In the name of love

I'm so glad we've sorted out my dad's birthday present. It took three days, and it started something like this.

On Thursday, Mum let slip that Dad also wanted an iPod and that he'd been talking about it quite recently. Cheryl (and I) decided to get it for him to try and erase the years and years of crappy t-shirts, socks, handkerchiefs, and mugs.

I (unfortunately) told Mum that we had decided on getting him an iPod mini and was rewarded with a long, very insistent speech that Dad would not use it and therefore does not need it. So, slightly traumatised, I relayed this information back to my sister who promptly scolded me for being such an idiot.

The next day, we were again (this time the both of us) given the whole "Your father does not need an iPod, look at what happened to the massage chair and the treadmill" speech. Then my mum turned around and asked my dad, although I'm sure it was a purely rhetorical question, "You don't need it right? They don't believe me! Tell them you don't need it." Dad quietly admitted he didn't want one. Later that night, my sister threw a huge cow at me: "you're such an idiot - never tell mum - dad wants it - you're such an idiot - you've ruined the whole thing". I was extremely upset and even more traumatised (because I sleep next to her).

Saturday morning saw me in the car with my parents and the whole iPod issue came up again, this time with me relaying all of Cheryl's "Mum bullies Dad into admitting he doesn't want it by making him feel guilty" tirade. By this time I was getting tired of being the one people scolded, so I asked Dad to tell us honestly whether he wanted it or not. Mum also turned around and pressured Dad into telling us, honestly. After a pregnant silence, he uttered the definitive words: "Well, it would be nice..."

So now my father is the proud owner of an iPod mini, and I think my mum's waiting to be right. Next year, Cheryl should just send me the bill.