Receiving 30 Tabasco Sauces

by Angela Hartley
(Boise, Id)

As an already frazzled college student, trying to balance a part-time job and a full-time commitment to classes, the last thing I was expecting was romance.

He was an Air Force cadet. Honorable, brave and perfectly capable of sweeping any young lady off her feet—which, unbeknown to him, was exactly what he did. Honestly, what I always found most astonishing about Ty was that he chose me.

But while our relationship was a resemblance of a fairy tale, it wasn't without obstacles. We lived more than 700 miles apart and didn't see each other for months at a time. Being poor college students (and even poorer after spending all our extra money on plane tickets to see each other), Ty and I were constantly looking for ways to demonstrate affection in ways that could span distance and time. Being very thoughtful and creative, he was a lot better at this than I was.

There is one gift in particular that I received from him I will never forget. We had just started dating and so any kind of gift giving was crucial. This caused me an unnecessary amount of grief. I agonized over what to do for him. Too flamboyant a gift could be interpreted at over-zealous, and too causal a gift could be considered flippant.

It may seem silly to some, but I'm sure we have all been in similar situations at some time or another. While this kind of pressure might have deterred less-determined individuals, Ty knew just what to do.

Once during one of our "phone call dates" I mentioned that I liked things that were miniature. Just one of those quirky things about me. I love doll houses, baby's breath, and anything else that could be considered a tiny version of its larger counterpart.

I'm not even really sure how this came up in conversation (it's really kind of embarrassing), but I must have told him and then promptly forgot about it. However, Ty didn't forget.

A few months later I was surprised one day by a package from him with 30 tiny Tabasco sauce bottles that he had collected from MREs at the Air Force Academy. I don't know whether he saved up his own, or if he went crusading and looted his squadron members' lunches, but either way I was impressed.

He spent time to create a gift that he knew I would enjoy, no matter how silly it might have been.

For months, I showed my collection of Tabasco sauces. It was such a thoughtful gift, and although it was only Tabasco sauces, it's been a statement to me of the true essence of gift giving.