Southern-Style
A Downhome Perspective on All Things Southern

Magic Pockets

by Sharman B. Ramsey

I can't understand it!  We can afford frozen broccoli, but we can't afford moon pies.  Now, does that make sense?  If I was Dad, I would put my foot down about that! 

Well, one day last summer I went with my mother to the grocery store.  I wore the new blue jeans my grandmother had given me for my birthday.  They had a W on the hip pocket.  I wore my new cowboy belt with the silver buckle and my cowboy boots. 

I showed Mom a model airplane for just $.79.  I could see Dad and me flying the plane together in the back yard.  My dad likes to fly model planes as much as I do.  Only, I've got it figured--big guys have to PLAY LIKE they buy them for little guys.

As usual, the answer was the same, "Sorry, we can't afford it."

I stood there looking at that plane thinking that since I had grown so much since the last time we flew planes, I could probably throw farther than Dad by now.  I stuck my hands down in the pockets of my jeans and just stood there thinking about how much fun I would have with that plane if only I had the money to buy it. 

I wish I had some money.   Then I could buy it, I muttered to myself. 

All of a sudden I felt something in my pocket.  I reached down and pulled some money out of my pocket.  Surprised, I dashed over to Mom and showed her the change.  "It was in my pocket," I said.. 

Mom smiled and said, "How nice of Grandmother to put some money in your blue jeans pocket!  Now you have some money to spend."

Mom counted it out.  It was the exact amount for the airplane--plus tax!  We both thought it was amazing that Grandmother had put in exactly the amount I would need. 

I lay the airplane and the change on the checkout counter.  Then I stuck my hands in my pockets and looked around to see if maybe somebody I knew might be there to see me paying for my own airplane

It was then I spotted a whole box of Whatchamacallit candy bars.  I like to eat Whatchamacallit candy bars almost as much as I like to fly model airplanes.  As the checkout lady handed me my bag, my mouth was just watering for that Whatchamacallit.

"Boy," I said to myself as I swallowed hard.  "I sure wish I had enough money to buy me a Whatchamacallit." 

Jingle, jingle went something in my pocket.  I stuck my hand in and drew out some change.  But I just emptied my pociets to pay for the airplane, I thought.

I turned to the checkout lady and said, "Is this enough for a Whatchamacallit?"

She counted the change out on the counter and said, "Sure.  This is it exactly.  Shall I put it in the bag with the airplane?

I went over to where Mom was feeling tomatoes and told her what had happened.  She said, "Well, you must have left it in your pocket when you pulled out the other money.  Come on.  Let's go and pay for these groceries and then we can call Grandmother and tell her thank you."

"Hey, Mom, can we get a box of moon pies to put in my lunch box this week?  I sure do wish I could have them."

Before I knew what was happening there went the jingle in my pockets.  Mom and I gaped at each other. 

Finally she said, "What is that in your pocket?"

I was almost afraid to stick my hand in my pocket.  But I did.  And I pulled out--you guessed it--the exact amount of money to buy the moon pies.

I looked up at Mom and she looked down at me.  Both of our mouths were kind of hanging open like when I fall asleep in the car and Dad punches me and says I'd better close my mouth before a fly flies in.

I couldn't think of anything to say.  So I said, "Mom you'd better close your mouth before a fly flies in."

This brought her around.  She said, "If I didn't know better, I'd say Grandmother gave you a pair of blue jeans with magic pockets."

Magic pockets.  Now I could have everything I ever wanted!  No more, "We Can't afford it" for me! 

What does a guy do when he discovers he has magic pockets?

Duh!

He buys everything he ever wanted!

Then his sisters get in on the act.  Cecily said, "When I got my report card money, I bought you a sea plane.  What are you going to buy for me?"

That girl never forgets when it comes to money.

So I tried it.  "I wish I had the money to buy Cecily a tape player."

I stuck my hand down in my pocket.  Nothing was there.

I tried it again for my little sister.  "I wish I could buy Brooke a Barbie doll."

Still nothing. 

Had I worn out the magic?

Just then I saw a BB gun and said to myself, "Boy, I wish I had a BB gun."

