"In this sticky web that we're all in, behaving decently is no small task." -- Novelist Stacey D'Erasmo

Friday, December 12, 2014

I Guessed a Christmas Present!

     B likes to shop, but what with her job, and church, and a house and two kids -- plus, she has me to contend with -- she doesn't have a lot of time. So she shops mostly online. We have packages arriving at the house from UPS and Federal Express and sometimes the U. S. Postal Service, especally in advance of Christmas.

     So last night B and I went out the front door to walk the dog, as we do every evening, and I noticed there were two packages right outside on the front porch. One small box, and one big box.

     We walked the dog and as we came back in, I picked up the smaller package and opened the door. I went inside, put the package down, unleashed the dog, then went back outside to get the other box. It was big, so I lifted it up with two hands . . . but it didn't weigh much.

     "Oh, this is light," I said to B, as I elbowed my way back inside.

      "What?" she said. She was in the kitchen, taking off her coat. "Don't go feeling those packages!"

     "Oh . . . I'm not," I said. "It's just that it's so big, and so light. I wonder what it is."

     "Never you mind," she said, turning toward me as I entered the kitchen. "Just forget about the box."

     "Hmmm," I wondered. "Is this a present for me?"

     "Who wants to know?" she teased.

     "I hope that big box isn't full of styrofoam peanuts," I said. "They're a pain to throw away."

     "Just don't worry your pretty little head about what's inside the box," she said.

     I'd placed the big box on the floor by the door, and I was now in the kitchen, taking off my coat. Then I did a double-take back to the box. There was writing on it. It was upside down, but I could make out Travelpro. "Wait a second, here," I said. "I know what that is!"

     "No, you don't."

     "It's the suitcase you were going to buy for Richie!" Richie is her younger son, and I knew he'd been asking for a new suitcase for Christmas.

     She got red in the face. She was a little embarrassed.

     "Why, you were leading me on!" I suddenly realized. "You were pretending this was some mysterious present for me!"

     "No, I wasn't." But her red face gave her away.

     "Hah, you can't fool me," I stated proudly. "I wasn't born yesterday, you know."

     "Well," she said, ending the conversation. "That's for sure!"

8 comments:

DJan said...

Ha! That was fun. You're a good writer, Tom.

Anonymous said...

So you guys don't buy your gifts on Black Friday????

Linda Myers said...

"That's for sure." LOL

It's fun when someone you love turns pink with embarrassment. Not too much embarrassment, though.

Dick Klade said...

Maybe the "big, light box" with your present in it will be delivered soon?

stephen Hayes said...

She almost fooled you...almost.

Tabor said...

Hubby is never too curious about what is in the boxes. He is just glad that I do all the list making and shopping.

June said...

Uh...
It's a little hard to tell who won that one, Tom. :-P

Anonymous said...

Oh I love the holidays for this reason...packages arriving left and right, all from online suppliers. My kids mostly want money, but it's fun to buy something for one or more of them from time to time. No hassle, no standing in line and no disappointment because you can find whatever you are looking for from one supplier or another.

Also, plenty of Black Friday sales online too.

The downside will be that we can no longer write off sales tax expenditures...a rider in the omnibus bill?