The Stealthy Dad

Submitted by Elise



Throughout his life, my father 'liberated' things from restaurants, hotels, airlines, cruise ships, etc. (I inherited what is probably The largest collection of hotel and airline flatware and napkins in the universe). He was Very good at it (read: stealthy), and no one ever noticed; it even became a running joke between us whenever we'd be at a hotel together. After the memory loss started, he stayed at my mother's apartment one time so she could take him to his doctor's appointments, and my mother brought him to join me for lunch at a restaurant in my neighborhood. During lunch, my dad picked up one of the restaurant's logo coffee mugs, admired it, and said "this is a nice mug- I'd like to steal it!" Aghast, I said, "Papa, they sell the mugs! If you want one, tell me and I'll buy it!". He bellowed back "I didn't say I wanted you to BUY the damn thing! I said it was a nice mug to Steal!" At that point, horrified, both my mother & I watched him like a hawk. Later that evening my mother called me, laughing, and told me that when she took him back to his apt. and unzipped his overnight bag, there was the mug, right on top! We have NO idea how he did it, but he Was good!!!