Dad pushed the lawnmower
into the shed, then approached me. I placed the bucket half-filled with the
weeds I had just finished removing from the garden by the garage door, holding
my breath in hopes I had earned his approval.
“Your mother was telling
me this morning how you’ve been a really big help with your baby sister lately,
and you did a great job helping me with the yard work this afternoon too.”
I reveled in the
compliments as Dad paused, then watched as he reached into his pocket.
“Here. Take these. You’ve earned ‘em.” As he
dropped four quarters into the palm of my hand, I felt a jolt of electricity
flow through my ten year old body.
“Can I ride over NOW?” I asked as I pocketed my
mini treasure. I saw him nod, then dashed to the garage to get my bike. Dad
didn’t need to ask where I was headed. He knew his oldest son would soon have
four new packs of baseball cards in his possession.
I reviewed my mental
checklist during the ten minute ride to High Street Pharmacy, confirming that a
White Sox team photo card was at the top of my want list. Topps produced such a
card for each of the MLB franchises, and I was missing just one. I organized my
collection by team, and the card displaying the group photo topped each stack
nicely. If I could just acquire the White Sox, I’d have all 26!
The July day was warm
and I wiped sweat off the back of my neck before dismounting my bicycle and
entering the store. I headed straight to the familiar bin located across the
aisle from the checkout counter, pleased to see it filled to capacity. The
clear wrapping revealed the identity of the top and bottom card within each
pack, while the 13 others remained a mystery until the post purchase unveiling.
I kneeled down and began
rummaging through the packs one by one, placing those showing a card I wanted
to my left, others to my right. After a few minutes of this, the clerk revealed
his interest in my activity.
“Will you be buying any
of those, or are you just reorganizing the bin for me?” I turned to see a
middle aged man wearing a ballcap. I knew from his sarcastic tone and sly grin
he was just teasing me.
I smiled in return and
said, “I’m looking for one special card, but I don’t see it here. I did find
some other cool ones though.” I carefully looked through the half dozen packs I
had singled out, placed two back in the bin, and proceeded to the counter. Then
I handed the clerk my four quarters to complete the transaction.
Outside the store I
paused briefly, deciding on my next course of action. An American flag atop the
pole outside the store rippled in the breeze, and the fear of loose cards
blowing from my grip convinced me to wait until I got home before opening the
packs.
I pumped the bike pedals
furiously as I felt sweat re-emerge on my neck. My breathing was heavy by the
time I arrived back on Northfield Drive, yet despite my fatigue, my pace
somehow increased once home was in sight. As I dismounted I let my bike fall in
the grass adjacent to our driveway; the three extra seconds needed to deploy
the kickstand would just cause an unnecessary delay.
I dashed to our front
step, then reached in the pharmacy bag and ripped open the first pack. I saw
flashes of player names and uniforms as I flipped frantically through the deck,
looking for the words, ‘White Sox’. I came up empty on the first and second
batches, and felt a twinge of disappointment. With only two packs to go, I knew
my chances of success were dwindling.
Several seconds into
flipping through the third deck, I saw the word WHITE that ran along the bottom
of a card. The cards in my right hand were obstructing a full view, so I jerked
my left hand to the side, revealing that card’s complete image.
Once my brain processed
my good fortune, I began jumping up and down as if I was on an imaginary pogo
stick while simultaneously shouting at the top of my lungs. I felt like a
pirate who discovered a buried treasure, a California prospector who found gold,
and a Mega Millions lottery winner all rolled into one.
Euphoria, derived from a
simple baseball card. Oh, the magic of childhood.
