Happy Birthday Daddy!
My daddy loved money and the art of the deal. There was nothing he liked better than buying something, and reselling it for a little profit. It was his hobby and his joy. He also collected coins. When he passed away on April 1, 1999, my Mum gave me a bank that he had received for a gift many years before. It is a plain wooden box, but the front has one of the old fashioned post office mailbox doors that had the little dial combination lock that is all letters. Spin the lock to letter G, reverse direction and pass G stopping on letter B. Now forward until you get to the space between L and M. It's pretty awesome and reminds me of Daddy every time I see it.
As soon as I received it, I started hording all of my change and putting it in there. I go to the bank on November first (Daddy's birthday) and April 1st (his death date) and turn it in. The combination bank is pretty full by then, but the night before bank day finds me scrounging for every bit of change I own. All of the usual repositories are searched relentlessly; the dish in the laundry closet and the little one on my dresser, the cubby in the car, the bottom of my purse, coat pockets, sofa cushions. It's all of a sudden vitally important to me that I don't miss one single penny.
This year I wasn't going to be at work on November 1st. My bank is by my office so I bundled up all of my change and took it with me to work on October 31, planning to take it into the bank on my lunch hour. I locked it in my trunk, worked all morning, and then on my way out at lunchtime, I told a coworker about my little change ritual and said that I hoped Daddy would forgive me for taking it in a day early.
On my way to the back door, I found a penny on the carpet. Absently I picked it up and put it in my pocket...almost on auto-pilot. I drove over to the bank and hauled my treasure inside. A cashier took it and put it in the counting machine out back. She came back with a slip of paper and handed it to me saying 'Awwww! So close!!!'. The slip of paper said $84.99. I said 'Awww ...' too and felt kind of bad for a minute until I remembered. I stuck my hand in my pocket and pulled out the penny. $85 EVEN! Thank you Daddy! I love you and miss you every single day.
As soon as I received it, I started hording all of my change and putting it in there. I go to the bank on November first (Daddy's birthday) and April 1st (his death date) and turn it in. The combination bank is pretty full by then, but the night before bank day finds me scrounging for every bit of change I own. All of the usual repositories are searched relentlessly; the dish in the laundry closet and the little one on my dresser, the cubby in the car, the bottom of my purse, coat pockets, sofa cushions. It's all of a sudden vitally important to me that I don't miss one single penny.
This year I wasn't going to be at work on November 1st. My bank is by my office so I bundled up all of my change and took it with me to work on October 31, planning to take it into the bank on my lunch hour. I locked it in my trunk, worked all morning, and then on my way out at lunchtime, I told a coworker about my little change ritual and said that I hoped Daddy would forgive me for taking it in a day early.
On my way to the back door, I found a penny on the carpet. Absently I picked it up and put it in my pocket...almost on auto-pilot. I drove over to the bank and hauled my treasure inside. A cashier took it and put it in the counting machine out back. She came back with a slip of paper and handed it to me saying 'Awwww! So close!!!'. The slip of paper said $84.99. I said 'Awww ...' too and felt kind of bad for a minute until I remembered. I stuck my hand in my pocket and pulled out the penny. $85 EVEN! Thank you Daddy! I love you and miss you every single day.
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