Life with Wanda

I think I’ll call it “Wanda’s Hot Box”

Given her personality, its no surprise that Wanda has always had an entrepreneurial spirit. And although she has always maintained a job in Corporate America, this hasn’t stopped Wanda from finding time to flex her independent muscles by starting a number of her own businesses. In the beginning, like many others, Wanda went to various seminars and either came away having purchased a trunk load of products to sell (Amway) or the desire to peddle services (Pre-paid Legal).

But lest these ready-made businesses be out-done by some of her own creative ventures like…

• Lotus Vision – a video production company
• American Jazz – an idea for a 24-hour Jazz cable network. A concept she shared with the, then, powers-at-be at BET. Imagine her surprise when unbeknownst to her they would later launched BET Jazz… offering no shared credit for the concept.
• DanSit – a corporate gifts/premiums provider… a company who’s name was conceived by blending my name with the name of the daughter of her business partner.
• UBe – a marketing company

Over time, I got used to Wanda coming up with her next big idea on her pursuit for the recipe to independent success. But nothing could quite prepare me for what she was going to come up with next!

Allow me to set the stage… It’s my birthday.  My parents, along with my fiancé and a few close friends, were taking me out to dinner at a new Latin hot spot in the city. We had to wait a few minutes for our table so we got a few drinks at the bar. By the time we were seated, those of us who were drinking may have been a bit tipsy off of the lovely mojitos the bartender was serving. So far… this had the making of a really nice evening.

Like most groups who are intimately acquainted, the conversation was easy and relaxed. We laughed, shared stories and talked of the future… and that’s when it happened. Wanda decided to share with the group a novel idea she had for her next business venture… apparently an idea she had given a lot of thought to. She said that she noticed how much women loved to gather at the house of a friend to share stories, food and drinks. And whether it was a book club, a Tupperware party or even a lingerie party, women loved to talk and were usually open to intimate discussion when in the safety of a relaxed environment. So it was with this in mind that Wanda had her “ah ha” moment. She announced that she was going to throw SEX TOY parties! She went on to say, “I think I’ll call it Wanda’s Hot Box”.

Excuse me?!?! I’m sorry?!?! Did my mother… my MOTHER… just tell my friends, loud enough for the neighboring table to hear, that she was starting a sex toy business called WANDA’S HOT BOX?! Really? Ugh!

Completely mortified and wanting to crawl under the table, I tried to change the conversation and shot Wanda that knowing look usually reserved for a mother to an unruly child. But just when I thought the matter had come to a close, my friends, reveling in my embarrassment and the pure delight of being treated to dining with Wanda in rare form, continued to egg her on asking her to describe the kinds of products she would sell… and even suggesting a few she had missed!

I soon realized that the more I protested, the longer my suffering would last, as everyone at the table now found pleasure in learning more about Wanda’s new business. Thankfully the conversation only lasted another moment or two as Wanda had pity on the fact that this was supposed to be my birthday dinner and she saw no sense in ruining the evening for me. And with that, she whispered to the table “we’ll talk more about this later”.

Thinking the matter dead, I thought I had heard the last of Wanda’s Hot Box for the evening and hoped to never hear of it again. But alas, when you have old friends who’ve known you for many years, they lovvvve to bring up old shit! LOL  And like any good friend, they have never let me live down the events of this night. So this one’s for you DH! Now the world is in on our little joke!

July 23, 2009 Posted by The daughter | family, Mothers and Daughters | family, relationships, sex toys | Leave a Comment