2002-09-09 - 11:38 p.m.
I got an ecstatic phone call yesterday from Cary. "Guess what we got?" he says. I have a pretty good idea, but I say "What?"
"The rug! We got the new rug for the dining room we had been wanting!"
They had shown me a picture of the rug they wanted: a subtly patterned wool rug in soft greens. It was beautiful and expensive, and would look wonderful with their polished floors and wooden furniture. Cary and Kim are always working on their house. They have developed a more sophisticated taste than they had when they first moved in, and are beginning to replace some of their starter furnishings. But they are careful with their money, and I knew the new rug was chosen after looking at probably every rug in the city. So I was delighted to share in the good news that the rug was theirs and was absolutely perfect.
But this morning I got a grim e-mail from Cary. Sorry I got off the phone so quicklyhe wrote. Kim was motioning to me that something was wrong. She caught the dog CHEWING ON THE NEW RUG He was totally upset about the whole thing. Upset at having to have a damaged $800 rug from day one. Upset at having a neurotic dog. And upset that something seems to happen to everything he has.
I try to soothe and sympathize of course. I tell him that it probably won't be noticed. I offer helpful suggestions for keeping the dog off the rug. Don't they have spray-on dog repellant now? Can you shut her in the kitchen when you're gone? But the truth is, I would be just as upset if it happened to me. Because I always wonder to myself: how much do you have to sacrifice to have pets? And how much is too much? I don't think that was what he was thinking. Even though he was angry, he and Kim are absolutely devoted to their huge spastic yellow lab. But now that they are beginning to get some things they are really proud of, the issues around the dog's behavior are going to change. I hope they are able to handle it without too much grief.
Cary has just had a lot of bad luck with purchases lately:
His new car got hit by a hit and run driver, and then the garage didn't do a good job fixing it. The new table saw came with the wrong parts. The pneumatic nailer didn't work. The kitchen faucet broke, etc. In fact, he and Kim now have a superstition that when they buy something, he doesn't get to select or even carry the box....
He says he is getting good at taking things back and demanding a refund, which is oddly at variance with his personality. It says something pretty pathetic about our culture when you have to become confrontational and assertive just to keep from being ripped off. I was at least able to assure him that he was not the only one those things happen to. It has happened to me too, many times. The sewing machine with no directions or accessories. The lawn mower with no parts bag. The lamp with broken glass. Which confirms my belief that investing in consumer goods these days is definitely at-your-own-risk.
After a series of e-mails, Cary seemed somewhat less upset. At least he said he wasn't going to lose sleep over it. But I am-- here it is almost midnight. I guess it's a mom thing.
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