Don’t freak out! Stay with me here. I come from a long line of strong women, and married a man who I love dearly. Among his many fine qualities, he wouldn’t dream of a situation where “No” meant anything but “No.” He certainly heard that lecture enough, however, when we were raising my daughters. I probably said it to them a thousand times. But recently, I experienced that one time when “No” really did mean “Yes”.
My husband, Gene, and I spent an idyllic four days on Cape Cod with a good friend (you can read more about that trip in my “it dawned on me” column in the July 2018 issue of Pompano! magazine). Our last day started with a great yoga class, followed by some vintage shopping on the way to the airport. I fell in love with a beautiful vintage pin, which looked like it was in the “50% off” case. Unfortunately, it was actually in the “full price” case, and I just couldn’t justify the price. As we walked toward the exit, here’s how our conversation went:
“No Means No!”
Gene: “If you want it, get it.”
Me: “No, that’s ok. It’s too much.”
Gene: “Are you sure?”
Me: “Yes.”
Gene: “Really, though, you love it. Are you sure you don’t want to get it?”
Me: “OMG. I’m sure. No means no!”
We left the store and stopped at another shop a few miles up the road. Suddenly, Gene looked alarmed. “What’s wrong?” I asked. “I lost my phone.” I wanted to kill him. He left me in the shop and took off to retrace our steps, returning a short time later with his phone.
The Big Reveal
You see where this is going, right? A few weeks went by and a package arrived for Gene. When he got home from work, he picked up the package and said, “Um…I hope you’re not mad. I know you’ve always said that “No” means “No.”
Here’s a piece of advice for everyone out there: in some cases, “No” means “Yes”. In this situation, how could it not? OK, I can think of one situation: if he’d spent the last of our grocery money on the pin. Even I’m not THAT allergic to money. But other than that, um, no. As to the idea that he thought I might be mad, well, all I can say is that this is a man who got the memo, who clearly takes to heart the message that “No” means “No”. Except in very rare occasions involving awesome vintage jewelry. ⧉
What about you? Got a story to share about an awesome vintage find, or a different situation where “No” meant “Yes”? Let me know in the comments!
