I've been getting ready for Ramadan. Every year I go out and buy some new dishes, not necessarily because I need them, but in the hopes that it will make me feel better about having to spend so much time in the kitchen.
Yesterday I took my mother in law out shopping. It was a novelty for her as her usual route of getting things for the house is to ask someone to bring them to her. I don't think she had ever been in a house wares shop before. I took her to a nice shop that has a wide range of merchandise so she would have a good selection to choose from. The shop is owned by one of my students, so of course we got royal treatment.
Hajja had brought about 40 dinars with her to spend. She hadn't a clue how much anything cost and she kept asking me 'How much is this?' because she couldn't read the price tags. I would always tell her the wrong price (intentionally) and then take what she wanted and give it to my student to put behind the counter. I didn't want her to see how much she was accumulating, I just wanted her to have a good time and get what she wanted. In no time at all, she'd lost all track of what she was buying. She was like a little kid in a candy shop with unlimited funds.
Sometimes she would pick things up and really give them a good look over. She picked up a tea set and I could tell she wanted it but wasn't sure if she should buy it. I know she wasn't sure about it and wanted to discuss it with someone else, her daughters perhaps, or her sisters. Finally she asked me if I would take her out again during Ramadan and I assured her I would. With a big sigh of relief she put the tea set back on the shelf and said, 'I'll get this the next time.'
Finally she was satisfied that she'd seen everything the shop had to offer and I went to the counter to pay for everything. My student, the shopkeeper gave her a coffee mug and a Quran tape as a present. She was so pleased. Then he helped us out to the car. There wasn't much room left in the car and my student joked that we had nearly cleared out all his shop. Needless to say we went way over the forty dinars she had to spend. I think if she knew how much we really spent she would have fainted. But it was fun, we had a good time together and now we are both ready to face the kitchen.
Yesterday I took my mother in law out shopping. It was a novelty for her as her usual route of getting things for the house is to ask someone to bring them to her. I don't think she had ever been in a house wares shop before. I took her to a nice shop that has a wide range of merchandise so she would have a good selection to choose from. The shop is owned by one of my students, so of course we got royal treatment.
Hajja had brought about 40 dinars with her to spend. She hadn't a clue how much anything cost and she kept asking me 'How much is this?' because she couldn't read the price tags. I would always tell her the wrong price (intentionally) and then take what she wanted and give it to my student to put behind the counter. I didn't want her to see how much she was accumulating, I just wanted her to have a good time and get what she wanted. In no time at all, she'd lost all track of what she was buying. She was like a little kid in a candy shop with unlimited funds.
Sometimes she would pick things up and really give them a good look over. She picked up a tea set and I could tell she wanted it but wasn't sure if she should buy it. I know she wasn't sure about it and wanted to discuss it with someone else, her daughters perhaps, or her sisters. Finally she asked me if I would take her out again during Ramadan and I assured her I would. With a big sigh of relief she put the tea set back on the shelf and said, 'I'll get this the next time.'
Finally she was satisfied that she'd seen everything the shop had to offer and I went to the counter to pay for everything. My student, the shopkeeper gave her a coffee mug and a Quran tape as a present. She was so pleased. Then he helped us out to the car. There wasn't much room left in the car and my student joked that we had nearly cleared out all his shop. Needless to say we went way over the forty dinars she had to spend. I think if she knew how much we really spent she would have fainted. But it was fun, we had a good time together and now we are both ready to face the kitchen.
What a sweet person you are to take your mother-in-law out shopping and show her a wonderful time. She will probably remember that trip for a long time.
ReplyDeleteTo take time out of your busy schedule only validates what a wonderful, kind, person you really are. (which I have already been told, I might add)
Funny. My grandfather, God rest his soul, used to think that you could get a good pair of dress shoes for $2.00. My dad didnt have the heart to tell him that he had just spent $80 on them.
ReplyDeleteMy mother-in-law (Allah yerhamha) was not the one to be fooled when I went shopping with her!
ReplyDeleteBut she was so selective it was almost impossible for anyone to buy something for her; she refused everything because everything was wrong with what we bought her.
And she didn´t believe anyone telling her a price; she haggled and argued with the shopkeepers herself.
But once we (the family) were out of ear´s sound, she proudly told her neighbours what her in-laws had brought her - yet,once the in-laws were back; everything was rubbish again ;-)
Ramdan Mubark Khadijateri
ReplyDeleteThis is my favourite post now- you are truely wonderful Khadijateri :)
ReplyDeleteMothers-in-Law tend to have a short memory for such good gestures.. In the contrary they would never forget mistakes ..
ReplyDeleteYou're a softy at heart really arent you :)
ReplyDelete