As usual, I am always behind in getting holiday gifts. The holiday in question for this weekend is Mother's Day.
One of my only options was to call a business from home, and try to get a gift certificate. I called a friend to get a good spa name, but that particular spa did not take credit card info over the phone for a gift certificate. My next option was to call a more local establishment in the town of 2,000 my mom lives in (now she's in the city since leaving our 100 person town) and hope they would take my credit card for a gift certificate. The spa had a real website, so I was hopeful.
An older lady with a strong country accent picked up the phone, and so our journey began. We'll just call the lady Ida Mae.
Me: "My name is Beth, and I would like to get a gift certificate for my mother to pick up. Is that possible?"
Ida Mae: "Are you pickin' it up?"
Me: "No. I live out of state. My mother will need to pick it up."
Ida Mae: "Well, it'll be late? Does that matter?"
Me: "No ma'am. She will understand."
Ida Mae: "What's 'er name?"
Me: "Judy."
Ida Mae: "Betty?"
Me: "No, Judy."
Ida Mae: "Alright. And what's your name?"
Me: "Beth."
Ida Mae: "Sarah?"
Me: "No, Beth."
Ida Mae: "You wannit to say 'With love'?"
Me: "Yes, ma'am, that's fine."
Ida Mae: "Alright. To Judy from Beth with love."
After this exercise in phone communication, I knew that giving the credit card number might turn into quite an ordeal. I began telling her my credit card number. After four numbers, she stopped me, "Wait just a minute..."
When I was finished, she said, "Is that all of 'em?"
Me: "Yes, ma'am."
Ida Mae: "Alright, honey."
I went on to give my address and phone number. It might have been easier to fly home to have purchased it. After every number I gave her was repeated slowly, she said, "She comes in here all the time, doesn't she?"
Me: "Yes, ma'am. I think she does."
In a small town, maybe everybody does know your name, but they just might not recognize it quite at first. I bet you the price of the gift card that this lady is probably a relative.
It also made me realize that perhaps living in the city has made me speed up a bit without realizing it. But if I stayed at the same speed of home and expected to survive here, I would still be sitting at the feeder trying to edge onto the freeway.
One of my only options was to call a business from home, and try to get a gift certificate. I called a friend to get a good spa name, but that particular spa did not take credit card info over the phone for a gift certificate. My next option was to call a more local establishment in the town of 2,000 my mom lives in (now she's in the city since leaving our 100 person town) and hope they would take my credit card for a gift certificate. The spa had a real website, so I was hopeful.
An older lady with a strong country accent picked up the phone, and so our journey began. We'll just call the lady Ida Mae.
Me: "My name is Beth, and I would like to get a gift certificate for my mother to pick up. Is that possible?"
Ida Mae: "Are you pickin' it up?"
Me: "No. I live out of state. My mother will need to pick it up."
Ida Mae: "Well, it'll be late? Does that matter?"
Me: "No ma'am. She will understand."
Ida Mae: "What's 'er name?"
Me: "Judy."
Ida Mae: "Betty?"
Me: "No, Judy."
Ida Mae: "Alright. And what's your name?"
Me: "Beth."
Ida Mae: "Sarah?"
Me: "No, Beth."
Ida Mae: "You wannit to say 'With love'?"
Me: "Yes, ma'am, that's fine."
Ida Mae: "Alright. To Judy from Beth with love."
After this exercise in phone communication, I knew that giving the credit card number might turn into quite an ordeal. I began telling her my credit card number. After four numbers, she stopped me, "Wait just a minute..."
When I was finished, she said, "Is that all of 'em?"
Me: "Yes, ma'am."
Ida Mae: "Alright, honey."
I went on to give my address and phone number. It might have been easier to fly home to have purchased it. After every number I gave her was repeated slowly, she said, "She comes in here all the time, doesn't she?"
Me: "Yes, ma'am. I think she does."
In a small town, maybe everybody does know your name, but they just might not recognize it quite at first. I bet you the price of the gift card that this lady is probably a relative.
It also made me realize that perhaps living in the city has made me speed up a bit without realizing it. But if I stayed at the same speed of home and expected to survive here, I would still be sitting at the feeder trying to edge onto the freeway.
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