SANTA OF SOAP
WOULD YOU LIKE
THE TITLE OF "SANTA OF SOAP"? IT WOULD BE EASY TO GAIN THAT TITLE,
ALL YOU WOULD HAVE TO DO IS CONFESS. NOT TO A CRIME BUT TO BEING
THE ONE THAT SENT ME A BAR OF LIFEBUOY SOAP BACK IN MARCH.
MY STORY
“LIFEBUOY” THAT I WROTE BACK IN AUGUST OF 2001 ABOUT LOSING A FRIEND
OF OVER 40 YEARS PROBABLY MOTIVATED YOU TO SEND THE BAR OF SOAP. I
DON’T KNOW WHAT CAUSED YOU TO SEND IT ANONYMOUSLY.
BUT THAT IS THE
REASON I WROTE THE STORY “THE OTHER SHOE” IN WHICH I SAID I GOT THE
BAR OF LIFEBUOY SOAP IN A PACKAGE WITH NO RETURN ADDRESS ON IT. THE
PACKAGE DID HAVE A NOTE IN IT AND IT SAID,
“REUNITING TWO
OLD FRIENDS.”
IT REALLY BUGGED
ME FOR A WHILE THAT NO ONE OWNED UP TO SENDING THAT BAR OF SOAP BUT
AFTER A COUPLE OF MONTHS I LET IT GO AND GOT ON WITH THE REST OF MY
LIFE.
THEN I GOT
ANOTHER PACKAGE YES IT WAS ANOTHER BAR OF LIFEBUOY SOAP. THIS
PACKAGE WAS MAILED FROM CHANDLER, TEXAS AND IT HAD A NOTE IN IT
ALSO. IT SAID,
“HI, HERE IS
ANOTHER OLD FRIEND OF YOURS. ENJOY THE VISIT.”
I DIDN’T KNOW
WHO MAILED THIS PACKAGE TO ME EITHER. THIS IS REALLY BEGINNING TO
BOTHER ME AGAIN AND JOHNNIE AND I WROTE “JOKERS ARE WILD.”
I GOT OUT OF THE
SPECIAL HOSPITAL AND WAS DOING FINE WHEN I GOT ANOTHER PACKAGE. BUT
THIS PACKAGE HAD A RETURN ADDRESS ON IT. THAT WAS THE PACKAGE WITH
THE LIFEBUOY SOAP TIN BOX IN IT. I WROTE RICHARD AND TOLD HIM HOW
MUCH I APPRECIATED THE BOX AND PRAISED HIM FOR PUTTING HIS RETURN
ADDRESS ON THE PACKAGE.
HE DIDN’T ANSWER
MY LETTER AND THIS MADE ME CURIOUS SO I CALLED INFORMATION AND GOT
HIS TELEPHONE NUMBER AND CALLED HIM.
WHEN I TALKED TO
HIM I ASKED HIM WHERE HE HAD FOUND THE LIFEBUOY SOAP BOX? HE TOLD
ME THAT HE CLEANED OUT OLD HOUSES AND HE HAD FOUND IT IN AN OLD
HOUSE.
I ASKED HIM
WHERE HE HAD READ MY STORIES ABOUT LIFEBUOY SOAP AND WHAT PROMPTED
HIM TO SEND ME THE BOX?
WAS I EVER
SHOCKED WHEN HE TOLD ME HE HAD NEVER READ ANY OF MY STORIES AND
DIDN’T KNOW ME FROM ADAM. HE SAID HE HAD PUT THE BOX ON EBAY TO
SELL IT AND THE PERSON THAT BOUGHT IT GAVE HIM INSTRUCTIONS TO MAIL
IT TO ME.
“OK” I SAID,
“WHO BOUGHT IT AND HAD YOU MAIL IT TO ME?”
“THEY MADE ME
PROMISE NOT TO TELL YOU. I GAVE MY WORD.”
THAT’S WHEN I WROTE THE
STORY “IT JUST GETS DEEPER AND DEEPER.”
TELLING ABOUT WHAT
RICHARD SAID TO ME. BUT I ALSO SAID IN THAT STORY I HAD A PLAN TO
FIND OUTWHO BOUGHT THE LIFEBUOY BOX FOR ME.
SO I SENT AN EMAIL TO A
DOZEN OF THE GIRLS AND I GOT BACK ANSWERS THAT THEY HAD BOUGHT
THINGS |