Jingle, jingle.  There was just the right amount of money in my pocket again.

The magic pockets only worked on me!

I then wished up and bought just about every toy that Toyland had that I had ever wanted.

I should have been the happiest kid in the whole world.  Why did it bother me so much looking at my pile of new toys and then seeing Cecily and Brooke looking so unhappy. 

It just wasn't fair.

Fair!  What was I saying?  Had my brain gone on a vacation?

James and Jeff and Andrew came over to see my new stuff.  I was a great host.  I offered them a banana moon pie and a root beer with salted peanuts when they came in.

I showed them my glider, my new computer and computer games, and my electric train (with the complete set up for houses, stores and trees). 

"Aren't these the neatest toys you've ever seen?  I have everything I ever wanted.  I can buy anything I want!  I'm the luckest kid in the world!" I shouted.

I looked around.  There was no one there.

"Hey, Cecily, come watch me play this game on the computer."

"Sorry, I'd rather paint my toenails."

"Brooke, I'll let you play Pac man."  No response.

I called Andrew on the phone.  "Hey, Andrew, let's play with my electric train."

Andrew said, "I'm not coming over there again to listen to you brag about all your toys."  Then he slammed the phone down so hard he almost busted my ear.

Andrew always was a pain.

Still, the truth was, having everything I always wanted wasn't as great as I had always thought it would be.  I had a tummy ache from too many moon pies, Whatchamacallits, and Pac man Popsickles.  I sat there alone with a room jam-packed with all the toys I had ever wanted.  And I was unhappy.

I curled up in the lap of the six foot stuffed gorilla with an outie belly button and Mickey Mouse hat to ponder my situation.  I was worn out by unpacking all of the new toys in those packages that are so hard to rip into.  Some of them needed instructions just to get the toy out of the box!

The unreasonable attitude of my sisters and friends had just about "worn my nerves to a frazzle" as I had heard Mrs. Chalker, the baby-sitter, tell Mom one day when they were talking about me.  Was I doomed to a life of a rich but lonely boy?  Envied and despised?  Misunderstood and abandoned?  I felt a tear trickle down my cheek as my eyes fluttered closed.

"Drew, wake up, you sleepy head," I heard Cecily say in the distance.

I woke up and smiled groggily at her.  What a joy to hear a human voice once more--even hers.  "Andrew is here and he wants us to play baseball."

"Something is wrong with him, Ces.  He hasn't thrown a pillow at you yet!"  said Brooke peeking out from behind the door.

They were speaking to me again.  How good of them to overlook my good fortune and reach out to me in sisterly love.  They understood that I simply could not help the fact that I was so much luckier than they.

I sat up to fluff my gorilla... and found him no longer there!  Alarmed, I stiffened as I looked around the room.  No remote controlled Glider.  No Lionel electric train.  No computer and stacks of computer games.  Just a pair of blue jeans with a  on the pocket lying across the ladder back chair with my new cowboy belt still in the belt loops.

I sat there in shock, until that loud-mouthed Cecily brought me around.  "Hey, Drew, you'd better shut your mouth before a fly flies in." 

And I had actually felt a momentary fondness for that girl! 

I picked up a pillow and let it fly, listening to the girls satisfying squeals as Cecily leaped behind the door with Brooke.

Life is good.

I rolled off the bed and peeked underneath.  Nope.  Nothing under there.  I opened my closet door expecting to have all my wonderful new stuff come tumbling back. 

Nothing but shirts, slacks and shoes.  And the dirty underwear I hadn't wanted to carry over to the laundry basket.

Finally, I took a deep breath and walked over to my blue jeans, the object of all of my hopes and fears.  Slowly I pulled them up, snapped and zipped.

I could wait no longer.

"I wish I had enough money for Moon pies for breakfast," I said.  I held my breath.  No jingle.  I tried it again.  Still no jingle.

With a shrug I grabbed my glove and ball and ran down the stairs two at a time. 

Yep!  Life was good!

Copyright 1996  These are my own working genealogy files that I share with you.  The errors are my own.  But, perhaps they will give you a starting point.  All original writing is copyrighted.  Webmaster