Sweepstakes:
Well, I don’t know the name. A puzzle would be published in the newspaper, and you had to send the answer to a particular postal address to be part of a lucky draw. The winner would get a nice product at a big discount. The money was collected through the postal service.
Extremes:
We often use words like earthquake, tsunami, volcano, or nuclear bomb to describe the extremes of emotions or situations. We somehow know these are the big ones and they become our metaphors for things we can’t otherwise measure.
Delhi/China Set:
My dad used to refer to heavy parcels with fake products as “Delhi/China sets.” Scammers do this all the time. You would order a Mixi and end up receiving a nicely packed old brick. Back then, there was barely any way to complain or get your money back.
Phone Scams:
Phone scams are very common nowadays. And the elders are the easy targets. Nearly 20% of the adult population is affected by phone scams, with trillions of money looted by the scammers every year.
Mesmerised by the visuals on a TV ad, my mom had ordered a water bottle over the phone.
Maybe the most common expression from an over-50 husband to his wife is: “Don’t you ever listen to me? How many times have I told you not to do that?” Sure enough, my mom said my dad scolded her just like that when she showed him the water bottle: “Why did you waste money on that Delhi set?”
She told me she had also received a thank-you call and was offered a few more products, which she thankfully refused. I warned her not to order anything else like this and showed her a few articles and news clips about mobile scams and big money losses.
Later that evening, when I came home from the office, she greeted me with a smile. “See,” she said happily, “all of you scolded me for buying this. But my daughter loved it and said she would start using it from tomorrow!” I just listened and watched her happiness.
And I was quietly destroyed. What can destroy you more than a soft, casual breath that carries the pangs of the heart? I had been part of her disappointment that day, from morning to evening. All she really wanted was a little joy reflected on our faces, even if it was pretend. We gave her everything else.
When did I start doing this? Since I started earning? Since college? Since school? Maybe even since the womb. That is why she knows how to find happiness in pain, in her disappointments, in being ignored. That was the Designer’s ultimate gift to her and she, the gift to this universe.
She has a series of amplifiers inside her, tuned to catch even the faintest signals of our love and joy. Give her just a little, and she will receive it a thousandfold.
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