This short story is from <Heartwarming Collection of Short Stories for Seniors: 2 Books in 1> by Bradley Windrow. It is perfect for seniors, even for dementia patients. Be sure to read until the end, as there’s a special gift waiting for you! hope you enjoy it!
Pride makes us artificial, and humility makes us real. –Thomas Merton
Eleanor had been flaunting her new smartphone for weeks, waving it around at every chance, like she’d just joined the tech elite.
“Best gift my grandkids ever gave me!” she’d brag, swiping through screens like she had it all figured out. Her friends—Nancy, Betty, and Joan—nodded politely, though they secretly doubted she knew what she was doing.
One evening, after another round of boasting at the community center, Eleanor decided it was time to really test her skills. She opened an online shopping app, determined to impress herself and her friends. But things quickly took a turn.
“Let’s see… Bird feeder?” she mumbled, tapping a few buttons. But instead of browsing, she accidentally hit “Buy Now.” A confirmation popped up, and before Eleanor knew it, she’d purchased a decorative bird feeder.
Flustered, she tried to return, but her finger kept tapping buttons—clicking through item after item. Soon, she had “bought” garden gnomes, cat food (for a cat she didn’t even own), and, for some reason, an entire case of rubber bands.
“Perfect,” she muttered sarcastically, but she still had no idea what she had done. She boasted again the next morning at the center, “I’ve mastered online shopping, ladies. Piece of cake!”
But within days, packages started arriving. At first, Eleanor pretended it was no big deal. “Must be a shipping error,” she told herself. But the boxes kept coming. First, the bird feeder. Then, the cat food. Then, the garden gnome. Her friends noticed. Nancy raised an eyebrow when she spotted Eleanor trying to lug the boxes inside.
“What’s with all the deliveries, Eleanor?” she teased.
“Oh, just a couple of things I needed,” Eleanor said, trying to keep cool. But it wasn’t long before her living room was a warehouse of unopened packages.
Finally, too embarrassed to keep up the act, Eleanor caved. She called Nancy, whispering into the phone,
“I need help. It’s the phone… I ordered things. A lot of things.” she said. Nancy arrived and nearly burst out laughing at the mountain of boxes.
“Oh, Eleanor, what have you done?” she grinned, but her teasing was affectionate. “We’re going to need backup,” she added, calling Betty and Joan. Soon, the four women were knee-deep in packaging, trying to sort out the mess.
“What’s with the rubber bands?” Betty asked, holding up the case.
“I don’t even know,” Eleanor groaned, burying her face in her hands.
The afternoon turned into a comedy of errors as they tried to navigate the returns. They sent wrong return labels to companies, accidentally ordered more items, and laughed through every mishap. At one point, Eleanor nearly ordered a second gnome while attempting to cancel the first.
By the end of the day, they returned most of the items. Nancy patiently showed Eleanor how to use the phone step by step, and Eleanor, humbled but grateful, promised to be more careful in the future. As they sipped tea, Betty couldn’t resist a final tease.
“So, Eleanor, ready for round two of online shopping?”
“Never again.” Eleanor waved her off.
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