Taking my turn as a parent volunteer at the basketball tournament, I had the closing shift.  First up, ticket sales for the final game.  All was going well.  Chat up the folks.  Little jokes here and there.  All repeatable jokes, since the line kept moving.  “Should be a great game.  You are really gonna get your money’s worth.” Add a quick smile and I was golden.

Golden until I was asked to do two digit subtraction.  Who knew that it could stump someone on the fly?  “Two adults and one senior.  That will be $16.” The guy handed me a $50 bill.  First off, where did he get a $50 bill?  Was it even real?  Unacceptable working conditions.  Thankfully, the game started and we were soon allowed to close the ticket sale window.  Whew!  Survived!  (Barely.)

Next up, concessions.  Help out for ten minutes before the booth closed or ran out of food, whichever came first.  Okay, status report?  A dozen hot dogs remaining.  No problem.  I got this.  Young child, maybe nine-years-old approaches clutching some crumpled dollar bills.  He asks, “Could I have a walking taco?” My response was swift and certain, “Sorry, we are all out of walking tacos, but I have heard that the hot dogs are really good.” Done, hot dog sold. “You know, a candy bar really goes well with a hot dog.” Done.  Sold.  Repeat a few times and shut down the booth.  Just do me a favor and keep an eye out for the dude with a wallet full of $50s.  He’s a stumper.