duck-shaped pain

No time for a lengthy entry this morning -- too many things to do, but I found this entertaining.

I bought some books a few days ago at the Salvation Army -- a stack of brand-new-looking self help books. Nothing I would read, but I assumed (and was correct in assuming) that other people would want them and therefore, I could easily sell them.

Well, they've all been spoken for. This morning, I was packaging them up to mail, and I noticed something in them all that I hadn't seen before.

All the books had an inscription on their inside front covers. They had all been gifts to the same woman from the same man, each given on subsequent Christmases: [1]

"To Donna -- Enjoy the path to centering. Love Tom, Xmas '96"

"Dear Donna -- These ancient Indian truths helped me in my job. Maybe they will help you. Love, Tom, Christmas 1997."

"To Donna -- I enjoyed learning about The Thinker's Quest. Noble paths beacon to us when we look. Love, Tom, Xmas 1998."

"Donna -- Have a good year. Hope you like this. Tom. Xmas 1999."

These books all appeared to be completely unread, suggesting that these were not the most beloved of gifts. I like how the inscriptions get shorter by the last book -- Tom must have wised up to Donna's yearly rejections of his self-help wisdom and wised up, or they had a fight or something just as catastrophic.

I wonder what he's going to give her for Christmas this year. I'd suggest a sweater.