The misunderstanding went like this: a set of 26-no-kidding videotapes of the Ramayana, in Hindi with English subtitles, was offered a home via FreeCycle, by a lady who said she would pick it up the next morning. Cassandra emailed the address and the fact that she would be out during the day, but would leave the box of tapes on the front porch. Of course, that evening she got home to find the box still there. She emailed the lady, asking if she had decided she didn't want it after all.
The reply? "I never got your original message! It's possible that my husband deleted it when he checked mail without realizing I'd asked for the videos."
So she wants them after all, and will pick them up tomorrow.
But why the heck would two adults share an email address? Cassandra knows several couples that do that, including one couple half of which was buried several years ago, yet the survivor still uses the X&Y email address, like a whisper into the past.
Sentimental, maybe, in that case. But what about everybody else? The confusion over who a message is meant for is constant. One of Cassandra's friends is regularly addressed by her husband's first name in email correspondence from a group that doesn't know her well. Not a big deal? Sure it is.
To Cassandra, it's like sharing a toothbrush. Way too personal. A girl needs her own car, her own money, and her own email address.
No comments:
Post a Comment