Today, my son had a day off. He arose from his bed at noon. I have been asking him to accompany me to Circuit City so I can get his opinion on the type of TV I should buy my mom for her belated Mother’s Day/early birthday gift. Yep. A new TV. They are on sale. Her current TV is almost 12 years old. It still works, although the people look like they’re suffering from jaundice while wandering through a snowstorm. I figure a new cathode ray tube would be the perfect thing for her, since she is the only Mom I have, and is always there for me snif and all that stuff.
So, Mike and I hop in the car & go to Circuit City. I see a lovely 19" Sharp brand TV. The clarity & color of the picture is startling. It is a bargain! On sale!! Our salesman, (Carl) who pounced like a rabid weasel even before the automatic doors slid closed behind us, is watching as Mike fiddles with the brightness. (Now, Mike is not a teeny tyke. He is 20 years old. Still, Carl looks worried that perhaps Mike will break something or spit up on the floor models.) “See something you like?”, he asks.
Mike: “Ummm…Dude…this is my Mom’s decision. Well, Mom?” I point to the Sharp TV and say: “I’ll take this one.” (I do not dilly-dally when purchasing electronics. Nor do I browse.) Carl: “Are you sure? We have some 20” models (more expensive, methinks) you might be interested in." I look at Carl and say: " Yep. I’m sure. This is the one I want."
Carl: smirking “Well, let me just go see if that one’s in stock.” Mike & I give each other a knowing look, as we both say…“Ok.”
2 minutes later, Carl comes back looking a wee bit crestfallen. “Lucky you”, he sneers, “this one’s in stock.” “Great”, I say, as I whip out my Circuit City card. I amble on over to the checkout, Carl swipes my card and asks hopefully “Would you like the warranty with that? $29.00 for 3 years…if anything goes wrong with the TV, we repair or replace it…for free.” I figure why not. ( If I’d taken the warranty on my printer, I wouldn’t have had to buy a new one when it crapped out 8 months later.) So I make Carl’s day and say…“Yeah, that’s a good deal…I’ll take it.” After no more than 10 minutes in Circuit City, my Mom has a lovely new TV, and a warranty to boot. We cart the thing home. Mike carries it downstairs to my Mom’s apartment.
Mom says: “What are you doing?”
I say: "We are bringing you your belated Mother’s Day/early birthday present. She looks at me as if I am a bug. She says: “Oh, for Chrissakes, Lisa. You can’t afford this. What did you do that for.?.blah…blah…blah.”
I say: “Silence! You’re worth it. I got the 3 year warranty. Repaired or replaced for free.”
Mom moans: “A waste of money!!! I probably won’t even live that long.” At this point, Mike rolls his eyes and mutters to me: “Jeez, I wish Grandma would stop sayin’ that already.”
Mom pouts : “I could die tomorrow, you know!” I think to myself: "Well I guess I’LL have a new TV, then. But I yelp: “MIKE! LET’S PLUG IT IN!!!” We do so. The TV goes on. We ooh & ahh at the nice picture. Mom is amazed that the people have recovered from jaundice and that the snowstorm has stopped. Hugs all around. She is thrilled, after all. I feel like a good daughter who actually did something for her instead of the other way around, for once. I feel like a TRUE grown up at last!!! (maybe it’s the warranty)
Mike goes upstairs to make spaghetti. He is browning some garlic in butter in the beautiful french saute pan that he got me for Mother’s Day. (I hate to cook. Mike loves to cook. I will make a fried egg in the saute pan now and then, I guess.) Mike says: “Mom…this pan is great. I’m glad I decided to get you this one instead of the cheapie pan you wanted.” (I wanted a saute pan? Really? When?) Well, I appreciate the thought, and so does my fried egg. My daughter, 17 years old, bought me a really cute top that I’m sure she intends to borrow, and a black eyeliner pencil.
I can’t wait till they’re grown ups. 
