January 3, 2018  - Thank you for the gold-tone earrings . . .

         I was writing out my Thank you notes for all the lovely gifts I received this year and I remembered one Thank You note that I wrote that was rebuked by the gift giver.

         I was the personal secretary to a “gypsy executive” in Clinton, Massachusetts.  A gypsy executive was one of those CEOs that come in when a company is faltering and they cut costs, re-direct productivity, and put the company back-in-the-black [profit wise] and then move on to the next company in dire straits.

         The morning before the Christmas holiday, I was surprised and delighted to find a small, elegantly wrapped package in the center of my desk.  Rarely did my boss come out to meet me in the mornings, as it was my routine to hang my coat and put my purse away and then go to his office door and ask if he wanted coffee.  But, this morning he was hoovering in the doorway and said,

         “The gift is from me.”

         “Thank you, what a nice surprise.”

         “Don’t open it yet, let me get us coffee.”  He said and started to walk down the hall.

         I was again surprised at the complete reversal of roles.  I always got the coffee, which was part of my job.  I called after him,

         “Cream and one sugar,” as I knew he didn’t know how I liked my coffee.

         He turned and smiled, and then went on his way.

         He delivered my coffee and I thanked him and sipped it.

         “Open it!”  He demanded.



         I’ve got to tell you a little more about the Boss.  He oozed wealth and worldliness and he was a fabulous joke teller.  Just about every Monday morning, he would call out of his office door and say,

         “Call . . . .”

         Back then, it was the fashion of executives to get the other party on the line first before the executive would pick up the phone to converse.  It was a sign of “power”.  Again, that was part of my job, along with getting coffee, and then being the eyes and ears down in the steno pool to get the daily gossip.  The Boss would tell his joke, have a short conversation and then call out the door for me to get the next person on the phone.  This was his Monday morning routine and after six or eight calls, he’d call me in the office and say, “Have you got that joke memorized yet?”

         Sometimes I could remember it, sometimes I couldn’t and I’d go into his office and he would slowly repeat the joke so that I could get the punch line or timing right.  Then, my job was to go down to the steno pool area – where the company gossip was flourishing and have a cup of coffee with the gals and tell the joke.  Then I was to kill 15 minutes or more listening to the gossip as I drank my coffee.  Next, I would stroll into the sales department, tell the joke a second time, listen to the gossip, and finally return with a fresh cup of coffee for the boss and report.  I was his SPY and I would report all the fresh gossip.



         I pulled the end of the hand-tied grosgrain ribbon bow and pulled off the paper.  The box was from Stewart & Heney’s, the local fine jewelry store.  Inside the velvet lined box were nestled a pair of gold bamboo design hoop pierced earrings.

         “OH, how beautiful!”  I gushed.

         “Do you like them?”  He quizzed.

         “They are perfect.”

         “Pierced right?” He confirmed.

         “Yes. Thank you.” I gushed again.

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         After Christmas, I wrote a proper Thank You note to my Boss.  It included the phrase “Thank you for the gold-tone Bamboo design earrings . . .” and I had mailed it to his home address.

         A few days later, my Boss came storming into the office.

         “Gold-tone?  They are real gold! You can’t tell they are the real thing?”  He reprimanded me without even saying good morning.

         I immediately reached up with one hand and fingered one of the subject earrings that I was wearing.

         “Oh!  I’ll be afraid to wear them now . . .  I don’t want to lose them.” I whimpered with complete embarrassment.

         He paused and shook his head – his anger was gone, now he looked at me with sympathy.

         What did I know? I’d never owned a pair of real gold earrings. 

That was about 40+ years ago and I’ve worn those earrings  for only special occasions.  Which reminds me, I need one of the clasps fixed so that I can wear them again, and now more often.  What have I been saving them for - just memories?