Josiah and the smoke bombs

Josiah thought $ .89 was too much to spend on a dozen smoke bombs,

so he didn't buy any when Tyler took the kids to Jake's last week.

He asked to be taken to other firework tents.

I searched 'fireworks' on my blog, so I could see what we've paid in years past.

I remember last year thinking that the smoke bombs were pricey....

We discovered that the cheapest we'd gotten them for, in recorded history, was $1.

Suddenly 89 cents wasn't looking too bad.

But for some reason, he still had it in his head he ought to be able to get them cheaper

and when Tyler took them again, he only bought one pack

and came home asking, again, to be taken to other tents.

"Why didn't you ask Daddy to take you when you were already out shopping?" I asked.

"Because he told us he was only taking us to Jake's," he said, his voice and his chin quivering just a bit.

"Well," I said, "I guess you were right not to ask then."

But I admit I was a tiny tad irritated, because as far as the kid was concerned,

he didn't have enough smoke bombs, and another trip would be required.

I reminded him that $ .89 was probably the best price he was going to find,

but he still wanted to 'check'.

Then - a new coupon from Jake's fireworks arrived.

For smoke bombs!

35 cents a box!!

Woohoo!

(with a limit of three per household per day, of course)

But.

Since we weren't going to be able to shoot off fireworks on the 4th, what with the burn ban and all,

Tyler said we weren't going firework shopping again,

until the 5th.

The kids and I headed out at 10:00 this morning, in search of bargains.

What we found,

after quite some time,

was one tent selling at 'consistent prices all season'.

Even worse, Jake's, whose coupons expire today, was closed.

I'd told the kids they could each spend $2.

As much as I hated the thought of paying full price after the holiday,

we went to the only open fireworks tent.

The tent of 'consistent prices'.

Josiah picked up the $2 pack of smoke bombs.

I just couldn't do it; 

I couldn't let the kid pay $2 for something he wouldn't pay $.89 for last week.

And that he might still be able to get for $ .35.....

I thought that maybe Jake's was waiting 'til noon to open. maybe??

He returned the smoke bombs to the table and chose other things.

I didn't see the barricades as we got close to Jake's

and hollered out joyously, "They're open!" 

But as soon as I said it,

drat,

there they were.

They'd just been hidden by a hedge.

I pulled in anyways.

I was going to ask if they were just opening later....

A gentleman walked out to meet me in the parking lot, 

after he saw that all his waving wasn't deterring me.

He told me they were closed.

I said, with somewhat of an incredulous whine, if you must know,

"But! Your coupons don't expire until today!

My son has hung onto that 35 cent smoke bomb coupon since Tuesday night...."

I don't know what I thought he would do;

I mostly just wanted my son to know that I was willing to try for him.

The man looked at me.

"Pull your car around here, I'll get ya fixed up."

I hopped back in the Excursion and told Josiah, "They are closed,

but he's going to open up, just for us. He's going to let you buy your smoke bombs!"

The man unlocked the store and held the door open.

"Get what you need," he said, with a sweep of his arm, and handed me a plastic bag.

Josiah grabbed 3 boxes of smoke bombs, the coupon's limit.

"Surely you need more than that," he said,

so we picked out 3 10 cent party poppers for each kid ('except Brandon)

and 3 more boxes of smoke bombs

and headed to the front.

Josiah remembered that he'd never bought any bottle rockets either,

so the man grabbed a gross of moon travelers, "Well, we can't have that!"

Then he asked how many boys we had, and ran back to get an expensive airplane firework for each boy

and a pink car one for each girl.

And wouldn't take a cent for any of it!

Josiah gave a pack to Jeremiah, and offered a package to Brandon, too.

That man made my kids day - especially Josiah's!

He didn't have to do that; he could easily have sent us on our way!

Josiah would have been a little disappointed, but he would have known I did everything I could

to get him the smokebombs we'd told him he could get.

Instead, that man chose to bless a little 7 year old boy (and his siblings).

And he got our business

for life.