Saturday, December 8, 2012

Indian Giver

That's what I called Marty today.  That's probably not a politically correct term.  How did that term come to be anyway?  Wikipedia has this to say as to the etymology: "The phrase originated, according to researcher David Wilton, in a cultural misunderstanding that arose when Europeans first encountered Indigenous Americans on arriving in North America in the 15th century. Europeans thought they were receiving gifts from Indigenous Americans, while the Indigenous Americans believed they were engaged in bartering: this resulted in the Europeans finding Indigenous American behaviour ungenerous and insulting." Regardless, I know no other term/phrase that conveys the meaning that he gave, and now he has taken back.  And in the common vernacular, irregardless of political correctness, he's an Indian Giver!

Here's the story.  Some weeks, or longer, ago, Marty came to my She Den and handed me a couple of envelopes and said something about them being a gift for me, somewhat a peace offering for the monies he'd recently spent on camera & computer upgrades/parts for he and Nick - though I didn't need a 'peace' offering as I wasn't upset.  They were gift cards he'd somehow won at work ($500 American Express!).  They've sat here and I haven't really thought much about what I could spend them on but certainly considered them mine.  

This morning after his Saturday morning hike with his friend, Storyman, he comes up and wants to know where the A.E. gift cards are.  I asked him why?  He said he wanted to use one.  I asked him why?  He said he thought he might go buy a watch.  I asked him why he didn't use his normal credit card?  He said they don't accept it at Costco, and Storyman was waiting in the car.  I see.  I called him an Indian Giver and he took one of the cards and left.  He hasn't made it home yet so I don't know if he bought the watch or not.  

Storyman is good at getting him to buy things he might not normally buy.  Case in point: before we were married, so this is now a long time ago, Storyman worked at a well-known department store and he and Marty were roommates.  Storyman worked in the men's clothing department so could get good deals on men's clothing, and to his credit, he does have a sense of style and dresses nicely.  One winter, Marty & I may have been dating at this time, Storyman talks Marty into buying this really nice leather jacket.  To be sure, he got a great price on it.  BUT, leather jackets are not Marty's style, nor do we live where leather jackets are worn often. so said leather jacket hangs in the entry closet for over 17 years and has been worn maybe three or four times.  There you have it. 

1 comment:

  1. Huh ... wonder if he'd notice if you started selling those things . . . LOL! :)

    ReplyDelete

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