Numbers or letters?

Did I ever tell you that I am not math oriented at all? Throw a few numbers my way and I get frazzled, but throw a few letters my way and I can unscramble almost any word. I always won the bridal shower game where guests made as many words as possible out of the bride's and groom's names.

I was poor at math but one day when I was ten, my dad handed me a dollar and sent my nine year old brother and me to the store to get three items. He told us we could have the pennies to buy penny candy.

"All of the pennies?" I asked, my wheels spinning two-fers: 2 Mary Janes for a penny, two malted milk balls for one cent, two Swedish fish for a copper head. All that math and my imagination got the best of me.

When the grocer, who was also our landlord, handed my brother the grocery bag and dropped thirty six cents into my hand, I said, "May I have the change back in pennies?"

"Why?" He eyed me suspiciously.

"It's okay," I assured him, "Dad said we could spend all of the pennies we got back, so if you give us the change back in pennies..."

"I can't do that."

"Sure you can. You have a drawer full of pennies, and Dad said it was okay."

I convinced Joe, who looked and laughed like a jolly Santa (without a beard).

He chuckled from deep in his belly when he converted the silver and counted the pennies into my palm. I was giddy.

My brother and I giggled when we selected our candies.

I took the grocery bag from my brother and said, "Let me handle this."

I put the grocery bag on the table, and Dad said, "Where's my change?"

I had my candy bag tucked under my shirt.

"Uhmm, Joe gave us all of the change back in pennies and you said we could spend the pennies." I whipped out my bag.

I have vague memories of getting my butt whipped.