To Give Credit Where Debit Is Due

(I am an adult but live with my parents, who have just gone out of town for the weekend. On my way home from work, I text my father.)

Me: “Did I, by any chance, receive a new debit card today? And did you go ahead and activate it?”

Dad: “As a matter of fact, yes. How did you know?”

Me: “Because it’s [this month], and my expiry date is [next month], and MY CARD KEPT GETTING DECLINED! Don’t do that to me!”

Dad: “Sorry, but I don’t understand. You mean, once the new one is activated, the old one no longer works, even if it hasn’t reached the expiration date?”

Me: “Correct.”

Dad: “Sorry. But it gets worse; I have the new card with me.”

Me: “Argh!”

(I can, of course, understand his not realizing that activating the new card would deactivate the old. I wouldn’t have known that was what was going on either—except that we went through the same thing last time.)