I watched “The Antiques Roadshow” last night. The presenter was talking to a small boy. The conversation went something like this:
“How old are you?”
“I’m eight.”
“And what have you got in that box?”
[Opens box]: “An MBE.” [ie Member of the British Empire - a medal presented by the Queen to signify an award to a theoretically worthy person].
“An MBE?”
“Yes, I’ve always wanted one and my dad gave me one last Christmas.”
Baffled pause.
“Do you know anything about the person who got it originally?”
“I only know…” [there followed a considerable life history of a Colonel Someone who joined the army in 1915, was a member of the Royal Ordinance Corps and retired in ... etc].
“And… um… what do you do with it? Do you… wear it?”
“Yes, I sometimes wear it. But usually I keep it in my safe.”
Silence.
“You have your own safe?”
“Yes.”
Ah, such are the little gems that make life bearable.
You can just tell the ones who are going to go far and be Prime Minister, can't you? Bless his cotton socks.
ReplyDeleteAawww...bless. And to think my brother was just delighted to have a couple of regimental buttons from his daddy's khaki jacket.....
ReplyDeleteThat's too cute! He sounds like a very grown up young man!
ReplyDeleteI saw this too and enjoyed the exchange enormously.
ReplyDeleteBaffled....just baffled...
ReplyDeleteI was amused by this, too. Whatever put an MBE into his mind I wonder - and what else does he keep in his safe..... husband suggests plans for world domination.
ReplyDeleteI am not telling my boys this story. Their christmas lists are weird enough already.
ReplyDelete