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It was a lazy summer afternoon and a young boy and girl were playing together in the scuffed up dirt beneath a knarly shade tree. The sun was at its hottest and their only company was the buzz of June insects.
He was a gangly boy, tall for his fourteen years, with washed out brown hair and embarassing freckles that had been spattered acrossed his face by a careless artist's brush. His movements were those of a young colt trying to reign in excess energy. He was concentrating on the game of marbles in front before them. Hands and knees hugging the ground, he squinted narrowly as his favorite marble shot across the circle, collided with another one and careened out of bounds. He let out a loud groan of distress and reared back on his knees, slapping his hands to his thighs. "That's my two best marbles! I had to give Lenny Palmer my fastest frog for them. You gotta give me a chance to win 'em back."
His companion looked up from the circle and shook her head. "Oh no I don"t. We agreed, best five out of seven games and the winner gets to keep the ones they win."
"But I only want those two", he pleaded. Watching as she gathered up her loot, his mind raced to find a way to get them back. Suddenly he grasped onto an idea. "Tell you what", he said, "I'll race you to the creek for them."
The girl tightened the string on the bag and pushed herself upright so she was standing over him. Everyone had always told her she was a tomboy. She suppossed she was. She could out climb, out run, and beat most boys her age at marbles. She had always been proud of the fact that she could steal bases with the best of them. Now she felt a wistful sadness as she gazed at her friend. "I'm too old for that stuff. Face it, I beat you fair and square."
"Aw, com'on, give me a chance." Licking his lips nervously, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a glossy rubber worm. "Tell you what, if you beat me, I'll give you this and the marbles."
"What do I want with that old thing?", she asked scornfully. She hated to admit it, but it was the prettiest rubber worm she had ever seen. It was brilliant blue with silvery sparkly things that caught the sunlight and gave it a jewel like quality.
"This isn't just any old rubber worm. My uncle gave it to me."
"The uncle who died?"
"Yeah. It has never been used neither. I have been saving it for something special."
"Oh, all right. But if I win, no whining or trying to make me give them back."
"Deal"
She pointed towards a large rock. "We'll start from there and go as far as the tree with the rope on it."
"OK."
They set off for the starting line and took their positions. "Go on three", she said.
Poised like two seagulls about to fly, they started to count together. "One, two-o, thre-e!" Each shot forward running with all of their might. She gained a few feet and giggled as she ran past him. "See you later alligator."`
He pushed down hard and lengthened his stride. He couldn't let her win! Determined not to have to relenquish his most prized possessions, he made up the distance between them and passed her just yards from their goal.
"Ya-ho-o-o!, I won!", he shouted as he grabbed the rope and swung out over the water.
"Who wants those dumb old things anyway?", she gasped, as she leaned against the tree.
When the rope swung back to shore, he let go of it and landed in front of her with a thud. "Com'on, give me my stuff now."
She reached into her pocket and pulled out the bag of marbles. Kneeling down, she opened the bag and dumped them onto the ground. He squatted next to her and poked a grimey finger around until he found the ones he was seeking. One was deep red with clear swirls in it. The other was a mottle of blue, green and white. He had had them for a long time. They were the envy of everyboy who had ever seen them. He had always fought long and hard to keep them, and had only lost them once, briefly, back to Lenny. He scooped them up, and standing, dropped them into the pocket that held the rubber worm. She watched him do this and heard the soft clicking sound as they fell together at the bottom.
Pushing the hair out of her face, she stood up. Her face was close to his and her hazel eyes looked into his brown ones intently. He gazed back at her startled by her expression. The air around them seemed to stand still and he felt the breath leave his chest. She leaned into him and asked, "Do you want to kiss me?"
"Wha-a?"
"I said, do you want to kiss me?"
"I-I guess so", he stammered.
"What will you give me if I let you?"
"What do you mean?" "This was your idea!"
"Well, you want to kiss me, right?"
He swallowed hard. "Yes."
"Then, if you really, really, want to kiss me, you will give me what you have in your pocket." She reached out and touched the pocket that held the two marbles and the rubber worm.
"I thought you didn't want those dumb ol' things. Besides, how do I know one kiss is worth all that?"
"Because I promise", she whispered.
He swallowed the lump in his throat and reached into his pocket and pulled out the treasures. He held them out to her. She picked them up and concealed them in her fist. When next she looked at him, he was surprised to see tears in her eyes. Tipping her chin up, she closed her eyes and kissed him.
"Thank you", she breathed, then turned and ran away, hair flying, the marbles and rubber worm clutched against her chest.
He stuffed his hands into his now empty pockets, shrugged, and muttered, "Go figure." He felt as though he had been cheated somehow.
When she got home she locked her self in her room and sat for awhile looking at her prizes. After a time, she opened a drawer and felt around until her hand touched a small velvet box. It was nearly new, a deep, rich purple with a goldtone clasp. Pulling out the necklace that it held, she carefully placed the other items inside.
Years later, a gangly aging man sat and stared at the hazel eyed photograph of his wife. He had been sorting through her belongings trying to decide what to keep and what to throw away. Whenever he hadn't been able to decide, he'd look at her picture and seem to hear her say, "Who wants those dumb old things anyway?"
Now as he turned a worn purple velvet box over in his hand, he was about to put it in the trash pile when he flet a thump from inside. Releasing the tarnished clasp, he smiled at what he saw. There, nestled in some cotton, were two marbles and a brilliant blue rubber worm. He looked into the picture and waited. Hearing nothing, he took them out and carefully dropped them into his pocket. When he heard the soft clicking sound as they fell together at the bottom, he knew he had never been cheated.
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