Cash Only, Please!

Standing in line at the concession stand at a state basketball tournament in Wyoming this past weekend, I found myself in a bit of a bind. My children, of course, were "starving," after a day at the gym, and when I realized it might be quite a while until we could pick up some real food, I relented to their begging and decided dinner would have to come from concessions. We stood impatiently in a very long line, while I wondered to myself why we didn't think of this idea before the half-time rush.

I perused the menu and decided I wasn't hungry. Nachos and hot dogs just didn't sound like they'd hit the spot. Then Hallee ordered a cinnamon pretzel, and as I watched the butter drip off the warm bread, drizzling with the cinnamon/sugar mixture, I found myself saying, "Two, please." We finished our order and stood in front of the cash register to await our fate.

That's when I noticed the sign. Cash Only, Please. Uh-oh. I panicked. I had no cash. Actually, as I found out a few minutes later, I had 35 cents to my name--not even close to enough to pay for our snacks. "Does that mean no checks, either?" I asked, feeling stupid before even hearing the response. Cash only means cash only. I could feel dozens of eyes on me from the customers waiting in line, and I was starting to sweat.

"No problem," I said casually. "I have family here. I'll just go borrow money from them and be right back." I felt like a complete idiot. I knew better than to go anywhere in Wyoming without cold, hard cash. Although I loved my alma mater state, I had to admit it had some major weaknesses, one being it didn't seem to be up to speed on the latest technology--credit cards!! I mean, this is the 21st century, isn't it? What place in all the world doesn't take credit cards? Wyoming!

I left my children at the check-out and hustled back toward the gym. Thankfully, I didn't have to go far. My sister, Katie, was at the end of the concession line. I borrowed $10 and ran back to pay, hoping my misery was over. "That will be $11.50, please," the lady said. You've got to be kidding me! I glanced at our measly dinner and determined this was not the way to get the most bang for your buck. How could this small cluster of snacks add up to $11.50?

I ran back to the end of the line, begging Katie for more money, like a child begging their mother for more candy. She laughed and handed me her last dollar, which meant I was still 50 cents short. I heard a lady in the line ask Katie if I needed some money. This cannot be happening! I dug through my empty wallet to come up with 35 cents before promising I would be right back with the additional 15 cents. They were tired of me by now. "Just go. It's okay. Just take your food and go."

My face crimson red, I gathered up our pretzels and hurried away, promising I would be back with the 15 cents later. Not daring to look around in case I saw someone I recognized, I wiped the sweat from my forehead and looked at Hallee, breathing a sigh of relief.

That's when I first noticed it. Hanging from her shoulder, as if mocking me, was her purse. "Hallee, have you had that purse with you the whole time?" I asked incredulously.

"Yea, why?" She didn't seem to see the irony.

"Why? Because you have money in that purse, and I needed money to buy your dinner just now. Let me see your wallet."

She handed over the wallet, which I found contained $45. "Hallee!! Why didn't you tell me you had all this money when I was up there making a fool of myself?"

"I didn't want to break my twenties," she said, as if to say, "duh!"

I couldn't believe it! Here I was, looking and feeling like a complete idiot, all the while my daughter was standing right next to me, watching me sweat and panic, when she could have easily solved my problem. I wanted to shake her, to square her shoulders and look her in the eye and tell her how much embarrassment she could have saved me, but . . . I found myself laughing instead.

"Well, the next time we find ourselves in a similar situation, and you have a wallet full of money with you, will you please bail me out?" I asked. I shouldn't have been surprised at her answer.

"Yes--unless it means breaking my twenty!"

I had obviously not gotten through to her, so I gave up. I borrowed money from Hallee's purse to pay Katie back and asked her to please pay 15 extra cents since I was definitely not going through the line again. Then I went back into the gym and forced down a now-cold pretzel. I couldn't help but think as I chewed through the dry bread that it had definitely not been worth it.

So, the next time I plan a trip to Wyoming, I am determined to remember three things: first, eating no dinner at all is better than forcing down a cold pretzel at a ball game; second, don't count on my children to bail me out of a sticky situation; and lastly, but most importantly, fill my wallet with cash!