Annabelle and I have been spending a lot of time at the ballpark lately. As the chaplain for the Spikes, I like to be available if any of the guys want to talk, so I generally make my way down to the bullpen so that I can wave at the pitchers, letting them know that I’m there. It’s been fun, if not a little challenging, to try to teach the game of baseball to Annabelle. Saturday night I got to see just how much she’s learning.
Like most kids, Annabelle is fond of ice cream. She was a “vanilla only” girl until she discovered the ice cream of the future: Dippin Dots. (They’ve been around since 1987–are we in the future yet?) Now, as much as I love being able to provide my kids with all the amenities of the future/present, buying Annabelle ice cream every time we’re at the park leaves daddy with empty pockets. So Annabelle has a choice: she can eat our ice cream of the present at home, or she can pay for her own ice cream of the future using her own money. She usually prefers the ice cream of the future…
The other night she was on her way to make her purchase, but she only had a $20 (where does this kid get her cash?). She also had 50 cents, so I gave her a little applied math question. If you give the vendor $20.50, how much change will you get in return? She’s good with math, so she quickly responded with the correct answer ($17, for those of you who are digging for the calculator on your phone.) She made her transaction, and I held her dots as she folded her money and put it back in her purse. She stopped me, saying that the man gave her back $18. (cue the dramatic music, signifying a moral dilemma)
She looked at me, and I looked back at her. Then she walked over to the man and explained that he had given her too many dollars in change. He looked surprised, patted her on the head, and told her to keep the dollar for being so honest. I don’t know if his count came up a dollar short or if he made up the difference from his own pocket, but I thought that was pretty cool. As we walked back to our seat, I told Annabelle that she’d done a good thing. I also got a little lump in my throat…
On our way into the park tonight, Annabelle told me that she loves baseball. So do I, for more reason than one. I guess I can add Dippin Dots and integrity to that list.
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