again by doing something that simple. Start with the furniture you’ll be adding to your room.”

“Where would I do it, though?”

I had to use Lily’s one-car garage for two separate weekends just refurbishing my old dresser, which was a huge inconvenience. While she parked in the driveway because it was her house, I had to fight for parking for my car on the street.

With wide streets and plenty of street parking in Andy’s neighborhood, I doubted that would be the problem if I started to flip furniture again. But I hated the fact that I was taking up too much space in someone else’s home.

“My garage or on the backyard patio. Where else?”

“But I’ll make a mess everywhere and fill your garage with random pieces of furniture until they’re sold.”

“So? It’s a two-car garage. I doubt you’re going to be flicking paint all over my car instead of whatever you’re working on.”

“Are you sure about this?”

“If I wasn’t, then why would I suggest it? Of course I’m sure.”

“Hmm, I’ll think about it. It’s a fun hobby to have, but it’s also a lot of work.”

Andy shook his head with a smile on his face. “I’m also here, right?”

“Well—”

“Like I said a few weeks ago on Christmas, if you ever need me for anything, I’ll be there for you.”

“Even if we have to hop from one thrift store to the next if I can’t find something I’d like to flip?”

Andy’s smile grew wide. “I’ll even offer to be your personal driver. It’s only fair if you’re my assistant for my Lego projects that I’m also your assistant for your furniture flipping projects as well.”

I smiled back. “I haven’t even been here for a whole twenty-four hours yet and we already sound like the dream team.”

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