Good Old-fashioned

The bottom drawer on my teacher desk seemed a little sticky today when I opened it to retrieve a bag of Jolly Ranchers. I thought perhaps something had fallen behind it and was preventing a smooth glide when I pushed it closed, but the design of the drawer prevented me from seeing or even reaching into the space without removing the whole thing. So I pushed my desk forward to clear the bookshelf behind it and lifted the draw free of its rollers and out. 

I was disappointed to find nothing there, and I stooped to replace the drawer but I couldn't make it go in. I was banging it all around when my colleagues came in for lunch. One of my handier friends tried to assist me while the others poked fun at our ineptitude. "Maybe it's time for a new desk," quipped one.

"I've had this desk for 30 years," I replied. "I'm not getting a new one now!"

"That could be the problem," she laughed.

"I think you're going to have to call the custodian," suggested another, and the friend who was helping me agreed.

I don't call the custodian to fix anything! I have a drawer full of tools and pride myself on maintaining the vintage furniture and equipment I have spent so many years with. In fact, I'm sure I can count on one hand the number of times I've asked for help. Once when I barfed, once when a kid peed on the chair, once after at least 10 years of fixing a cabinet latch that finally fell apart, and that's pretty much it, so I really did not want to call for someone to help me put a drawer back in.

But that's what I did. Our friendly custodian appeared within five minutes, and after another round of jokes about the age of my desk, he pulled out the roller assembly and fit it on the drawer outside the desk then slid the whole thing back in. I watched him carefully in case I ever need to repeat his repair, but since I only pull the drawer all the way out every thirty years, I think I'm safe.

Plus? How can a desk look old? It has a laminate top, steel body, and three drawers which lock, AND it's inaccessible to any of the creatures I share my room with. What improvements could a new desk possibly have?