Like Bees on Honey

Flashback to 1984 in a gymnasium filled with sweaty 5th graders who have just been  brought to a frenzy over raising money for the new gym floor by Mr. Fundraiser himself.
As the bell rings for the school day to end, hundreds of children race to the carpool line grasping their wares, prepared to knock on every neighborhood door until their boxes are empty.  I, on the other hand, casually stroll to my car and look my mother in the eye.

"Today's the day," I say.
Her eyes light up like glowing candles, "I know.  Hand it over."
The smell has already penetrated the confines of our 1982 Caprice Classic station wagon.
There is no pressure to rush home to beat the other little salesmen to the doors of our unsuspecting neighbors.
We carefully open the box and our mouths water like fountains.  Even the cardboard box smells good enough to eat.

We peer into the box and find 20 bars of World's Finest Chocolate.
We're in no hurry because this is one fundraiser my mom is willing to support.  Completely.
She hands me a twenty dollar bill, which is a big deal in our house, and just like that, I have reached my fundraising goal.

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Just last week my mom and I were telling my kids about those wonderful chocolate bars.  Our eyes sparkled as we shared that memory, especially the part about her buying the whole box.
"I wonder if they still make those," she mused.  We doubted it.

Yesterday, as I sat in the waiting area of the hair salon a little girl opened the door carrying a box of .... World's Finest Chocolate.  I couldn't believe it.  I dug in my purse, desperate for cash.  I caught her eye and asked if she was selling chocolate bars.  I only had TWO dollars so I assumed that I would only be able to afford 1 bar.  She opened her treasure chest to this:

No longer is the choice limited to milk chocolate or milk chocolate with almonds.  Now there are at least 6 choices.  The best part?  They are still only $1 each!  I would have bought the whole box if I had more cash with me.

I looked up to see the little girl wander into the active part of the salon and before I knew it, she was surrounded by women like bees on honey.  Within minutes, her box was empty.
I sure hope her mama got her own box ahead of time.

It was so fun to show up at my own mama's door with a pocket full of chocolate and good memories to share.