I was walking to my door the other day when a little girl, about 7 years old, (long black hair, no front teeth) said, “Hi.” She was holding a picture she had made in her hand.

I said, “Hi.” She showed me the picture and said, “Do you think this is pretty?”

Being a patron of the arts and little girls, I looked at the legal size sheet of typing paper she was displaying. It had cutouts from magazines pasted to it (pictures of a necklace, a ring, Tigger and a bottle of shampoo) and I said, “Yes, that’s very nice.”

She said, ever so cleverly, “Do you want to buy it? I’ll sell it to you for 50 cents. I need two quarters for the ice-cream truck!”

Without a doubt, she looked like a girl in need, dire need of something from the ice-cream truck, (whose soul purpose is the entice small children and weak adults with its flashing lights, and it’s music box tones to eat ice cream, even on cold days!) I quickly remembered my need as a child with no teeth for “something from the ice-cream truck.”

I said, “Okay.”

In I went, got four dimes and two nickels (needed to keep the quarters for laundry). I told my roommate about the dilemma of the child outside who needed ice cream. Summer agreed to buy a large sticker from the first girl’s friend for a mere 50 cents.

When we came out with the money. My little artist (con artist) looked disappointed that it wasn’t two quarters. So I counted it out for her, to prove that it was just as good as two quarters. Summer made her exchange, and a few minutes later I made a second purchase from the last little girl who was “in the sale too, but just not outside” at the time of the original offer. This time the three had a little two year old with them, so I gave the little one my last two dimes and nickel and told them to share whatever they got with her.

I think our combined $1.75 was well spent.