Clem Travel Iron

It was Nora’s birthday.  She had tried not to be too expectant, but Harold always bought her a little surprise.  He was in good spirits lately too, as he had finally got that promotion at the office.  They had more money coming in than they had ever had before – things were looking up.  Nora battled with a wish for a delightful little package to open.  A new chain necklace to replace the one that she had snapped, perhaps.  Or a hairdryer would be nice.

She went downstairs to fetch the morning tea.  When she returned with the tray, there was a neat, square package resting on her pillow, along with her card.  She opened the card first and leaned over to kiss Harold on the cheek.

“I wonder what this could be?”  She handled the package carefully and could glean no clues as to what was beneath the paper.  It was quite thrilling.  She peeled off the wrapping and the inner box was revealed.  She read out the writing on the label.

“Clem Travel Iron.”

“It plugs into the light socket.” Harold imparted this fact proudly.

Nora wondered if it was a trick and pulled the lid off the box.  But there it was, a small but heavy iron with an electric cord and stand.  She stared at it, wondering what to say. She could accept it gracefully and risk repeat presents of the household variety.  Or she could wail out the displeasure which bubbled in the back of her throat.  Then a thought occurred to her.

“But Harold! We always go camping for our holidays.  In a tent!”

“Aha! Not any more, my treasure!  Your holiday this year will be in a hotel by the sea.  A week in Morcambe awaits my love!”

So it was a red herring all along.  One surprise leading to another, much better one. Nora flung her arms around her husband and whispered her thank yous.

“It’s a smart hotel, Nora, so I will need my trousers to be ironed every day.  This will make it delightfully easy for you, my dear.”

Clem Travel Iron for sale in the Etsy shop, SewsAttic

 

The Diary of a Kind Hearted Man Killer is now available as an Amazon Kindle book.