A Chapera Surprise | July 25, 2017
A little bit of a scare yesterday at the office. Thankfully all is well. Just have to put in a repairman’s order for my desktop computer. In fact, I’m going to set my alarm for 2am tomorrow morning so I can be fully caffeinated for the repair. I have a great book to read that I can’t wait to sink my teeth into.
In honor of me and my trusty desktop computer, I decided to treat myself to some new e-books. Check out this awesome graphic that was created to capture the feelings that many e-book readers may be having. I think it’s hysterical!
This just happens to be the first book in a trilogy (I’m loving the sci-fi sound of that). I’m going to make sure I have a lot of time tomorrow morning to read it. I am a fan of the science fiction genre, but not as big a fan of hard sci-fi. This genre (or subgenre) combines the genres of science fiction, fantasy and horror all into one great adventure. So, expect my reading to be more fantasy than hard sci-fi. Oh wait, I guess hard sci-fi and fantasy are also sci-fi and fantasy. Yeah, I’m doing it again. I am very much looking forward to trying this book out. I highly recommend it!
The book that I just finished reading was called Mistletoe and Mayhem. I’m not sure why it is in my thoughts, but it is. This was the second book in a trilogy. I had seen a movie based on the first book and it was absolutely brilliant. The movie was released in 2009 and I could not remember who was in it. It was the first book in the series The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall. This book was fantastic. I fell in love with it. I wish that the movie was as great.
I finished it and immediately set out to check out another book by the same author. A Christmas Story by Jeanne Birdsall is based on the childhood of Jeanne Birdsall and I have always been fascinated by stories of personal struggle. I find the struggles of Jeanne’s childhood to be so interesting. Although she faced a tough childhood, she grew into a wonderfully beautiful woman with a great sense of humor. I actually took a picture of this book so I could share it with you.
It was a bit odd to me that her books were so sad and depressing, but this book was right up my alley. I laughed out loud while I was reading it. I would certainly be very sad if I had experienced life the way that Jeanne did. Her childhood was tough, but she did survive and overcome many of the difficulties that were thrown at her. Her story is very inspiring.
I am so thrilled that she is a very successful author. I had no idea that her first book was published in 1994 and has sold more than 1.2 million copies.
This book was so well written that I just have to share it with you. I will be reading the next one that was released this month, but I am very glad that I read Mistletoe and Mayhem first. I know that I will love the next one as well. The cover has two little birds on it with their mouths wide open with a piece of mistletoe in between them. I love it!
There were so many great quotes in this book that made me laugh out loud. One of the quotes that I particularly love is the statement that “You’ve got to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince.” Yeah, I’m a believer. If this author were a prince, I would be all over her.
I am excited to share this author with my family. I hope that she will be a part of our family Christmas tradition. My sister has a great love for her books as well. She is constantly requesting the next book in the series.
On our way back home from the park, we stopped at the bank to deposit our money into savings. As I handed my debit card to the nice lady at the window, she held up her finger for me to wait a second. She handed me a phone with a number on it that I didn’t recognize. “Is this your ATM card?” she asked. I had so many thoughts running through my mind. First, how is she reading my card? I wondered if she was having my card out of the reader and then the number appeared on the screen, or was she just saying that to try and trap me?
She read the number off the screen to me and said, “This is what is written on your card. Is that right?”
“Yes,” I said. I was shocked that she was actually reading the number that was on my card. I felt like I was in a spy movie and they were recording my conversation.
“Are you sure? Because, this is not what it says.” She was shaking her head with her eyes widened in suspicion.
“I’m sure. There is no confusion. That is what is on my card.” I was getting frustrated that she was doubting me.
She looked at the card again. “No, this is what it says. Look at this. The last two numbers are different from what you wrote on your card.” She pointed at the numbers as if she were accusing me of messing up.
She got up from her chair. She stood there in front of me with her arms folded as if she was awaiting my reaction. I looked up at her as if she were crazy. “I’m sorry, I’m sure that those are the right numbers.”
She just stood there for a moment, then she looked at her coworker. He looked at me for a second before he spoke. “Yeah, it is correct.”
I stood there frozen with my mouth wide open as if I was still trying to deny what I heard. I was so frustrated that I couldn’t think of anything to say. I wanted to ask how they came up with the numbers that they just read off my card. And then the most disturbing thought of all crossed my mind. What if they had known that I was having my identity stolen? Were they going to tell me or not? After what seemed like an eternity, they handed me a receipt for my deposit that had my correct name, address and my correct account numbers printed on it.
I tried to relax and just go on with my day. The rest of the afternoon went much more smoothly than I anticipated. I tried to shake off my anxiety. I just wanted to go home and change my debit card and be done with it. But I knew that the time was not right to tell my parents. I decided that I would wait until I had a good moment to talk to them about the incident.
I also wanted to talk to my husband about the numbers that I was reading off my card. He was busy trying to explain to our four-year-old daughter that she was not allowed to play on the couch yet. I was sitting on a wooden rocking chair in front of the window so I couldn’t see what he was doing. That is when she started talking. He had the radio on and that distraction allowed me to listen in on our conversation. I thought about asking him to stop so I could explain that I could hear him, but I didn’t want to ruin his good mood.
“Why are we listening to the radio?” he asked her in that same tone of voice that he uses when he is reading a book and a movie comes on with an advertisement.
“The radio has a man on it,” she responded. “They say what to do.”
Her reply caught him by surprise.
“Oh, okay,” he said. “You can play on the couch, but not until you can tell me what two plus three equals.”
“Four,” she replied.
“Good job!” He said with excitement.
She smiled big with a huge grin that seemed so genuine. She did not even hesitate to respond. “I think I know now. Want to hear?”
I was smiling so big that my cheeks hurt. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet.
He had a little notebook that he used for his business contacts. He pulls it out every time that he finds a business card and gives it a shot. The problem is that he can’t see his contacts when he is on the go. The other day, he tried to remember what he needed to do next week at a conference that he was going to attend. It was really important to him that he got the details right because he was trying to pitch in on a project. I asked him to check his phone. When he saw that it was on, I told him about the card reader that the bank used. I reminded him to look in his wallet. When he looked into his wallet, there was a business card in his jacket pocket.
This morning was going to be a big day at the bank. He had some information that he needed to gather. I was ready to help him as always. “Hey, Dad, what are you looking for? A blank space on your card?”
He looked at me in shock. “Are you listening in on our conversation?”
“Yeah, can I help?” I asked.
“If you don’t mind, yes, I’m trying to track down a contact
