Joey O’Leary, an Irish boy, lived in a very small town with his
mother, father and two younger sisters. He was born many years ago,
even before the invention of the computer, maybe as much as twenty
years ago.
Joey’s father was a school teacher and his mother, most of the time
was a homemaker, though she did sell cosmetics from their home, to
earn a little extra money.
School was starting in just a few days, and it was customary for the
O’Leary children to get a new set of clothing each year, so they would
look well dressed on the first day of school.
Joey’s little town had no clothing store, no bank, no restaurant, or
even a swimming pool. The only store in the village was a small
grocery store, a post office, a gas station and a barber shop.
It was Saturday, the last free weekend of the summer, and mother
said that it was the dreaded day of school shopping. Beth and Carole,
the two younger sisters were up early, happy as a couple of larks, as
they giggled and chattered over breakfast, anticipating the “day of
glory and excitement” in the big city mall.
Joey, on the other hand, was not that enthusiastic. He wanted to
stay home and ride his bicycle, throw rocks in the pond, or do
anything but go shopping. He finally agreed to go, however, after his
father gave him a talking to. It seemed for ever, but thirty minutes
later, mom, Carole, Beth and Joey were in the big town, entering the
huge shopping mall.
Following the girls around in the shopping center was sheer torture
for Joey. He was tired and crabby. He wanted to sit down, but he
couldn’t. He wanted to go to the sporting goods store but he wasn’t
allowed. He wanted a new baseball, but mother wouldn’t hear of it.
All he could do is follow and watch the girls as they tried on new
dresses.
Finally, after what seemed like hours, mother and the kids
approached a boy’s store. With little enthusiasm, Joey tried on a new
shirt, new shoes, new underwear, and a pair of green pants.
He didn’t like the shirt much. He didn’t like the shoes much. He
didn’t like the underwear much, but he did like the green pants. Joey
said, “If I ever get out of this mall alive, I’m going to wear these green
pants for ever.
School started the following Monday, and Joey put on his new green
pants. All the other kids had new clothes too, but his green pants, in
Joey’s mind, was the most handsome of all. He continued to wear his
green pants every day. Even when they were dirty, he would insist
that they be washed and ready, so he could wear them the next day.
Mother looked at him kind of funny every morning at breakfast, but
said, “Well, as long as your pants are clean, I guess it’s OK.
Months went by, and soon the school year was about over. Joey still
liked his green pants, but a small problem had occurred. He had
grown over two inches in the last year, and his green pants were not
growing with him. Joey was now ten years old.
One day, mother asked Joey to go to the grocery store to pick up
some things for supper. She told Joey, “Here is some money. Run to
the store and pick up some hamburger, some tomato sauce, and some
noodles. We’re going to have spaghetti tonight.”
She also said, “And Joey, don’t let me see you in those green pants
anymore. They’re too small for you and they’re looking thin in knees.
Don’t you dare go to the store looking like that.”
Joey went to the store alright, but he ignored what his mother told
him about his green pants. He jumped on his bicycle and quickly
peddled down the street to the grocery store. He was really hungry,
especially for spaghetti. It was his favorite dish.
Entering the store, Mr. Jenkins, the store keeper, said, “Hello Joey.
How are you today?” Joey said, “Fine, Mr. Jenkins. Here’s my
mothers list of stuff that she needs.”
Mr. Jenkins read over the list with one eye, and looked at Joey with
the other. With a slight laughter in his voice, he asked, “Aren’t those
the same green pants that you wore last year, and last week, and
yesterday?”
Two little girls in the store started giggling, pointed at Joey and said,
“Yes, Joey, aren’t those the same green pants you wore all year in
school?” They teased..
Joey didn’t say anything, just picked up his groceries, hopped on his
bicycle and headed home. A few minutes later he was in the kitchen
placing the heavy sack on the table. His mother took one look at him
and raised her finger in the air.
“I thought I told you not to wear those green pants to the store,” she
raged. “You disobeyed me. 5ow you are going to bed without your
supper. And I do not want to see you in those green pants again.” She
was one mad mother.
The next morning, Joey’s father felt sorry for him. It was Saturday,
and he told Joey that he had a good idea.
“Joey,” father said, “let’s go fishing and take those green pants
along. We’ll get rid of them once and for all.”
And so they drove down to the river with their fishing poles and sat
on the riverbank. It was a beautiful day. “Here’s my idea,” he said.
“let’s put a couple of plastic half gallon milk jugs, one in each leg of
those green pants, and float them down the river. Maybe we could
put a note in one of the jugs, so whomever found them, would know
that they were your favorite pants. You could put your name and
address on the note, and possibly you could hear from them
someday.”
Joey thought that it was a terrific idea, and so they did just that.
The green pants floated away, just like father said they would. Joey
said, “goodbye green pants.”
The green pants floated down the river for weeks. In days to come,
the river current took the floating green pants into the Missouri, and
then into the Mississippi. Finally, the slow moving Mississippi carried
them all the way to the Gulf of Mexico.
One day, much later, a Mexican boy and his father were fishing in a
small boat off the shore of the Yucatan, near Cancun. They were very
poor and had little to eat, only one banana. They had fished all day,
but had not caught anything that they could eat. Pablo, the little boy,
spotted something bobbing in the waves.
“Look father,” Pablo said. “Let’s snag that green thing to see what
it is.”
Pablo tossed his hook and line over to the floating object, hooked it
and reeled it over to the boat.
“Look father,” Pablo said. It’s a pair of green pants. They’re just
what I’ve always wanted.” And to Pablo’s surprise, two large fish
that were living in the pants, fell into the boat as he pulled the pants
from the water. Pablo’s father dried out the pants for a few hours,
and when they were ready, Pablo tried them on. They were perfect.
Then they discovered the note in one of the jugs that had Joey’s name
and address plainly written on a piece of white paper.
Pablo’s father was excited. 5ot only did they find a pair of green
pants, but also caught two fish for supper. “It’s a miracle,” Pablo’s
father said.
When Pablo got home, he immediately wrote a letter to Joey, stating
that he had found the green pants in the Gulf of Mexico. Soon Pablo
and Joey were writing letters to each other every week. They became
good friends.
Many year later, Joey and Pablo met at the University of Kansas.
Pablo came to America as an exchange student and graduated with a
doctor’s degree in medicine. Joey wanted to be a science teacher and
a basketball coach, so he graduated with a teaching degree.
Pablo went back to Mexico, and is a doctor. Joey is a teacher and a
basketball coach in a small town in Missouri. Both call each other by
telephone and now, a new invention, called email, and are life-long
friends. And it was all because of a pair of green pants.
Life is a puzzle, ain’t it.
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