It had been a long, stressful weekend and there was something I needed. Even though I hated to do it I called the number of my contact. She acted like she was expecting my call, expecting my need.
“I knew you’d be callin” she answered not bothering with any pleasantries. “How many you want?”
“Just one” I replied
“Uh huh, c’mon now I know you better than that, it’s Monday and I can set you up for the week.”
“No, no just one this week, I’m cutting back”
I tried to sound confident about this but I’m pretty sure I didn’t.
“Usual spot, and bring cash, exact change if you got it, I gots no time to be makin change, I gots other people to get to this morning, people buying more than just one” she barked into the phone.
“I’ll be there in 15” I said and then hung up.
I had just enough time to make it to the meet up spot, a parking lot of an abandoned factory on the other side of town and then make it to work.
She was already there waiting for me in her black Escalade. She opened the back hatch, and sure enough there they were, boxes of them, cases of them.
“You sure about just one box this week,” she questioned always looking to sell more. “You know, by the end of the month they’ll be gone till next year and then whatcha goin do?”
I was looking forward to the end of the month, when I could finally stop this nonsense, when I could no longer feed this craving.
“I’m serious this time, you’re not going to be hearing from me again this month.” Again I tried to sound confident, I think I may have even puffed out my chest a little as I said that.
“Honey, I hear that all the time, uh huh that’s what they all say, ALL THE TIME” she spoke these last three words slowly for emphasis. I glanced around quickly to see if anybody was watching us, then I reached into my pocket and handed her the folded up money. She didn’t bothering counting it, barely even glanced at it as she tucked it down the front of her shirt and handed me a box.
“I’m losing your number, deleting you from my phone,” my voice now more confident than ever. But I heard her laughing hysterically as she sped out of the parking lot, off to make another sale. I stood there in a parking lot of an abandoned factory on the other side of town, a little lighter in my wallet but in possession of what she had sold me…I had a box of my favorite girl scout cookies.
According to the Girl Scout web site, cookies have been sold as early as 1917 when a troop in Oklahoma began baking and selling cookies as a fundraiser for troop activities. In 1933 the Girl Scouts of Greater Philadelphia baked cookies and sold them in the city’s gas and electric company’s windows. Back then a box of 44 cookies sold for just 23 cents. And in a sign of changing times, I remember hearing about an enterprising young girl scout who set up a table to sell cookies out in front of a marijuana dispensary in Colorado, which might have been the first time girl scout cookies and marijuana was used in the same sentence, or not.
I vowed to make my box of Thin Mints, which are the most popular cookie, last as long as I could. Thin Mints have two sleeves of cookies with 16 cookies in each sleeve, so I was pretty confident I could make them last a week. The first night I had 3 cookies, the next night I had 4 cookies quickly followed by 4 more. I then hid them in the back of the pantry behind a box of elbow noodles. I wasn’t hiding them from anyone else in my family, as I am the only one who eats that cookie, my wife likes the Samoas, I was hiding them from myself, out of sight, out of mind.
The next night I remembered one of my favorite things to do is put some of them in the freezer and have some frozen Thin Mints. I hid some behind the Haagen-Dazs ice cream, which probably wasn’t the best thing to do as I now was thinking about two things, frozen Thin Mints and chocolate Haagen-Dazs. Then I remembered an opened jar of hot fudge in the refrigerator and well let me tell you that’s a pretty good combination, frozen Thin Mints, Haagen-Dazs and hot fudge.
It was near the end of the month, my phone rang. I recognized the number immediately, it was my cookie contact. I stared at the phone, thought about not answering it, but I knew I had to answer it or else she would keep badgering me with her cookies.
“Hello,” I answered.
“Honey, its the end of the month and I got what you need.”
“Don’t you ever say hello?” I asked.
“Listen, I got no time for hello’s or goodbyes, I gotta know how many you want cuz after this week they’re gone for the rest of the year. Now, if you want I could come by your house and drop some off, and then….”
“No”….I cut her off, I didn’t need my neighbors seeing me buying stuff from the back of a black Escalade.
“Listen, I’m good, in fact I still have some left-over from last week.” It was true, my plan of hiding them had worked reasonably well.
A brief moment of silence from the other end and then her voice softened.
“Well, well, well look it at you, being all grown-up like, not needing me anymore. Are you still gonna keep my number for next year?”
I chuckled softly,
“Ya, I’ll still keep it for next year, you’re still my cookie contact.”
She chuckled this time…
“Well then, I guess this is goodbye till next year.”
“Wait, I thought you didn’t say goodbye?”
“Next year honey, I might even say hello…” and with that I heard her laugh hysterically as she hung up the phone.
I went to the pantry and pulled out my box of Thin Mints, there were still two left. I put them in the freezer next to the chocolate Haagen-Daz. I knew in about 1 hour the cool hardness of the cookies and ice cream would contrast well with the hot fudge. I’m telling you that’s a killer combination.
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