Thomas had winced inwardly at the thought of how much physical pain his mother must have endured with her arthritis to wash, dry and press his old baby clothes to a condition of absolute flawlessness. It was obvious to Thomas that his mother was going all out to please her daughter-in-law and give her the very best baby clothes that could be found in the world.
Mary, unfortunately, had a different impression of his mother’s gift. At first, Mary was inordinately pleased by the gift for her baby boy, but when Thomas’s mother had informed her that they were Thomas’s baby clothes, Mary had made a moue of displeasure. His mother’s world-class gift had fallen flat on it’s face.