It's Saturday afternoon and I'm schlepping to Von's to pick up some basic staples: Beer and maybe some more beer. God forbid there's an earthquake and I need to hydrate. Praying now for those poor souls in Turkey and Syria. The Big One here in Los Angeles! It could happen.
Stella Artois and I will be ready for whatever the San Andreas fault line has in store for our weekend in L.A. Stella and I go way back.
As I negotiate my way out of my vehicle, raking through the back gnarled copies of The Police Gazette, crumpled Restaining Orders, and pizza cardboards, a young woman's voice cries out for help.
No, not the voice of the homeless. It's the voice of America's future. It's the voice of America's heartbeat. It's a couple of Girl Scouts pitching girl scout cookies. I stop walking. I stop thinking about myself. Tears come to my eyes. I'm thinking of yours truly, as always, and the future of American entrepreneurship is calling.
The future of American Capitalism is calling. Two little sweethearts are in uniform, seated behind a pyramid of Girl Scout cookie boxes.
I stop and do a 180 to the ATM about two minutes away. The ATM coughs up a 20-Spot. I march back to the card table where our American Girl Scouts are sitting. I ask for my annual favorite: The Mint cookies in the annual green box. Last time it was $5.00. This time it's $6.00.
No worries. I'm helping teach the daughters of America, how to add, how to subtract, and how to be responsible Moms, CEOs and God forbid, maybe movie actresses of the future.
I hand over my twenty bucks. The closest little sweetheart takes my money as I volunteer "I'll have one green Mint please." She and her co-pilot fumble through their bag of cash looking for my change. OMG. Whoa.
Overwhelmed, they try to add up my change. They sigh. They struggle. Math was never my thing either. I smile. I do my Dad thing. I volunteer "I'll take two boxes." They seem relieved.
But, we're still not out of the woods. America's sweethearts are still struggling. Math was never, ever, my thing. America's sweethearts are beside themselves. I do my Grand Dad thing. "I'll have three boxes" I declare. They smile. They hand me my $2 in change. I smile.
Saturday night. My date, Stella Artois and I are watching a semi-intelligent flick on Youtube. It's Death Warrant starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. The Muscles from Brussels. A chop-socky karate revenge movie that's seen better days. Not exactly Shakespeare. But, something keeps me going. Something special.
Something makes me believe, that the best is yet to come. It's those Girl Scout cookies. The Mint ones. In the green box.
