The Tooth Fairy's Close Call

I woke up at 5:30 AM and then again at 5:50. At 6:00 AM I thought that maybe I should just get up. The house was quiet. I crept out of our room and into the bathroom.

Suddenly I heard loud crack like a rifle shot. It was Jacob opening his door, which sticks at the top of the door jam.

"Mom!" Jacob cried, and he turned on the overhead light in his bedroom. I shielded my eyes from the light. In the early morning October dark it was like a bolt of lightening had crashed into the apartment and overstayed it's welcome.

"Jacob!" I yelled-hissed. " Turn the light out! You'll wake up Casey!"

Jacob flipped the light out but then he explained his actions. "Mom! I want to see if the tooth fairy left me any money!"

Oh.....I thought. Oh crap. Josh and I had each forgotten to play "tooth fairy" the night before, even though we were very excited that Jacob had lost his fourth baby tooth in German class, and even though we had placed the tooth carefully in a ziplock bag so that we could swap it for a $1.00 bill sometime in the middle of the night.

I decided to distract Jacob with gummy vitamins.

"Jacob, follow me." I grabbed the jar of gummy vitamins from the kitchen and led Jacob to the living room. It was dark throughout the apartment, and also outside. I gave Jacob two candy vitamins. "Wait for me, Jacob. I'll be right back."

I tried to think of a clever lie, or a ruse, but then I decided speed was preferable. I scanned the dark dining room for my purse. I rustled through the papers and the dried leaves I let Jacob stash in my purse earlier in the week. Finally, I felt my wallet. Fortunately I had some cash---a rare occurrence in our cash-strapped household. $5.00 bill, $5.00 bill, $1.00 bill. Jackpot. I pulled the smooth one dollar bill out of my wallet and threw my glance back at Jacob on the couch. He was still chewing his vitamins.

I backed slowly towards his bedroom and then turned around and rushed to his bedside. I pulled up his pillows and felt for the bag with the tooth. I snatched the bag and left the dollar in its place. I rushed back into the living room.

"Jacob! Let's see if the tooth fairy came last night! I'm going to turn on the lamp next to your bed, so we won't wake up Casey!"

Jacob and I headed back to his room. I turned on the lamp which cast a soft pink light. Jacob pulled the pillows off of his bed. "She came! The tooth fairy left me a dollar! A one dollar bill!"

"Jacob, that's great!"

Jacob kept his eyes glued on his dollar, like it was a million dollar bill. He didn't suspect a thing.

"Mom, I have to go poo!" Jacob announced this like he was telling me that he had just invented cold fusion. "And I'm going to bring my dollar with me!"

Jacob sprinted to the bathroom, and I plopped down on his bed, relieved. It had been a close call for the tooth fairy. Next time she'll have to remember to do her job right the first time.