Gail's Gift

“How long have we been coming to this park, Harry?”

“Going on twenty-five years now, Joe.”

“Yep, and we do the same thing every day.”

“Yeah. Sip our coffee. Play some chess. Feed the birds. What else is there to do?”

“Just got me thinking, Harry. Maybe we’re missing out on something more.”

“I’m 85. You’re 82. I think that ship has sailed.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“Ok, glad we got that out of the way. Now make a move.”

Joe’s hand hovered over the chess board, but he was lost in thoughts.

“No, I’m serious, Harry. We may be nearing the end, but we ain’t dead yet. I’m not talking about running a marathon or anything, just something different. Heck, we could play checkers.”

“Fine by me. Tomorrow, we play checkers. Satisfied?”

“Sure am.”

“Alright then, your move!”

“Ok, settle down.”

Their regular chess game wrapped up with Joe losing again. After feeding the ducks and pigeons, they were ready to call it a day. However, an unexpected gust of autumn wind changed their plans. It swept Joe’s hat off his head, sending it on a small adventure. The wind playfully tossed it high into a tree, where it got caught in some branches.

“Oh, for crying out loud. My hat!”

“It’s just a hat. Buy a new one.”

“That was a fine hat, Harry. Cost a pretty penny.”

“You mean ten bucks?”

“Just like I said, a pretty penny.”

Joe wasn’t willing to part with his hat. He started to climb the tree.

“Are you out of your mind, Joe? You’re gonna fall and break something. It’s a hat, for Pete’s sake. Let’s head to the store. I’ll buy you a new one myself.”

“Nope, I want my hat!”

Joe’s efforts were in vain, as he slipped down after climbing just a few feet.

“Told you so. Look how high the darn thing is, Joe. Let’s go.”

Joe was visibly upset and started to sob.

“Sheesh, Joe, you ok? I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“Gail bought me that hat, Harry. Before she passed. Whenever I’d misplace it, she’d give me hell. Brings back memories, is all.”

Harry’s smile faded, now genuinely concerned for his old friend.

“She was always looking out for you, wasn’t she?”

Joe nodded, running a hand over his head.

“It’s silly, really. When I started losing my hair, I started getting this bad sunburn on my head. So she bought me that hat. She left it on the counter near the coffee machine with a little note on it. Wait, I still have it in my wallet.”

Joe pulled out his wallet from his back pocket, retrieved the note, and read it aloud.

“I’ll always love you, bald sunburned head and all. I thought this hat might help. Love you always, Gail. P.S. Don’t lose it!”

Joe sheds another tear.

“Silly little note, but it made me laugh and brightened my shift at work. Man, I miss her, Harry.”

“Aw, Jeez, Joe. You never told me about any of this.”

“Ah, forget I even mentioned it. You’re right. It’s just a hat. Let’s go.”

Harry studied Joe for a moment. Then, resolutely, “No, we’re getting that hat back! But let’s not get ourselves killed. Okay?”

“Okay,” Harry kneeled, offering his hands to boost Joe up the tree.

“What are you doing?”

“What does it look like?”

“Thought you’d give it a shot, Harry. I’m exhausted.”

“Exhausted? You didn’t even start! Fine, watch and learn, old man.”

“Be my guest.”

“Are you gonna help me or what?”

Joe bent down and hoisted Harry onto the tree. Harry managed to climb a bit higher than Joe but lost his grip and ended up hanging upside down from a branch. The sight sent Joe into a fit of laughter.

“What are you laughing at? Get me down!”

A young guy on a skateboard approached, chuckling.

“Uh, need some help?”

“Does it look like we’re having a picnic here? Get me down!” Harry retorted, still hanging upside down. The boy climbed the tree effortlessly, grabbed Harry’s hand, and helped him down.

“What now?” asked Joe.

“Patience, Grandpa.” The boy pulled a slingshot from his backpack, picked up some rocks from the ground, and started firing at the hat. The third shot hit the mark, and Joe’s hat fluttered down from the tree, landing softly into Joe’s outstretched hands.

“Wow. That was quite a shot, son. Where’d you learn how to do that?”

“Shooting old cans at my house.”

Joe looked at the boy with appreciation. “What’s your name, young man?”

“Billy. Well, I gotta get home. No more tree climbing, ok?”

Joe reached out his hand for a shake, “You got yourself a deal.”

“Well, you wanted something different, a change? There ya go, Joe.”

“Not the change I expected, but I’ll take it.”

Harry chuckled, patting Joe’s shoulder as the boy rode away.