Let's entertain!

Simone sighed happily as the couple who'd bought her kitchen table carried the last chair out and loaded it into the back of their pick up truck. Hubby, with his throbbing, painful foot, would no longer be forced to sit on a too high chair, thus doubling his pain.

She dialled the number of the furniture store where they'd purchased their new table and informed them that they could deliver the new table any time.

"Um," the voice at the end of the line hesitated.

"Yes?" Simone's voice took on an edge as she glimpsed a problem on the horizon.

"Well, it's like this," said the woman. "When you ordered the table, we had oodles of them in stock but now, we seem to have sold all of them and they're on back order and so you can't really have your table after all."

"Really?" Simone's nostrils flared. "That isn't acceptable. We paid for the table. We were assured it would be available any time we wanted it or else I would not have sold my existing table so quickly! I'm expecting guests in a couple of weeks. And where are we supposed to eat now for... How long until my table comes in?"

"Um," the woman coughed. "Probably at least a month." Her voice lowered to a near whisper. "Maybe two."

"Completely unacceptable," noted Simone. "Is it at all possible for your store to lend me the display model? I need a table. We'll have to keep the display model until our table comes in, of course..."

"Oh!" The woman's voice sounded pleased as she reached for this buoy. "The display model! Of course! Of course! Yes, yes. You could absolutely keep it until your table arrives. The display model. When can we deliver it to you?"

"How about this afternoon?" Simone smiled once again, pleased that a workable solution had been achieved.

"Absolutely! Absolutely! Consider it done!"

...

"Here's your table, Ma'am," said the delivery guy. "Can you sign here to confirm you received it?"

"Uh, sure," agreed Simone. "But where are the chairs?" She looked in vain for anything remotely resembling a seat.

"Chairs?" The delivery guy looked at her askance from behind his round, wire-rimmed glasses. "Nobody told me nothing about no chairs. They just told me to deliver a table here."

Sigh...