Last Thursday night, the boys stayed out after dark playing football in the cul-de-sac. We were just about to call them in for a late dinner, when they came in through the front door.

“Can we ride to the gas station?” my youngest son asked.

The gas station is about a mile away, which isn’t too far, but it was dark outside. “Why?” I asked.

“Cause they have Icees and we have a buy five get one free coupon, so we’re all gonna ride there and get Icees.”

“So the whole group is going?” my wife asked.

“Yeah.”

“Okay,” I said. “But ride on the sidewalks not the street. It’s dark out.”

They nodded and ran back outside.

“I wonder who’s getting the free one?” I asked my wife.

“Probably whoever has the coupon,” she said.

We sat down and ate our own dinner, then flipped through the T.V. channels looking for something good to watch.

The front door opened again, and the boys returned. One’s shirt was stained pink. The other was carrying a bag of chips. Neither had an Icee.

“What happened?”

“Bad idea,” my oldest son, shaking his head.

“We got the Icees,” his little brother added, “but no one thought how we’d get them back. It’s really hard to carry an Icee when you’re riding your bike.”

“How’d the other kids do?” my wife asked, laughing.

“Worse.”

Taking turns, they described how each child lost his Icee. It was quite a story. There were shouting matches, near crashes, and a whole lot of spilled ice.

“So… next time?” I asked.

“We walk.”