The Coin Deception!

Now to an adult, one year age difference doesn’t mean much at all.  As a matter of the fact, one year's difference in adulthood is considered, pretty much, the same age.  But as children of six and seven – the age difference is astronomical.  That one year gave me knowledge that my younger sister could not begin to fathom.  That’s how the great coin deception had come about.

We’d counted our coins, stuffed them in a little pull-string bag that Grandma Byrd had given us,  walked to the mailbox at the end of the driveway - ready to cross the highway.  The time had come; we were off to the corner store – alone for the first time.  Grandma Byrd was of course standing at the edge of the driveway, making sure it was safe to cross.  She looked both ways and sent us off.

About three blocks into the walk, Tracy and I were talking about our nickels and dimes and pennies.  Tracy pulled out a dime and said,  “I’m gonna get a lot of candy with this one!”  Now I don’t know how my thoughts turned to wicked here.  I really was a very kind and loving child, but I suppose the prospects of having so much money right there on my person had changed me a little.  So I said to my naive little sibling, “Well, you know this nickel is much bigger than your dime, it must be worth a lot more!  Do you want to trade?”  She smiled at me and said, “Really?  Okay!” 

It was so easy!  We traded nickels for dimes and went on to the store.  Of course I was afraid that Tracy would figure out what I had done.  However, to my surprise, she didn’t say anything to me about it.  I suppose the large selection of candy laid out before her six-year-old eyes created such a distraction that she was unable to think about who-had-more.  After buying every candy our coins could buy, Tracy and I set off for the short walk home.  There at the end of the driveway stood our Grandmother.  She must have been waiting for us, not wanting us to cross the highway alone. 

Of course, we all knew my trickery could not last, Tracy mentioned my kind generosity to Grandma Byrd.  Grandma Byrd promptly told Tracy that a dime worth two nickels.  Now, Grandma Byrd was strict, but she appreciated a witty trick too.  She didn’t punish me, and because I earnestly told her that I’d gladly share my extra candy with Tracy, I wasn’t scolded.   We all ate some candy, and had a big laugh. 

I honestly didn’t mind sharing my candy with Tracy; I was feeling pretty bad about myself most of the walk home from the corner store.   However, that did not stop me from pulling the same trick on her again. It was a hard sell at first, but once I reminded her that the little coins were obviously worth more than the bigger coins; it wasn’t more than a block’s worth of walking that all my dimes had made it into her bag and all her quarters had made it into mine!  hehe