2002 Story Set
| April 5, 2002 Wednesday night Team in Training had an auction to raise money. Each marathon or race trainee has to raise $2500 to $4500, depending on the race or event they are training for. The money goes to the Leukemia Society. 75% of it goes to research. The goal is to cure this ugly set of diseases that kills more children than anything else does. And it is not a nice way to go. Being out of work does not phase me. Too much. So we packed up and drove to the auction to show support. I parked right next to the bar - dinner place so we had a short walk. I paid $20 at the door. (I could have entered for free. I choose to be supportive.) I also had a light beer. We had shrimp for my son and some chicken thing for me. And, while talking to someone, my plastic chair broke! Put me right on the floor. Banged my hip, my knees and my right hand. (Shook me up and jarred my shoulder.) That was graceful! The beer I had imbibed had kept me loose enough not to be badly hurt. We chatted and sat and watched the crowd. We went over the auction list. Bachelors and bachelorettes were up for grabs - well, not literally. People had imbibed a few when they got the auction rolling. Things went straight down-hill. Once the bidding started, the crowd decided it would be a little rowdy. A group of women behind us was really into it. One by one, these trained athletes were ordered to "pull up that shirt and show us some skin!" "Turn around and shake it!" Of course, when the request was complied with, the resounding show of approval was deafening. Some really great abs, arms and booty up there. I was enjoying the view. Well, one young lady was offering dinner and a hot tub. People told us she was a cutie. She was a silent auction item. The ladies behind us wrote my son's name down. This set him off. He began bidding by shouting bids at the start. On anything that moved on the stage. I went back and upped the bid on the hot tub. Well, ladies and gents were paraded for inspection, and, depending on their liveliness, were duly sold for $40 - $300. Money to the Leukemia Society. One guy had bid on several others and so when he went up, the ladies behind us, who were, by this time, quite out of control, running up to tuck dollar bills into slim waistbands, demanding to know if the lovely with the service of a car wash was performing it in a bikini (for $200, yes), bid $200 for him. My son, not to be outdone, bid $215, in a very loud voice. They tried to drive up his price. ("He will shave his entire body for $1,000 - you can watch!" - this was not HIS idea! The auctioneer was trying to drive it higher.) At any rate, we got him! For $215. Neat. He had a list of services - for $100 --- for $200 --- $300 --- For $100, you get a trip to the ballgame. Well, for $200 it was sailing and I didn't want that. My younger son and I will go with him to a Giants baseball game. On the way out, we checked the silent items. Wrote in a bid for someone we knew. Checked on the hot tub date. There was a guy upping everyone's bid and standing there. I told my son, sorry, no way you will get that. If I had been working, I'd have upped the bid to the stratosphere just for fun. She went for $155 - and someone else had pried her loose from the watcher. We also learned that the rowdy ladies, who wanted the sailing option at $200, got it! Our guy sold himself twice! All for a good cause. Well, next day, at the hospital for his chemo, my son told them that he had no stuffed toys for them today, because he had bought his mother a man. This took a bit of explaining. Of course, by the next holiday, I am sure we will find cute stuffed toys to bring in. We have decorated the clinic D counter and the counter in the day hospital. They have our old Sony TV and old PlayStation up and running for patients. (So they now have four setups instead of three.) We have a stuffed Thanksgiving turkey up in 2North - where my son had been captive for nearly 10 months. We've brought in candy, fake roses and of course the See's 4 lb. chocolate box. Even a set of duplicate photos to hand out. Anything to make it a little less trying for younger kids and nurses to be there. So, the fact he bought his mother a man has them all buzzing. We provide entertainment value. My son, the clown. |
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