Mother’s Day Pinto

imageMother was a slow learner. It took her forever to learn that Daddy was not the thoughtful kind of guy who would ever surprise her with lovely gifts and gestures. He was more the kind of guy who felt sorry for himself when she got her feelings hurt or got mad. After all, he was pretty sure he’d gotten her something last year, for her birthday or Christmas, one or the other. What had she done with that eggbeater?

This year was going to be different. Virgil Hughes had a nice Pinto horse. It was a good deal since it “wasn’t broke” yet. Nobody really wanted it since it stomped Euless and broke his leg, but Daddy was sure he could make a fine riding horse out of it. Kathleen was scared of horses, but she’d get over that. If she didn’t, he’d ride it. Daddy stopped off on the way home from work the Friday before Mother’s Day to pick it up. It was kicking the side rails when he pulled in. He called Mother out to. See her beautiful Pinto and she hit the ceiling. “Of all the things I need, you come bringing in a horse. We need another useless animal to feed like I need a hole in the head.” She stormed in, furious.

Daddy stomped off, putting the horse in the pasture. “Kathleen didn’t appreciate anything he did for her. It would be a cold day in Hell before he brought her anything else!

Happy Mother’s Day!

28 thoughts on “Mother’s Day Pinto”

  2. My first college love gave me a coffee percolator and what probably was an expensive “butcher block” cutting board for our first Christmas together. At the time I was not as coffee-obsessed as I became, so it was an especially odd gift for an 18 year old girl whose specialty was grilled cheese sandwiches (his mother actually taught me how to fry an egg!)

    It was difficult to know how to respond when I opened those gifts. I certainly didn’t want him to repeat “practical” gestures of this nature, thinking I was thrilled! Still, my mama raised me right, so it was imperative to acknowledge the thought behind a gift at all.

    I’m sure whatever I said was fine, because his future gifts all made me smile, even the enormous rabbit he gave me one birthday that I had nowhere to keep in a college apartment. Fortunately, his sister wanted the bunny, since we were leaving the following day to spend a long Thanksgiving weekend with my parents in another state! I guess he got the “no more practical presents” message loud and clear. :)

    But you know, I still have and use that cutting board – many DECADES later – and all his other gifts are long since gone.
    xx,
    mgh
    (Madelyn Griffith-Haynie – ADDandSoMuchMORE dot com)
    ADD Coach Training Field founder; ADD Coaching co-founder
    “It takes a village to transform a world!”

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  5. Your poor mom! I so understand. My first husband gave me a choice between a motorcycle and a refrigerator. Since my fridge was the closest thing to an old fashioned icebox, I picked the fridge.

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