fragile little tea set

To My Granddaughter, Jessica

This fragile little tea set has played many starring roles in its lifetime. I first discovered her as the centrepiece of a fancy gift display. I visited her every day. I worked in the Loblaws grocery store right next door. Nervously, I entered the gift shop with a crisp five dollar bill scrunched in my hand.

‘Was there something you wanted young man?’ asked a very severe type voice.

I answered by offering up the five dollar bill and stammering, ‘I’d like to buy the tea set in the window please.’ I knew immediately that Old Severe Voice didn’t approve.

‘Five dollars wouldn’t even buy the box the tea set would come in,’ she said, ‘but wait... five dollars would be enough to use our lay-a-way plan. You leave the five dollars with me and we will hold the tea set for a month or so and we will guarantee not to sell it to anyone else. You could come in each pay day and put another dollar with the five dollar bill.’

I’m glad she explained that because I had no idea what a lay-a-way plan meant. This was my first major purchase and I intended to give the tea set to my mother on her birthday two months away on April 15th.

Suddenly Old Severe Voice got softer as she explained more about the lay-a-way plan and the star of the show, the fragile little tea set.

‘Since you are paid by Loblaws every Friday at noon hour, you could arrange to come see me at one o’clock on Fridays and I would have a credit receipt ready for you when you pay the dollar on your lay-a-way plan.’

‘Wow!’ I answered. ‘There sure are lots of new words to learn just to buy my mom a simple birthday present. Lay-a-way plan, credit, receipt.’

Old Severe Voice continued, ‘You must not tell anyone about our arrangements because I could lose my job for extending credit to a twelve-year-old and you could lose all the money you will have paid on your lay-a-way plan and as well as the fragile little tea set.’

‘I’ll never tell,’ I said... and, until now I never did tell.

As each Friday came and went, I picked up my pay packet at Loblaws and then trudged next door to the gift shop.

‘Oh Keithie!’ she said on seeing me. ‘Last Friday is coming up. Next week will be the final payment on your lay-a-way plan!’

I remember it seemed like that last Friday would never come but, finally, I had the full credit receipt in my hand.

‘Now Keithie,’ a surprising gentler and softer voice said, ‘I would be happy to help you pick out a birthday card to go with your gift for your mom and also to help you gift wrap the fragile little tea set for the birthday party.’

Now, above all, I did not want to hurt Old Severe Voice’s feelings but wrapping gifts in our family was always the job of my older sister Rose. Old Severe Voice said she understood about families even though she had no family of her own. She seemed very pleased when I told her that she was an important member of my family... after all, she introduced me to the lay-a-way plan.

I folded up the last credit receipt and filed it in my wallet with all the others. Then I picked up my mom’s birthday gift and sneaked it into our house so mom wouldn’t see it. Sister Rose did her usual beautiful wrapping job and mine was the prettiest and largest package on the table.

Everyone’s attention was rivetted on Mom as she carefully unwrapped each gift, her face aglow with the joy of receiving such loving gifts. The faces of all of us at the birthday party were also aglow with the joy of giving to a Mom we knew was the best in the whole world.

The stage was finally set and the fragile little tea set was ready for her second starring role in Mom’s china cupboard along side an impressive collection of china cups and saucers, cream and sugar sets, and cake plates. This stage run was a record breaking 40 years until Mom’s death in 1976. After that, the fragile little tea set performed a similar role in your grandma’s china cabinet with your dad and your uncles and your Aunt Leslie as a daily audience. I find it hard to watch the tea set often because it seems to make me very emotional.

Joannie and your dad have promised to allow the tea set to perform in their home and to hold the fragile little tea set in a sort of lay-away-plan until you are ready for it to perform in your own grown-up home. I hope that this final show will be a long and successful run and that someday you will pass it on to another little lady, maybe my great-granddaughter.

In the meantime, little one, have a good life. We love you and good luck!

with Love,
Grandma and Papa
Winchester, Ontario
January 25, 2006 .