No, No, A Thousand Times No!

There are definitive answers, and then there are very definitive answers. I’m not certain Mom knows the difference.
Mom and Dad were celebrating their 50th wedding anniversary in 1997. Being quite family-oriented, Mom thought a cruise with the whole family would be a tremendous way to celebrate their 50th anniversary.
So, she mentioned this to Dad.
Rather emphatically, Dad said, “I’m not going on any dang cruise! Not today, not tomorrow, not any time.”
Well, Mom said that sounded like a “maybe” to her!
Doggone if she wasn’t right. We all went on that cruise.
Leave it to Mom to find a “maybe” or even a “yes” in a strong “no.”
Of course, she did a bit of verbal finagling. She told him that was okay if there was no cruise, but then the five children would probably plan a reception or drop-in and invite lots of people; they would have to dress up and then they would have to stand in line and greet people whose names they couldn’t remember, but if that’s how he preferred to celebrate their anniversary, well, that was okay.
If there was one thing Dad wanted less than a cruise, it was a dress-up reception with a receiving line and such.
Mom knew how to get that cruise, and I’m so glad. We had a blast!