Forward to mid-December when I made a trip to Michaels with the artwork and an idea in hand for a surprise anniversary/birthday present for Beau. I would get that card framed (the back half was the texts that were in included in the print and I wanted to get both halves of the card framed and matted together).

It was crazy in the store and there was a bit of a wait in the framing department. I chose a frame I liked and thought would go well with the print itself as well as our other framed pieces in the living room/dining room. Then I moved to look at mat samples and I quickly selected the two I liked. When the dude behind the counter was ready for me, I moved my pieces in place and said, “I would like to get these framed with these mats, please.” At the time I thought that one sentence was pretty clear in communicating my desires. I learned later that it was not. So the dude started clicking away at his computer, and then said, “I think you should do the 16” by 20” frame instead of the 11” by 14”. I took another look and agreed, so I grabbed the larger frame to replace the smaller one. He clicked some more and then named the total and the sale was made. I admit to a bit of distraction because Jesse was with me and touching everything in sight, so I was a bit more focused on him than I should have been. Otherwise, I might have noticed some problems a bit sooner.

I left the store to run my other errand and was about to leave that store when I got a phone call from Beau, “Michaels called to let you know that you left your artwork.” Of course I left my artwork. They need it to frame it. This is when I sensed my first bit of trouble.

I got to my car and called the store to tell the dude that I left the artwork so that they could frame it. The dude said, “I thought you just wanted the mats.” To which I replied, “No, I said I wanted it framed, which is why the frame was there, too. I paid for the frame, right?” I started digging for the receipt to see what it said. “No, you just paid for the mats,” he said as I found the receipt, which confirmed what he said.

I paid that just for mats? I thought. OK, the frame is half off, so it won’t be too much more and still within the budget I had set for this project.

“I’ll be right over there to buy the frame,” I told the dude and I drove from the one parking lot to the other, hauled Jesse back into the store, and headed for the framing department. The dude was behind the counter holding a cardboard sleeve with a note that had my last name and “To Be Returned to Customer” taped to it. I grabbed another frame from the rack and brought it to the counter where he rung it up and I paid for it. I was signing my name to the credit card slip when he said, “I forgot to ask about glass.”

You have got to be kidding me, I thought. So the third sales transaction was for the glass.

Fast foward about 10 days to last Friday. I got a call from the dude asking for clarification on the mats, “You bought a 16x20 frame, but your ticket says 24x28. You want the smaller right?”

“Yes, the smaller frame,” I said. He said the computer had the hole cut settings correct, but for some reason had the outer settings too large.

About 15 minutes later he called again, “There’s another slight problem.”

Dear Lord, please help me to have patience, I thought. “What is it this time?” I asked.

The Dude: The ticket says you want two holes cut into the mat, but there’s only one piece of art. Were there two pieces to be framed?

This is when the language in my head went very, sinfully blue. What came out was pretty measured, I think. “Yes, it is two halves of a card that I wanted framed together. Which piece do you have?” I asked.

The Dude: It’s a picture of a little house with a family and some text.

OK, that’s the most important piece, I thought, relieved.

The Dude: Can you get a second copy of what’s missing?

Me: I’m not sure. It’s kind of one of a kind. Will you please look for the missing piece, please?

And then I described it for him, although I knew it was fruitless. I’m 100% certain it was thrown away on that day that I took it to the store in the first place.

I called my Mom who recommended that I call the manager to let him know the problem, which I did. He assured me that they would search and call me back the next day. I was out most of Saturday and didn’t think about it at all, really. Then Beau mentioned it last night at dinner - he took the call from the manager on Saturday and encouraged the guy to continue looking.

At that I wanted to cry because the surprise was gone. Not only has the dude delayed his getting of the present with the loss of the card half, but their phone call on Saturday ruined the surprise element of it as well. I’m heartbroken.

But I did email his cousin to see if she can send another card. If she can, I’ll get it framed properly (with a partial refund for the troubles). If not, then I’ll get the one half we have framed alone (with a hefty discount for the troubles).