The care package

Sunday, 8:20 pm

By Kate

Apr

29

2007

Another day, another phone call from the lad. I answered. He was happy. Actually, he was very happy. I’d sent him a small care package mid-week and he received it on Friday. I’d filled it with the regulars—microwavable Kraft macaroni and cheese, packets of Gatorade powder, Triscuits, squirtable American cheese in a can, stuff like that. But, as kind of an afterthought, I also dumped in a bag of Dove chocolates.

I’d bought them at CVS’s post-Easter sale. They were priced two for one and I do love my chocolate. While I was salivating over the package of dark chocolate, I grabbed another that I thought was milk chocolate. When I got home, I discovered it was milk chocolate with a creamy caramel center. Eww. I know the lad likes caramel, so I spread them around in the care package so that when he’d shake the box it would rattle in an intriguing way.

After I mailed it out, I opened the dark chocolate package and it dawned on me that Dove chocolates are definitely made and marketed for women. On the inside on the foil wrappers, Dove has printed all kinds of cutesy sayings. Like..."You’re allowed to do nothing.” Or..."It’s definitely a bubble bath day.” Oh brother, I thought, wait til his roommate gets a look at those.

Well. He called this afternoon and said he’d received the package and it was the best ever. I asked if he liked the chocolates.

“Are you kidding?” he said. “Those things are the best chick magnets ever. That was inspired, Mom!”

“Heh. Moms know these things.” (I am such a liar.)

“Oh yeah,” he said. “A couple of girls found out I had a box full of them and they told everyone. The chocolates were gone in an hour. The girls really love ‘em. You’ve gotta send me more.”

I was curious. “Did they notice the sayings printed on the insides of the wrappers?”

“Oh man, yeah. They were all comparing and swapping them. Those things are great!”

Well, how ‘bout that. Maybe I should write a letter to the company and let them know. That’s a marketing angle they probably haven’t thought of yet. Campus tested and guaranteed.