You Have Won
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Artist:annieander
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Album:Color Me Stunned
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Track:You Have Won
Isabelle, my mother-in-law, has always been an easy mark for tele-marketers, door-to-door salesmen, and charities asking for money. On our last trip over to Scotland, we found that she had subcribed to the Reader's Digest book of the month club. We discovered her secret when a red "pleather" bound book titled Great Expectations in gold leaf arrived on her doorstep. She was busted.
The conversation went something like this...
Isabelle: I am in a book club.
Stew (my husband, her son): When do you meet?
I: We don't meet. It's not that kind of a book club. They just send me books and I just pay for them.
S: Well Mum, have you read any of them?
I: No, I just thought they would be nice to hand down to the grandchildren someday.
S: Mum, this is crazy, to buy books that you are not going to read...you have to cancel this.
I: Can you call them? I don't want them to be mad at me.
Evidently something has changed in her life. She is a sucker no more.
The line that is especially telling to us..."When I get these now, I tear them up and don't even read them." Now being the operative word.
Comments (8)
You can tell she grew up in a different age, without identity theft or common con-artists. I think it's charming she retains some of that innocence.
Just goes to show, you're never too old to learn! Good for her.
that sounds like something my own mother would do in a heart beat
That was the ONLY good thing about my mother losing her eyesight (she can no longer see well enough to write checks) ... she was ALWAYS sending checks into everything that showed up in the mailbox. Some of the requests were legit, but some weren't ... used to make me nuts!! LOL
"I don't want them to be mad at me" oh, that's so niavely sweet! My mother isn't that much of a sucker, but she is a bargain vulture at places like T J Maxx or Marshalls. I tell you, if we didn't have kids, she'd have lost purpose. If I ever feel like I need to give her purpose, I tell her what we're looking for, and she usually finds it. I just have to get more creative with it now - "We want this...but we want it used...and under $20." It's like a game show.
Got The Road tonight - soon as I finish Empire Falls & maybe Paint it Black (loved White Oliander) - I will be all over it !!! HUGS to you for the suggestion.
You crack me up sis - BRILLIANT post :) You're a winner in my book always !!!
I think the whole thing is very endearing. I didn't know your mother in law is Scottish! God bless the accent :)
Good advice on so many things that clutter life and attention - "Just Throw Them In The Bin".
Love it.