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Sneaky Shopping

My story may not be unique, but it’s a good one. I got a phone call from my best friend. He said, “Please come with me to McCabe’s to help me pick out a guitar for a friend. He’s really busy and wants me to pick it out for him, buy it, and send it to him.” I fell for it hook, line and sinker.

“We have to stay under $2,000,” he said, while steering me away from some unique one-offs in the corner selling for much more. I latched on to a perfect Taylor 710 Dreadnought, comparing it to 50 other guitars. I was so smitten that when we left the store with it I begged my friend to let me keep it over the weekend, promising not to scratch it. “No,” he said, “I have to send it to him right away,” as he had already arranged to meet my wife the next day.

That Christmas, as my wife presented me with it, I looked down and saw the Taylor logo on the case, and I was very happy to be getting a new guitar case (I really needed one). A few seconds later, I realized that there could be something inside. I was completely surprised and overcome with joy. We could barely afford the 710, but my wife pulled off the perfect scheme. Nineteen years later, that guitar hangs right next to me in my office.

Submitted by: Eric Prouty

Thank you for reading.