Recliners- Helping To Make Your House A Home

People love their recliners. I repair furniture for a living and I can tell you first hand that the recliner is the most cherished seat in the home. When they break, the person's life is temporarily altered. Finding another place to sit can be dramatic.

It is 7 PM and John Martin is looking forward to watching Cowboys & Aliens with his grand kids Katrina and Alex. It is Friday night and the popcorn has been popped (Extra butter of course). Katrina and Alex are spending the night. The three of them plan to awake early and go fishing. Mrs. Martin has found a book and has retired to her room with a cup of tea. Cowboys and Aliens bore her.

John was unaware of the evil that was about to be thrust upon him. John's recliner had been silently waging war against a rogue nut and bolt located on its handle rod. The duo had decided to abandon their critical position for the plush carpet under the chair. Despite the recliner's best effort to thwart off the attack, the nut had managed to loosen itself completely and had fallen off. Over the last 6 weeks, the bolt inched its way out of its hole. At this point, it could fall to the floor any time it wished rendering the entire reclining mechanism useless. However just for spite, it was holding on waiting for the right moment to strike.

The recliner had done its best to warn John of the pending doom by making its handle feel loose and wobbly and making its footrest difficult to raise. It even managed to make a clunking sound every now and again. However these calls for help went unnoticed. The evil bolt laughed to its self as it considered the scene that was about to play out.

After some fussing about in the kitchen, every one was in their place ready to enjoy the show and a bowl of popcorn, John set down in his beloved recliner. He patted the plush arms and sighed a sigh of happiness. He loved his recliner. He had purchased it about three years ago. Over time the chair had perfectly conformed to his body shape. The chair seemed to welcome him with a loving embrace every time he set down. It was an over stuffed recliner, upholstered in a velvety soft fabric. Mrs. Martin hated the chair because it always looked old and frumpy which is the down side to over-stuffed comfort. John could not care less about how it looked as long as it was comfortable.

John leaned forward grabbed the remote and pushed play. As he leaned back his hand instinctively went for the handle on the side of the recliner. With a look of contentment he pulled up on the handle expecting the footrest to raise and catch his tired feet just as it had so many times before. However, at that moment, the sinister bolt deliberately jumped from its hole, laughing cruelly as it fell to the floor. A loud POP was heard as the tension from the spring and reclining bracket fell away from the handle rod. The whole recliner shifted and fell with a sickening thud on one side. John nearly had a heart attack. His whole body rushed with adrenalin and every muscle tightened up as the chair plopped down on one side. John was sure he was being abducted by aliens. Alex and Katrina eyes were wide as they saw their Grandpa nearly fall out of his chair. The popcorn bowl that had been resting on his lap was now upside down and its contents were scattered all over his lap and floor.

After the initial shock had worn off, John stood up to examine his crippled friend. Leaning dramatically to the left, the recliner was no longer usable. He flipped the chair over and found the bolt and nut laying antagonistically on the floor. He tried to find where they had came from without success. He was able to see the spring and reclining bracket flopping around but had no idea where they went. Fortunately, the recliner had a warranty so he would call the store in the morning and find out who to call to get the chair fixed. In the mean time, he had to find another place to sit. He restored the recliner to its proper position, cleaned up the popcorn mess, then looked around the living room for a place to relax.

The children were waiting impatiently for the movie to start, warm and comfortable in the beanbags that Mrs. Martin had found at a garage sale last summer. He consider kicking Alex out of his plush haven but changed his mind. He looked at Mrs. Martin's recliner, but it was a small ladies chair. His large six foot frame would never fit in to her recliner. The sofa was the only thing available so he took up residence there.

He pushed play on the remote but nothing happened. From where he sat, the sensor on the DVD player was blocked by a floor plant next to the TV. He would be forced to stand up and walk over by his recliner to push play. He returned to the sofa and sat down. The first thing he noticed was the screen was harder to see. The second thing he notice was how hard the sofa was. Layers of cardboard came to mind. This was going to be a long night. As the movie started he swung his feet up on the sofa and attempted to get comfortable. He shifted his weight here and there trying to find good position. He tried resting his feet on the coffee table in front of him, but found that his neck began to ache as his head was pushed forward by the back of the couch. Next he tried reclining against the arm of the sofa with his legs sprawled out over the rest of the cushions. He was half sitting and half lying down. This worked good for a while but eventually his shoulders and lower back started aching. Before he knew it, he was laying down and resting his head on the arm which required a pillow. By the time the movie was over John's whole body ached. He limped off to bed frustrated and disappointed in the evening. Hopefully the furniture repairman will be able to make everything better.

Four days and sixty-five dollars later his recliner was as good as new. John knew he had gotten old and soft and wasn't afraid to admit it. Four days of beanbags and stiff sofa's had taught him a lesson. As he retired comfortably back into the loving embrace of his beloved recliner, he vowed to be a better listener. The next time his recliner speaks he will be sure to listen.