Tale of the Purloined Pumpkin

One thing I have learned from through the years, first at AA and now at the library, is that people don't always tell you the 'full' story.  In fact, the version you get might leave out a few details which are actually relevant.  Plus, I'm a parent.  You learn to tell when the story you are getting is not quite the story as it actually happened.  Case in point....

The Purloined Pumpkin

A young man came into the library, carrying the above pictured item.  He wanted to get a library card and was bragging about his 'watermelon' he had.  First off, my mouth could not stop from saying, "That's not a watermelon."  And secondly, why was he carrying around a pumpkin/watermelon anyway?

Turns out he lives just up the street from the library and had come down with his proof of residence he needed to get a card.  He had been in the day before and found out he didn't have what he needed, so he got it and was back today.  Fine and dandy.  When I started setting up his new card, his name and birthdate popped up as a duplicate.

I asked if he had a card here before, "No".  When I asked if he had ever lived on "X" street and, once again, he said "No". He needed to clue his buddy in on the story prior to standing in front of a third party.  Because buddy was saying, "yeah, that's where you lived while you were at home".  We finally get this all straightened out and he gets his card and he then turns his attention back to the pumpkin/watermelon.

"You sure it's not a watermelon?"

"Yes.  I'm a good Southern girl.  We know our watermelons.  That's a pumpkin."

"Oh.  So not a watermelon?"

"No.  It's an unripe pumpkin."

"Ok.  Here, you can have it."  and he turns and walks off with his DVD's we had been holding for him and I'm left staring at the pumpkin/watermelon.

So now I have an unripe pumpkin, which I know in my heart was removed from someone's yard, thinking he was getting a watermelon.  And somewhere, someone is standing in their garden, wondering where the heck their pumpkin went to.

In the meantime, post-it notes are being applied to the pumpkin.  Which is another story.....