My dad loved sweets, and he especially loved Heath bars! (My brother says he also liked Jujyfruits and malted milk balls, but hey, this is my story). Now I’m sure you can imagine that being a quadriplegic and confined to a wheelchair meant he needed to be mindful of what he ate…no exercise program to help him lose weight.
Dad was always sending in boxtops and proofs of purchase for refunds. Refunds of coins were deposited in a bank, shaped like a bull that sat on his bookshelf . When he had the desire for something sweet, he’d tell me to take a quarter from the bull and I’d walk to the local grocery store for a six pack of Heath bars. I’d feed him a bar before Mom got home from work and hide the rest of the bars beneath his underwear in his bureau drawer. Every so often Mom would come across his secret stash, and we’d have to find a new hiding place the next time! I can still hear Mom saying “Mac, you shouldn’t be eating these. Where did they come from?”
It’s a memory that makes me smile as I liked nothing more than to make my dad happy and we were in cahoots together. If I got into trouble, so did he!
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