Next Year Just Play It By Ear
(I have this conversation with my mother-in-law the first summer I am dating her son, my future husband. My husband is there to hear this conversation.)
Mother-In-Law: *sees my earrings* “Oh, I love those!”
Me: “Thanks! A lady I work with makes them.”
Mother-In-Law: “I love big earrings!”
Me: “Oh, really? I never see you wear them.”
Mother-In-Law: “Yeah, I just don’t usually get around to putting them on so people don’t think I like them. I love big earrings like that, but people always assume I don’t because I don’t wear them.”
(It sounds to me like she’s upset people don’t know that about her, so I put that in my mental vault to bring out for gifts at Christmas time. I order her a few pairs of the same exact kind of earring I was wearing that day with different charms of things that she likes instead.)
Mother-In-Law: *as she opens them* “Oh, they’re beautiful! I love them! I never get earrings like this!”
Me: “I know. I remembered our conversation about it where you said no one knew that about you.”
(Fast-forward to the first year my husband and I are married. I am picking out Christmas gifts again.)
Me: “I’m thinking of getting your mom some more earrings this year, although I’ve never seen her wear the last ones I got her.”
Husband: *makes a doubtful face*
Me: “What?” *moment of realization* “She didn’t like them, did she?”
Husband: “…no.”
Me: “Why not? She loved the ones I had.”
Husband: “She said they were too big.”
Me: “What?! They were the same size as the ones she liked of mine!”
Husband: *sigh* “I know…”
(I gave up trying for personalized things for her that year, since she was so back-and-forth with what she said she liked. Sometimes you can’t win!)
This story is part of our Mother-In-Law roundup!
Question of the Week
Tell us your story about a customer who couldn't understand the most simple concept.
