Late Thanks Are Better Than None

This happens nearly forty years ago. My grandparents are hosting a family affair and they just returned from a voyage. At one point, my grandmother harrumphs.

Mom: “Something wrong?”

Grandmother: “I just think it is impolite not to say thank you if you receive something, even if it is just a postcard.” 

Mom: *Confused* “What postcard?”

Grandmother: “The nice postcard we sent from France.”

Mom: “I am sorry, we didn’t get a postcard, or I would have mentioned it.”

Grandmother: “Well, we cared enough to send a card, and the least you can do is to say thanks.”

Mom: “I am sorry, but no card was received.”

My grandmother does not believe her and makes a really big deal out of it. Fast forward six months, and what does Mom retrieve from the letterbox? You guessed it in one: a postcard from France signed by my grandparents. My mom immediately calls my grandmother.

Mom: “I just called to say thanks for the postcard.”

Grandmother: “Which postcard?”

Mom: “The one you send from France.”

Grandmother: “But that was six months ago.”

Mom: “I know, but the card arrived today and I know how much you value a response.”

Grandmother: “But that was six months ago.”

She still didn’t believe my mom.