So so story - killer last word. in These titles mean nothing.

The Book

Bryce loves to read. He is five years old and is the youngest of his family. He lives in an upper level apartment on Fifth Avenue in New York City. Right now he’s nestled in pillows on the sofa in the living room. He is reading his newest book, the one he got last night, the one his mother read to him, and then his father read to him. So Bryce is pretty well up on this book. He can look at the pictures and pick out the words he knows.

The book is called Gambling for Beginners. The main characters are three girls, Amy, Alex and Selma. Amy is quiet, yet present in the moment,. Alex is the redhead an identification she will keep her whole life. Selma is tiny, gleeful, someone you watch for clues on having fun. Every day they meet in the lobby of their building and cross the street into the big park.

Today the plan is to play jacks. The red bouncy ball and the metal tossable jacks are kept in a paper bag in the custody of Alex, our redheaded leader. Together the girls walk until they find the perfect place for them to set up their game. It’s public but out of the way. As the girls take their turns at tossing and scooping, they realize they are being watched. An older man and a younger man are noticing what they are doing. The older man is carrying a paper bag of his own.

Burt is the father. Kenneth is the son. They come to the park often too. They have not noticed the little girls or their game of jacks before. They edge closer.

Eventually the girls notice the men. Not sure whether to be afraid or welcoming, Amy asks, ‘Do you like to play jacks too?” Burt says ‘Yes, but it’s been a very long time since I’ve played.’ Kenneth nodded.

The men got down on their knees and the playing circle enlarged. Soon the five of them were engrossed in the game. After a few rounds, Burt asked if they would like to make the game a little more interesting. The girls looked from one to the other and Selma asked, “Sure, what do you have in mind?”

Burt said, “We have some money in this bag. Maybe we can bet.” Alex in typical redheaded enthusiasm said, ‘Sure, but we didn’t being anything with us, except for the ball and jacks.”
Kenneth said, ‘That’s fine. We’d like to bet the money in our paper bag against your set of jacks.’

“Ok, let’s do it.”

It was a tense exciting game. The three girls were experts though and they won. Burt and Kenneth were good sports about losing and handed over their paper bag of money, thanked the girls for the good game, and strolled away.

When the father son team had disappeared, the girls carefully peeked into the paper bag.
It was full of hundred dollar bills! So many that the girls decided immediately to go shopping. There was a BMW dealer two blocks over on Third Avenue, and the girls packed up their jacks and their new fortune and made off to buy a car.

The BMW dealer was used to dealing in cash. He had his clerk count up the hundreds and determined there was more than enough to buy one of the more expensive models on the showroom floor. And he helpfully suggested that since the girls were too young to drive, he would arrange for them to rent a garage to store the car until they got their licenses.
Amy, Alex and Selma bounced their way home, happy and confident that they’d had a good day.

Byrce closed the book. He left the sofa and walked to the window. There before him carpeted in lush tree tops was the park. Bryce let his imagination run free. There are many things happening beneath the green canopy. He could almost see the three little girls and their game of jacks, scouting out another mark.

Last updated June 30, 2018