My dad gave my sister a balloon for her 27th birthday. My mom wrote the following email to my sister.

Nance,

Did dad ask you where is the balloon after you popped it? Dad did ask me when he walked from our car in the parking lot to where we were waiting in the front of the store.

He told me after we got the balloon for you from Luby’s that he was once spanked badly by his parents that he accidentally let a balloon go into the air. His parents were angry that he did not know to value things. You may not understand this from your background. It’s just poor back then, and everything is valuable – even a balloon.

Mom