Traditions

One of our "traditions" is to eat at Cici's Pizza.

While we were there last Saturday, Sawyer used some of his quarters

to retrieve "prizes" from the "slot machines", as I call them.

For his $1.50, he got 2 pink "bouncers" and 2 tiny rings.

I know that sounds like poor spending choices,

but at least he did not spend a dime on the "claw" or the "pusher".

He has finally learned, through lots of lost quarters and many tears,

that those machines will steal your money,

as if you had just thrown those quarters into the trash.

Hope springs eternal!

And he truly believed for quite a while that his next quarter would

be the one that got him the Mini-Minion or the Batman watch

that enticed him from within their brightly-lit vaults.

So, for several visits, I let him experience the inevitable losses,

until he started to "get it".

Having something to show for his $1.50 was quite a reward

for making better choices, and he was truly pleased

with  his trivial trinkets.

In fact, he gave me one of the rings to wear.

On the way home, he asked where my wedding rings were,

and I told him I had taken them off some months after PapaRob died.

"Oh yeah...PapaRob is dead,

and you'll never wear wedding rings again."

Hmmm...

I could have let that comment go, but instead, I said,

"Well, I could get married again, if someone nice comes into my life."

"Ooooooh, that won't be easy, Emmy."

Then later,

"Then we could have another Papa."

The plot was thickening.

"Well, you can wear my ring and have my love, Emmy."

"Thank you, Sawyer."

Then yesterday while slurping Slush Monkeys and eating snacks at Stripes,

our Wednesday after-school tradition,

he noticed the ring still on my finger and sweetly asked,

"Emmy, if you're getting ready to die,

will you take that ring off and

give it to me first?"

"Yes, Sawyer...I will."