Friday, January 19, 2018

"I have enofugh dresses"

Three weeks after my seventh birthday, I wrote this letter [transcribed at end] to my grandparents, inquiring after my birthday present.

It cracks me up: I have always been just like me. 
I don't want clothes, but may I have a stuffed toy or a puppy? (Also kind of pushy and yet so thoughtful--don't mail a puppy, that would hurt it!)

My mother kept the letter (to her parents) because, I strongly suspect, she had kept the present they'd sent, if it was a check, or she'd given it to me as if it were from her, if it was something I'd like. (I know she regularly did this because years later she told me she did.)

My grandparents continued to send presents like clockwork. They often were dresses, which my mother passed along under their names.

                                                 
                                                 1968 March (27th)
Dear Grandmother and Grandfather    I wrote a story called,
The Dirty Pig   it was two pages long. Why I realy wrote this
lettr is so I can ask wen you'r going to send my pacage I'm curieus 
what it is, wht I realy realy want is asmall little puppy that dosn't grow to big 
with spots and the reast of him is white but don't send one Please. how is 
little Miss [their dog]. Hope she is fine. Hope you are to. I have enofugh dresses
but I would like a ragdy Ann I don't care just so if you give me a
puppy you bring it here. We are fine.

2 comments:

Michael Leddy said...

I like the misdirection at the start: tell about the story and then catch them off-guard about the pacage.

I could be mistaken, but I think your ideal dog sounds a bit like Lassie’s pal Mike.

Frex said...

LOL--good point--never open with your demand... :)

Yes, Mike IS my ideal dog, really, in real life!