“Pace yourself.”

There you are, sitting at home. You’ve just taken off your shoes, ready to relax in your own safe place.

Then it starts.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Summer sighed and headed for the door.

“May I help you?” she asked.

She had been looking forward to a nice, hot bath. She had already turned on some soft music and was ready to unwind after a long day at work. But she knew how things went. First the doorbell, then the phone. There was always something.

Two children stood on her porch, carrying a box of cookies.

“Yes, ma’am,” one of them said. “We’re selling cookies and would like you to buy some.”

“Really?” Summer smiled. “How much?”

“Two boxes for five dollars.”

“That’s a good deal. What kind do you have?”

“All kinds. What do you like?”

“Well, peanut butter is one of my favorites.”

The children looked at each other.

“Sorry. We sold the last two boxes.”

“Okay,” said Summer. “Chocolate chip would be my next choice.”

“That’s not possible either. We sold the last box on the street behind you.”

Summer laughed.

“Well, how about coconut?”

“We sold those too.”

She folded her arms.

“Then what exactly do you have?”

One of the children proudly held up a piece of paper.

“We have rain checks.”

“Rain checks?”

“Yes, ma’am. That means we’ll bring your cookies back when it rains. Two for five dollars.”

Summer couldn’t help laughing.

“Is that so?”

“Yep.”

“Do either of you know when it’s supposed to rain?”

The children shook their heads.

“No. Do you?”

“Sorry,” Summer said with another laugh. “I don’t.”

“Well, then you should buy a rain check.”

“And when it rains, you’ll bring me the cookies?”

“That’s right.”

Summer thought for a moment.

“Okay. Come back when it rains, bring the cookies, and I’ll buy them then.”

The children looked horrified.

“No, that’s not how it works!”

“It isn’t?”

“No, ma’am. You have to pay for the rain check first. Otherwise, we can’t bring the cookies back in the rain.”

The other child nodded seriously.

“Just write down your name, address, and phone number. Give us the money, and we’re all set.”

Summer shook her head and laughed.

“You drive a hard bargain.”

“So, it’s a deal?”

“It’s a deal.”

“Good. Let’s shake on it.”

After handing over the five dollars, Summer shook both of their hands.

She knew this might be a one-way deal, but the kids were so serious and so adorable that she couldn’t resist.

“Thank you!” they shouted.

Then they ran off down the sidewalk.

At last, Summer headed upstairs.

“Calgon, take me away,” she said as she disappeared into her long-awaited bath.

Nearly thirty minutes later, she emerged feeling relaxed and refreshed.

She wandered into the kitchen and opened the refrigerator.

“Wow. Not much left.”

Closing the door, she walked into the living room and sat down.

“Hey!” her friend Kent said. “How about going to a movie tonight?”

“Maybe I’ll order delivery from one of the restaurants nearby.”

That sounded like a great idea.

Soon her dinner arrived, and she settled onto the couch with a plate of food and one of her favorite comedy movies.

“Perfect,” she said. “A laugh or two and I’ll be asleep in no time.”

The movie had barely started when the phone rang.

Summer groaned and answered.

“Hello?”

“No thanks. I’m exhausted.”

“Okay,” Kent said. “How about I come over instead?”

Summer immediately thought of the children and their cookies.

“No,” she replied. “Let me give you a rain check.”

“A rain check?”

“Yep. When it rains, you can come over then.”

For a moment, there was silence.

Then she heard Kent laughing on the other end of the line.

Summer smiled and hung up.

“Now,” she said, settling back into the couch, “that’s how a rain check works.”

The End