Frederick’s Laundromat

On the way home last night WRCH 100.5’s Dottie revealed the secret word (“Sugarplum”) for this morning’s $105 giveaway, so I did what any of you obviously would and I pulled over and created a reminder on my outlook to call the station at exactly 10:05 today to reveal the secret word and claim my prize …Only issue is I had a standing appointment with mom’s neurologist at 10 and a 930 staff meeting that often goes long.  I would have to be creative. As luck would have it the 930 got pushed and the doctor’s office asked to start at 1015, so there I sat in the parking lot of the UConn medical campus, my fixation still alive. It wasn’t the 105 bucks that mattered, because when you have 4 simultaneous tuition payments you sort of are immune to the value of money. There is no money.  No, I just felt like I needed a win. So I dialed the station, but it was busy. So I dialed again. Busy. A third time – the phone rang – I almost froze the way you do when you hear a knock on the door after 8 pm on a Tuesday, but I was in….moments from greatness…“Hello Fredericks,” a stern garbled voice muttered, sounding a bit like Katherine Hepburn inside a washing machine…“Sugarplum, Sugarplum!” Am I the winner? “Um, well I don’t know – this is Fredericks Laundromat,” the lady said. “But I haven’t been called sugarplum since I was in my 20s.” I had dialed the wrong number apparently. “Sorry about that,” I said…“No trouble sweetie – you just made this 70-year old’s day.” I tried to dial once more but as I did the radio host announced they had a winner….Bert first time caller, long time listener from New Britain. So there it was.  I walked into the medical building with mom at about quarter past 10, dumbfounded for having dialed wrong, discouraged from the loss to Bert – the pain from almost winning $105 still fresh. But maybe it wasn’t all bad.  I made that lady’s day and, well, maybe it’s God’s way of telling me I need to wash my sweatpants.