The best shopper ever (2)!!!

The best shopper ever (2)!!!

"I want you to take the size of Nora's pants right now. I will call you back in five minutes. I am standing at the counter with two sizes and I want to see which one fits better", my husband says in his tenth oversees call to inquire about the size of this pair of pants.

In the first call, Mohamed asks what size he should buy. Then he doubts that the same size in his hand is too tight, so he makes another call to ask us to measure the waist of her favorite jeans.

The third time , he calls to let me know how clever he was since the size 30 I told him to get for her is too tight and that he wants to get 32.  The next call is about the length, and the following one is about her favorite color. He is puzzled when she tells him that she likes  red, green, blue, purple and orange and asks him to chose for her. A few minutes later he calls to tell me that he bought all five colors of the same pants!!!

A few moments later, he calls again about a dress for me or a T. shirt for Ali and we go about the whole process of taking the measures all over again, then the call about the colors and then the final decision that he will get all three available colors!!!

I freak out; not because of this fatherly devotion and generosity but because of the patience and physical effort he exerts to buy clothes for all of us and always forgetting about himself.

It is not just about clothes, but all other stuff.  If you are following the blog regularly, you must know by now his obsession with appliances and gadgets and electronics when you read "Waffle Makers and Friends". Mohamed is always travelling, and since he is a very family bound person, living most of the time without his family, he finds solace in shopping for the family. It is a psychological need that urges him to roam all malls and shops in the provincial town where he works looking for the things that we like and buy them for us.  There is also an element of skill that I should not overlook; the man has a great taste, and he is a good opportunity hunter.

When I or one of the children visit him, the daily chores of shopping double or triple as he insists to take us to all the places that he roams when we are not around. The last time I visited him I was amazed at the circle of friends he made while shopping for us. Whenever we go into a mall, all shop assistants and check out persons hurry to greet him. They insist that he sees all the new arrivals and check out all the offer items. One Indian salesman even hid some items for him, without asking, so that he can choose whatever he likes. I was tongue tied; I was sure they did this for him not because of tips, tips for sales assistants happens only in Egypt.  All sales person automatically sympathize with the big Egyptian guy who spends most of his time, and money shopping for his family!  He is a valued customer everywhere.   

In the supermarket I insist we get two trolleys and each goes his/her way to finish the list quickly. Usually, I finish first and want to check out and leave.  When I call him a hundred times to come to the counter, there is still a round of shopping that he will make; he starts to take stuff out of my trolley and replaces it with cheaper and usually better quality things from his trolley.  I feel really stupid; no wonder I really hate shopping for groceries. When we go home, I find he got double the list I wanted, all good stuff that I do not need!!

Is not that enough to make my husband the best shopper ever!!!  Please say Mash' Allah after reading this and wish for a great husband like mine.