Note #1
A colleague sent me a note the other day. A student aide knocked on my door and held out a sheet of paper. The aide said that she had asked him to deliver it. I thanked him, set the paper aside, and continued with cubic functions.
I looked at the note later. It was an Amazon receipt for clear plastic spoons with a sticky note attached. It was signed … uniquely.
Now, it is true that this colleague and I get along well. She and I really love our kids. We like foreign languages. We have both been recognized as good teachers. But evidently I didn’t realize the depth of our relationship.
Note #2
In response to her note, I sent an email back letting her know that her secret was out: that the gift of clear plastic spoons was unexpected but … appreciated. And I attached a photo of the receipt with the sticky note attached.
Moments later a horrified reply arrived in my inbox.
It seems that the receipt was intended for the school secretary and that the sticky note was for her not me. “Oh Mylanta,” she wrote. “What will Trudy think?”
A Birthday Party
Last night this colleague had a birthday party — a big one, a multiple of 10. She saw me when I arrived and graciously came over to thank me for coming.
“I have a card for you,” I said.
She looked at me suspiciously. “You didn’t…”
“Well, open it,” I said.
There was a drawing of a cake on the cover. A cake with many candles — a multiple of 10 and then some. And on the inside there was a hoard of celebrating stick figures lined along the bottom of the paper. They had their hands in the air. Some were jumping. Some were dancing.
In the middle of the card there was a brief note: “We all ❤ you!” The heart was prominent. The emphasis was on all.
The party was really fun. Sadly, it appears I won’t be getting clear plastic spoons this year.