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Thursday, March 1, 2012

Switch? Swatch?

March 1, 2012


NOBODY expects the Spanish Inquisition.  Our chief weapon is surprise (and a whole list of other things, including nice, red uniforms). . . 


Well, imagine my surprise when, right before my very eyes, the woman sitting next to me at dinner last night took my watch and gave me hers.  I haven't felt so startled at an exchange since I lost my best shooting marble to Jeff Dean playing keepsies in the College Hills school yard at recess in 1970.  I didn't have much recourse to get my best bully taw back, since it was verboten to play for keeps at school (perhaps too close to the gambling sin for my small Texas town).  


That also appears to be the case with my now gone watch, which looks just like this one except it has VB above the 12 instead of "LHP."  I have also worn out and replaced the band, so mine the one that used to be mine is a little browner and not quite as shiny:




This is my "new" watch, a 1999 Jelly Piano Swatch:


Here is the Venn Diagram containing all the features of both watches (band style, materials, face shape, numerals on face):


Notice how much the two figures overlap?


I wasn't drunk.
I wasn't flaunting my stylin' Orvis watch.
I didn't lose (or win) a bet.


Frankly, I'm not sure what happened, but before I knew it, this older woman had my watch on her right wrist and I had hers on my left, and apparently it was for keepsies.   I kept expecting we would re-exchange, but we didn't.  


The only thing harder to picture than my face trying to make sense of this was Walter's face at breakfast this morning when I told him that someone else now owned the watch he had given me.



7 comments:

  1. That's great Vickie! I love stories like that! The swatch is SO much more playful, and over there in business, y'all need to play more. Seriously, y'all have nothing on the educators. So, for whatever reason, I'm glad. It should entertain your students too!

    Fwiw, I sort of had that happen awhile ago. I ran into a church friend on campus one day over the summer. I saw her computer bag and complimented her on it (it's a beautiful quilted bag with pink as the most common color). Next thing I knew she was taking her stuff out of that bag and giving it too me! I couldn't believe it! I carry that bag in snow and sun (snow, this morning, oh yes, snow snow snow). I'll carry it to job interviews (God willing), only I'll wash it to get the coffee stain out.

    :) from SNOWY Logan.

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  2. Good grief.... One wonders if the rest of the lady's attire was similarly obtained. Shock and awe.

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  3. Okay, Vickie, you're going to HAVE to give us a little more info. Pleeeeeeze don't leave us hanging like this. Zactly how did this little exchange happen?

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  4. That's just a little bizzare! Truly.

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  5. Vickie -- your life certainly is not dull! But in all fairness -- if the new watch keeps time, then (assuming YOURS did, which seems likely) the Venn diagrams should have overlapped -- just as teensy teensy bit. I have a lot of really serious questions for God when I get to heaven (and many of them have to do with neuroblastoma and kids) -- but I will be curious to know the answer to this one too (who knows, perhaps you just passed the Matthew 5:41-42 challenge!)

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  6. I, too, need more details about this event. It's just too odd. Where were you? Did the owner of your watch say anything to you as she made this switch? Did she know that 29 February is not the same as 1 April? Is this a person you are likely to see again? Do you think "her" watch is truly her watch or does it belong to whoever she had dinner with on 28 February? Also, you are one of the most well-spoken, diplomatic people I know. I wonder what prevented you from negotiating your watch back. Enquiring minds want to know!

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