About 6 months ago, I gave our office cleaning lady a dozen cookies that I had made. She doesn’t speak any English and my Japanese is pretty medium, but we always exchange pleasantries at the start of the day because I am always the first person in the office (other than her). I didn’t give her the cookies for any reason (birthday etc..) I had just made a batch and I like her so I gave her some.
Today, she came to my office with a massive bag that she handed to me. She said something about me giving her the cookies (and some other stuff I didn’t fully understand). I asked our office person (会社員) and he explained that she was retiring. I just got home and opened it and this gift is beautiful. It’s a big gold tin box from Paris, filled with cookies. It must have cost a fortune. I’m equal parts touched and angry. Well really, mostly touched, but what the hell lady?
I’m here for advice. Do I need to reciprocate? If so, does it need to match her gift? She was a cleaning lady and, I imagine, not on very much money (I’m almost crying at the thought of this). I’ve recently taken up painting and I have a frame so I could gift her one of my better paintings. I’ll post it in r/watercolour once I’m done here. Please let me know what you would do in my situation.
2 comments
May be nice gesture to return (and would be nice to match, but up to you) + your painting with a thank you note would be really nice 🙂
Love hearing warm stories like this. Thank you for sharing.
for the supposed yen cost amount of the gift, if she is retiring from old age, she got the savings probably. enjoy fancy overpriced cookies.