Never Send A Man...

I love freecycle, especially around this time of the year when people are more generous and when there is a greater need for generosity. I like to fill a few wanteds here and there even if it means spending a few bucks.

There was a woman on freecycle asking for a mermaid costume for her daughter, the only thing her little girl had requested for Christmas was an Ariel dress up costume. I happen to have two of them, one my mom made that I wouldn't part with and another one from Costco that one of my kids used in a performance and had very little sentimental attachment. So, since I had two, I sent this woman a message telling her to come pick up the costume. The only catch; DO IT QUIETLY, as in don't let my kids know what you're up to. With a costume that has hung in the back of a closet for months with no interest shown by the children, the sure way to suddenly make it a priceless treasure is to say you're giving it away. So I didn't say that. I just packed it up quietly. I put the costume in an empty cereal box and propped it on my front porch where it looked completely innocent and this woman could just pick it up and go.

I made very sure the woman understood how this needed to work. Come to my house, take the cereal box, go. No contact needed.

So what happens this afternoon?

Her husband comes to the door, rings the bell and my kids get it. He has a piece of paper in his hand that he is reading and he asks for someone named Shelly (sorry, none of those at this address) well, he's supposed to pick up an Ariel Mermaid costume from Shelly at this address.

THANK YOU MR. IDIOT!

Then he looks at his paper again and says something about possibly a basement apartment. I'm thinking he must be completely dense to be announcing this in front of my children who are now quietly talking amongst themselves about why he wants an Ariel costume. Grrrrr. I am positive that his wife told him what he was supposed to do and he just glazed over on the instructions. My husband does the same thing. Apparently he is a typical male, won't ask for or follow instructions. Thank you for making my afternoon that much more difficult.

So I go out on the front porch, shut the door behind me, and point to the box still sitting in plain sight against the wall. He's like, "Oh, the box?" I'm like, "Yeah." He takes it and leaves. I go inside and tell my kids he had the wrong address for someone name Shelly (that part was true.)