I seem to have written more about Donald, my dad, than Monica, my mum. I guess he was a naughty boy and got up to all sorts of tricks and mischief, though none of it malicious or unkind… just adventurous curious, wondering what would happen if…
Monica had a great sense of humour, and was so intelligent and very funny, and was the master of the straight face. After giving up smoking, Donald took up snuff (which I also enjoyed from time to time) He had a little oval pewter snuff box and enjoyed his pastime – and Monica… hated it! She hated the whole thing, the snuff, the taking of snuff, the idea of taking snuff. She would watch without a word as he would take a pinch of snuff, and either take it from pinched finger and thumb, or off the useful little depression on the back of his hand between thumb and first finger.
One day, Donald couldn’t find his little oval pewter snuff box, but he didn’t like to ask Monica if she had seen it, and may even have wondered if she had deliberately hidden it… but of course she wouldn’t do that. So he surreptitiously began a search, lifting cushions, looking along window sills, looking in strange places for it. He didn’t realise but Monica observed him doing this, and was secretly very amused… even more amused because she knew exactly where the snuff box was, it had rolled under their bed!
Eventually she had to tell him, and then couldn’t resist laughing, and he laughed too at the gentle little trick she had played, and the innocent fun she had had from watching him trying to be surreptitious as he searched for the snuff box!
Lois Elsden 