The Fourth Stall - Chris Rylander [42]
“What does that mean, ‘an offer he can’t refuse’? You’re always saying weird stuff like that,” Joe said, but he was laughing. “I swear, sometimes I think you two are the strangest kids on earth.”
I grinned. It was times like that that I realized how close Joe was to becoming an adult. Vince and I spent the next few minutes filling Joe in on what we had in mind. And I have to say that it was a pretty good plan. Vince and I smiled at each other as we discussed it, and even Joe was smiling by the time we’d finished explaining it.
But then I wasn’t sure if Vince was smiling because he liked the plan or because he had just snuck up behind me in the video game and swiftly stabbed my character in the back.
We hung out and played video games for another hour or so. Then Joe had to leave.
“What are you guys doing this weekend?” he asked as he put on his jacket.
“We’re going to the lake with my family,” I said. “So take the weekend off.”
“All right, sounds good,” he said.
Vince and I still had to find time to start planning the trip, with everything else going on, and this seemed like a good chance to start. Normally, talking about the Cubs winning a series before they actually do would be a huge jinx, and we probably were ruining it for all Cubs fans right then and there in Vince’s room. But it was a necessity for us. Two sixth graders just can’t up and go to a World Series game on the spur of the moment. An event as sacred as a Cubs World Series required careful planning. It went above the jinx.
“So you think that we should just go cheap and sit in the nosebleeds or try to go all out and sit in the lower section?” I asked.
“I want awesome tickets, of course, but we can’t afford them with you handing out our money like political pamphlets. The good ones are going for over twenty-seven hundred bucks apiece right now! We may not even be able to get the cheap seats at this rate,” Vince said. “That’s so much money, Mac. I mean, just think about it.”
“I know that’s a lot, Vince, but what choice have I had? We’re in this for the long haul now; I don’t think we can back out. Besides, the bullies have helped us. We’re close to ending this whole thing.”
“Maybe,” Vince said, but it didn’t seem like he was really even thinking about the Cubs game anymore. He was just kind of looking out the window with eyes that resembled glazed donut holes. What was with him lately? I guess the stress of this Staples business was really getting to him.
“Which game should we try for? One? Seven?” I asked.
Vince pondered this with the same glassy-eyed stare he’d had for much of the night. Then he finally said, “I think we should just go for the first game, because what if the Cubs choke like they always do and get swept? Then there won’t be a game seven and we’ll miss our only chance to see a World Series game at Wrigley. Possibly forever.”
I nodded.
I know it must seem like we were pretty negative fans, but that’s the way you’re supposed to think if you’re a Cubs fan. Otherwise, you’d just get your heart broken again and again and again.
Right now you’re probably thinking: No way. There’s no way this little sixth grader could have enough money to buy two tickets to a game this expensive. And you know what? It does seem a little ridiculous. But Vince is a great business manager. He kept us on track saving money religiously for over four years. And the business did pretty well, so there was a lot of money to save. Besides, we also get money for allowance and birthdays, too. Plus, we have no bills to pay, like for cars or rent, nothing outside of