I was in Borders earlier (don't worry, I wasn't spending, but I did have to replace my date book, especially since I am actually working now) and the line was, oddly, wrapped around the front of the store. Directly in front of me was a well-dressed couple. I know looks can be deceiving and I hate to make assumptions, but for the sake of my story, I will assume that the man in designer suit and coat and a pinky ring easily 5 times the size of my engagement ring and his coiffed, made-up companion (wife? they both had wedding bands) were still pretty wealthy. (I know, they could have just lost their jobs and found out that their big investment turned out to be a scam, and wearing their best clothes and jewelry helps ease the pain, but again, for the sake of my story...)
Anyway.
As you approach the cash registers, there are shelves and racks of...junk. One of the racks was a full 360 revolving rack of greeting cards for Valentine's day. I am not the biggest fan of cards (so if you never get a holiday card from me, it isn't because I don't like you, it is because I see cards as generic and cheesy and frankly I am too un-creative to make my own even though I wish I could) and I am not a fan of Valentine's day, but I was shocked to hear this exchange:
WIFE grabs a card, reads it, and puts it on top of her pile of books.
HUSBAND: (in a rude tone) what the hell is that?
WIFE: It's for *****.
(I assume ***** is her sister because the card says "for my sister!"
HUSBAND: NO! She will just put it in a drawer. It's probably like ten bucks!
WIFE: It's FOR *****. She will like it. (she looks at the back of the card, feigns putting it away, and then changes her mind, placing it back on top of her pile).
HUSBAND: WHAT ARE YOU DOING? (VERY RUDELY). DAMN IT!!
WIFE: (turns over card again.) Oh, 6.99. I guess that is a lot. (puts card back in slot on rack).
HUSBAND: sighs rudely I'm going outside for a cigarette. HURRY UP!
(as if she can make the line go faster)
And at that moment, I realized that I am so very, very wealthy.
Not because my husband can buy me tons of gifts or take me out to fancy places, but because he does things like this:
(The sticker on my car says I *heart* Ben. He wrote in the dirt one morning as he left for work: I *HEART* YOU TOO COCO! ...a nickname. I found it the next day and it made me cry).
And because we are a happy little family:
And because I know that if that had been us at Borders, my husband would have said "Let's make a card; I am so broke this week!" and he has NEVER EVER used a rude tone even close to the one the man in line used with his wife. Not to me...not to anyone else that I have seen. (And we used to work at a hotel together. And used to deal with the same really rude customers. So yeah.)Seriously...I don't care that the guy said "no" to his wife, but I would NEVER let someone talk to me like that. I guess you had to be there to hear him. Because, UGH! If this were in the past when I did have extra money I would have been tempted to slip her a $10 and said "He never has to know. Buy it." He was just so damn full of himself and had such a sense of entitlement.
Sorry, I will shut up now. But I really do feel really, really lucky.
Even though right now I am sad because Ben's new job has him working nights and it has been a very long time since I have been home alone at night. I know, I am a total baby.
9 comments:
Yes you are! Money does breed discontent for many, you can't buy true honest love and that is exactly what you have. I adore your bumper sticker! I want one, but with my husband's name of course!
Kind of off topic, but kind of on: Have you seen the Tool Academy on VH1?
That guy sounds like a tool. He could be on that show! Hooray!
(But no, seriously. Watch the show. It's appalling in the most fascinating sort of way, like most reality TV shows)
Hmm. So I think I wrote that one half on here and half in my head.
I didn't want to sound like "they have money and therefore they are so unhappy!"
I meant that my initial reaction at this moment in my life would be envy...they don't have to stress about money stuff. But I realized that's just all relative because apparently, I have the one thing I always wanted, and I wouldn't trade places with them for all the money in the world.
So yeah, I kind of made myself sound bad there, but I didn't mean it that way:)
Also, when I was in highschool I helped a friend babysit one evening. We were watching a little girl in this huuuuuge mansion. It had it all- heated driveways, heated bathroom floors, a baby grand sitting in the grand foyer, a gazillion different bedrooms and bathrooms. Being that I grew up in the "ghetto" of South Dakota (if there is such a thing, I guess) it was REALLY impressive to me.
In the course of the evening, the teenage daughter showed up. She was quiet, meek- was in a play at school and had come home from play practice, which is why she couldn't babysit the toddler. Turns out she was daughter from wife #1, while toddler was from wife #2. Whatever, no big deal, that's a common thing nowadays...
But then I got to meet dad. And wife #2. And they were so wretchedly awful not only to each other, but to the teenage daughter. It seriously made me want to freak out and cry.
And that's when I learned, at the age of 16, that money doesn't always buy happiness.
Just sometimes.
Hee.
Ben sounds like an awesome guy- I loved the pictures you posted!
Shasta-
I got mine from cafepress.com
I am pretty sure they make just about any name...or else type in "I LOVE ... STICKER" with your husband's name in a search engine and options will come up.
I stole the idea from my sister-in-law. I knew I would be getting my car soon so I ordered it and took it with me when I got my Saab.
Chloe-
Hmm. Cable.
Sometimes I wish. Most often, I am glad we don't have it...my husband would probably be even more glued to the TV and I would get sucked in to stupid shows that make me stay up too late (lack of sleep just kills me now...stupid Hashi's...).
But when I go to the gym, all bets are off, and I am cable queen. It's so bad that the attendant offers me the remote when he sees me come into the cardio room. Heh.
But no Shannon, I think you have a point- a lot of us get fooled into believing that money can buy happiness. That with money comes great things. I certainly felt that way at the age of 16, but received a huge slap in the face when I met the "maker of the wealth" and his "AWESOME" treat of a new wife (uh, sarcasm).
You're just having an epiphany of sorts. That's part of why I'm going on a shopping ban- because I just keep buying stuff and not enjoying it as much as I should. It's just stuff. Like Shasta said- it can't buy love.
Money can probably buy a really good prostitute, Eliot Spitzer, but it can't buy true love.
Hahaha, I do the same thing Shannon. We only have basic cable, we refuse to upgrade to HD or to buy more channels because we know what would happen. We'd both be glued to it!
I can see my Real Housewives on Bravo and the douches on VH1 and that's about it. I think we have about 30 channels total, with 10 being spanish speaking. Oh, and the hallmark channel, hooray! :\
The fact that there exists a Hallmark channel makes me glad that I don't have cable and therefore don't have to even flip past it on my way to better things :P
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