“Hi, Grandpa.”
I was seated on the deck of the Holiday Hotel drinking coffee and reading my book when Melody came walking down the beach. She was carrying little Grayson while Davin tagged along behind.
“Hey, sweet boy,” I said to Davin. “Where are you off to?”
“Mom’s going to the gallery and I have to go with her. I would rather stay here on the beach with you.”
“How about it?” I asked Melody. “There are plenty of kids around here for him to play with. I’ll drop him at the art gallery when I leave.”
After I stole some kisses from Baby Grayson, Melody walked on up the beach. I gave Davin some money and he came back from the deli with ice cream and a new friend. Like Davin the friend looked to be about eight years old.
“This my friend, John,” Davin told me. “He’s from California and his family is staying at the hotel here.”
After Davin and John played on the beach for half an hour they came running up to me on the deck. They were both crying.
“John’s going to die, Grandpa,” Davin said. “He swallowed a dollar.”
“Oh, I can fix that,” I said.
I sneaked a hand into my pocket and palmed a dollar. I reached out and pretended to pull it from John’s ear and I handed it to him.
“There’s your dollar,” I said.
John immediately quit crying and said, “Wow! That was great, Mister.”
He stuck the dollar in his mouth, swallowed it and said, “Do it again, Mister!”

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