Cuff Links on Loan

You won't believe this story. Seriously, if you're from a big city and aren't familiar with small towns you really won't believe it.

Last weekend we headed to western Kentucky for a wedding. On the way we stopped at Marshall's to pick up a new shirt for Reeve with a gift card his mom gave him for Christmas. The shirt that fit best was an American cut shirt, but had French cuffs - go figure. And Reeve left all his cuff links behind not knowing he would need them. So we went on a frantic search for cuff links. I'll tell you right now, nobody carries them anymore. I don't know why - women love men in cuff links - but you just can't find them anywhere.

So Saturday morning we were in Madisonville, Kentucky where Reeve's grandfather and step-grandmother live. We hit the mall (if you can call it a mall...) to see what we could find. Our first stop was a little department store  - which will remain unnamed  - where we didn't see any on display (of course not.) We approached the ladies outside the cosmetics counters and inquired about cuff links. The woman at the counter informed us that they don't sell them but that she would LOAN us a pair from a boxed shirt set for the wedding. Wait... WHAT?? You're going to loan us a pair of cuff links? Like, you're giving them to us in full faith we are going to bring them back? Knowing that we are from out-of-town? Not even knowing our names? You have to be kidding. So we all headed over to the men's section, took apart a boxed shirt set and took the cuff links from the shirt. I couldn't believe it. I just stood there (looking stupid) gawking at this woman handing my husband a pair of cuff links and knowing this had to illegal somehow.

But it's the truth. The lady at the department store loaned us a pair of cuff links. I don't think I've ever been loaned anything from a store. I'm pretty sure if I went into Macy's or Dillard's in Lexington and asked to borrow a pair of cuff links they would inform me that of course I could borrow them - as long as I paid the full price and promised to not bring them back. Or maybe they would call the cops.

So he wore those cuff links. And the wedding was beautiful. And the next day we brought them back - along with a little gift for each of the women to thank them. I can hardly believe it even now. I'm almost positive that will never happen to us again. Ever. What a strange, strange blessing.