Yesterday around 5 o'clock our door bell chimes went off. Bill answered the door, thinking it was our neighbor Bob who frequently brings food to Bill (we have great neighbors). However, this time Neighbor Bob wasn't at the door. Instead the person at the door was a women in her seventies (we have a lot of seniors working down here in Lower Slower) delivering a bouquet of flowers. "For me?" was my first thought but Bill said "No, they're for Shannon" (our next door neighbor). Our neighbor Shannon wasn't answering her door so the lady flower deliverer asked if we could take the flowers for Shannon.
Bill put the bouquet of flowers on out black granite counter top where I was stuffing my face with dinner of biscuits and chicken a la king (without the pimentos).
Bill asked me to call Shannon and leave a message that we had flowers for her. Bill doesn't like nor does he make phones calls. I made the phone call and left a message. Shannon is a school teacher and her husband is a physician's assistant (PA) who works in the emergency room at the local hospital in Lewes. Even though they have two small girls, they're frequently not at home. Not unusual.
So why am I telling this rather mundane, routine, everyday occurrence and making it into a blog entry? It's just another example of how Bill, when something is out of the ordinary, is like a dog with a bone, he just won't let it alone.
Ever since the flowers were delivered yesterday Bill's been after me "Call Shannon and tell her there are flowers for her." I said "I called and left a message. That's enough." I'm ready to go on with my life. I put the flowers, which didn't smell good by the way (they smelt like cat pee) away from where I was eating and placed them by the fireplace.
Last night until he went to bed all Bill could talk about is:
"Why didn't she call?"
"What's the matter with them?"
"I shouldn't have accepted the flowers."
"I'm not going to do this again."
You get the idea. Bill's routine has been disrupted. He won't let it alone. He was driving me crazy. In fact, even as I type this he said: "I'm going to take those flowers over now and ring their doorbell!"
When I got up this morning for breakfast, there was Bill again "Call Shannon."
I called her again and left another voice mail. Then I called her cell phone . . . and left a voice mail.
Bill went over to the flowers and pulled off the card.
Uh . . . I think we have our answer as to why Shannon isn't returning our calls.
I told Bill "Let it go. Shannon has more things on her mind now than to pick up a bouquet of stinky flowers."
Of course he didn't let it go. He just delivered the flowers. Ah, such is life at Casa Tipton-Kelly.