My old friend, Bob, was a dear man but he also had a piquant streak and he loved playing kind but benevolent jokes on his friends. He recognized in me a kindred soul who had a good sense of humor and could not only tolerate but enjoy the teasing joke on oneself.The stratagems had to be clearly laid out but could not cost much.
The back story for the setting is this. Our mutual friends, Pat and Harry Schwarzlander, always liked to have a get together for my birthday, which is in the middle of March. It’s a dead time in the winter; not quite freezing like January or February, far enough away from all the Christmas hub-bub, and with a hint of spring. So, we were all invited for cake and tea one night close to my birthday.
Bob’s history of garage-saleing and dumpster-diving would come to the fore. He bought the most unusual things or he pulled them out of the discards when the garage sale was over. Previous to the get together, probably some time during the previous summer garage sale season, he had found this item. He brings it before any other guests arrive and asks Pat if he could set up this spoof for me.
Here’s the gist of the spoof.He must have brought with him a large spool of rather heavy string.He put the item in another room and wound the string, starting at the box, out of the room and all around, underneath, and through the Schwarzlander’s living room furniture.The other guests come and see the string but no mention is made. We have no idea what is coming. We have our dessert and then Bob tells me I have a ‘gift’ at the end of the string.
Well, in those days, working women wore skirts and nylons in the form of panty hose. Here am I, dressed in my work clothes, with pantyhose, crawling around on the Schwarzlander’s rug. I get to the rather large box, bring it out and open it in front of the group. Bob has found for me a black, beaded Chinese curtain compliments of some garage sale leftovers.
One Precious Memory of Bob.
by: Rosemarie Pagano Bundy