He was VERY excited because this was a surprise for his wife. When a man takes time to think ahead and get a gift to a country with no mail system in time for his wife's birthday ... well --- come on -- that is nothing short of amazing. That man deserves a medal.
A day or two before Mom was to come down, the husband checked on the package. I in-turn wrote to check on the package. The news was not good. I told the husband, "I'm sorry, it never showed up at their house." I then emailed the parental unit AGAIN (and again) and asked "ANYTHING???" They assured me no such box ever arrived at their home. They called their mail carrier, they did what I asked --- but they stuck to the story ... NO BOX arrived here FOR YOU Tara!!! Sorry.
I had to tell the above-average-birthday-planning husband that it appeared his gift had been stolen from the mailbox because no one had seen it. It was a sad day. I felt bad. The husband felt disappointed. The wife learned that her husband had attempted to give her a super-great gift on time ... but that a thief in suburban Minnesota had ruined it. She even blogged about it here.
We all threw up our hands in frustration, complained about life being unfair, and moved on without the excellent and expensive birthday gift.
Today, fully six months later, I sat at my mom's dining room table working on some paperwork when she came down the stairs and said, "Look at this box I just found - it is unopened - I was looking for ink for my printer and found it --- What is this?"
I am pretty sure my jaw dropped to the floor.
That super-duper-good-planning husband took a wrong turn when he brought R & C Porter into the equation.
I would love to explain to the husband and wife WHAT IN THE HECK went wrong. I have spent considerable time trying to decide when the train left the track ... and I've got nothing. No one remembers it coming to the house, no one remembers moving it up to Mom's office where she found it tonight, no one remembers putting it into her storage cabinet behind her desk.
It should be no mystery to me why I feel crazy unorganized. I am the off-spring of people who don't remember things - really basic things. I come from people who can receive a package, carry it into their home, put it in a cabinet, and then have zero recollection of having done so. I am doomed.
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To C. Rolling-
On May 18 your package arrived in Big Lake, MN. Since that time it has been sitting in a dark corner cabinet untouched. My entire family sits on a throne of lies. What can I say? I love them in spite of their Alzheimer's.
We're all going on record as incompetent package receiving agents. I am guilty by association.
I do not know if you bought your bride a new Ipod or not. I am awaiting your instruction to know what to do with it. Bring it back to Haiti on Jan 1? Ship it to someone responsible? Sell it and pay you back for it?
Let me know before I, or they, have a chance to lose it.
Credits-
Blog Title - a Quote - John Goodman
