The Slice: At least it didn’t say ‘Wake Up and Read It’

Hazel Eden of Spokane Valley opened a piece of mail and saw a magazine subscription come-on featuring a drawing of two trapeze artists.

One of the aerialists, the one who was supposed to grab the other in midair, was too busy reading a magazine to do his duty. The outlook seemed dire for the other acrobat.

In large type, the subscription pitch said, “Richard, did we catch you at a bad time?”

Eden was momentarily taken aback. Her husband, Richard, has been dead for 10 years.

“But after looking at the picture, I know Dick would have laughed,” she wrote. “So I will laugh with him.”

•Slice answer: “My wife always carries a Davenport Hotel pen in her purse,” wrote Jerry Hilton. “She says they are the only pens that fit perfectly in the slot next to her cell phone and they write as good as any.

“Whenever she loses one, we have to book another night in the Davenport.”

•Things that made you cry (or at least tear up a little): “Last week I was invited to go to my daughter’s ultrasound for her second baby,” wrote Judy McKeehan. “I swear I got waved at.”

•Random act of kindness: Not long before the start of a weekend event that draws a big crowd, Keryn Millsap’s husband dropped her off in front of the Masonic Temple downtown. Then he drove away to find a parking place.

Because of a skiing accident, she was on crutches.

A guy returning to his SUV parked directly across the street called over to her: “Does your husband have a phone? He can have my parking space.”

Millsap thanked him and tried to reach her husband. She got no answer. So she told the stranger across the street not to worry about it.

A moment passed. “Then my husband turned the corner on foot. The gentleman jogged over to meet him, suggested he go get our car, and then waited several minutes.”

While Millsap’s husband, Scott, was retrieving their car, the Good Deed Guy had to wave away several motorists who coveted his prime parking spot.

“I know in the grand scheme of things this was a small event,” said Millsap.

But it made her feel good about Spokane.

•Credit card follies: Mark Cosgrove has a Seattle friend who was over here buying a washing machine for a property he owns. While still in the store, that guy’s card company called him on his cell phone and alerted him that someone was using his card to make a large purchase in Spokane.

•Today’s Slice question: How much is too much for a prom dress?